15
"Here, let me." Johanna walked over to Mrs. Lovett and took the corset strings from the baker's fumbling fingers.
"Thank ya.." She mumbled, annoyed at having needed help for such a simple task. Her body ached from more than just strain, and having had the chance to examine herself she found a surprisingly large number of cuts, some of them with bits of glass still glittering in them. The conversation with the girl had kept her mind on something other than the shards that now resided at the bottom of the tub.
"Really," the girl insisted, tying off the laces. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
"I'm sure ya didn't luv." Mrs. Lovett consoled, giving her new dress one last scrutinizing look before putting it on. Did she want to know where it came from?
"There.. much better isn't it?" Johanna asked, hopeful to keep a thread of conversation going for more than a moment. "Than your dress..or," she blushed. "All that blood on the dress."
"It's fine." The baker mumbled, staring at her reflection and smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles. "So.."
Johanna looked at her hopefully.
"'Ow did this bloody mess get started in the firs' place?"
Despite all that had happened, Toby felt a fear in his chest as he watched Mr. Todd lower himself into the chute. The plan was dangerous and seemed to become more insane with each passing moment. But Toby was willing to push that aspect of it aside, anything he and Mr. Todd got through was another step closer to finding his mum.
If there was anything to find…
He shook his head, not wanting to hear those types of thoughts. She was alive, she had to be alive.
Sweeney's waist had disappeared into the floor, the look on concentration only seeming to intensify as he continued to lower himself. With his back against one wall and his feet pressing against another was probably his best bet in making a safe descent. Though the first task of initially getting himself inside the tunnel was proving more difficult than he expected.
As the last strand of his frazzled hair made it below the floorboards, Sweeney thought he heard Toby mutter 'good luck'. Though it could have been the creak of the trapdoor hinges as it swung shut, right before smashing into his body and causing him to lose his footing.
Johanna's eyes started to tear up. "Which mess?"
Mrs. Lovett opened her mouth to inquire what the girl meant, then clicked her jaw shut. "Look luv, me being 'ere is not much of a problem." Not for you anyway. "Please, do ya know 'ow this started?"
"It's my fault!" She wailed.
Oh Lord, the baker put her hands on her hips. Just like her mother this one. "Stop snivelin' child, and tell me!" She snapped. Perhaps it wasn't quite right for her dislike for the child's mother to affect her opinion of her, but she didn't think there was any other way to get answers out of besides yelling anyway.
The girl looked up in shock at the woman's sudden outburst.
A/N Well, something bad had to happen to Mr. T.. I just go with a general rule things can't go well for too long. I don't think Mrs. Lovett yelling at Johanna is completely unbelievable, though I can see how it might be a little out of character for her.
