AN: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE SWEENEY TODD: DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET FRANCHISE!
Me: If you're wondering, I've decided to name Mrs. Lovett's siblings: Annabeth, Sarah, Amelia, Gillian, Salem, Nicholas, and Thomas.
Chapter Twelve: Memories,
The following morning, Mrs. Lovett stirred, noticing that she was not in her bed, curled in the usual ball on her side like she was used to waking up in. Groaning tiredly, she shook her head and remembered what had happened the previous night, what Mr. Todd had said. She could feel empty tears welling up behind her eyes, but pushed the thought aside, determined to get through the day if it killed her, or more specifically, he killed her. Pushing herself up off the floor, she headed to her bedroom. Closing the door behind her she walked too her dresser and looked into the mirror propped above it. It wasn't a proper vanity, but it was all she could afford in these hard times.
Looking at her reflection, she sighed. She'd need to change her dress as the tears had stained them and would have to conceal the tear-tracks themselves with powder so as not to arose suspicion from nosy neighbors. Opening a drawer of the dresser, she pulled out one of her few, very old dresses that had been a sort-of hand-me-down when her mother had died and none of her sisters had claimed her dresses. She lay the blue dress gently on the bed, remembering how much her mother had cared about that dress when she had still been alive. It was the most expensive article of clothing her mother had ever owned, the only clothing she had ever bought rather than made herself.
Shaking her head clear of thoughts, Mrs. Lovett carefully unlaced the current dress she was wearing and let it fall to the floor around her. Stepping out of the small pool of fabric that had laid to rest by her feet, she picked it up and put it in the laundry basket in the corner of the room. Turning to her mother's dress, she picked it up with gentle fingers and carefully stepped into, treating the dress with just as much care as her mother had when she had so proudly bought it nearly twenty years ago. Once it was on correctly, she began the careful process of lacing the dress.
When she was finished, she stepped back, taking in her reflection in the mirror before her. The dress was nothing special. It wasn't exactly expensive, simply expensive in the terms of her families funds at that time. It was a light shade of blue, rippling to floor in gentle waves of simple fabric. It had a small white collar that clasped at the neck and the sleeves cut off at her shoulders, falling gracefully about her. The funny thing was, the more she looked at herself in the dress, the more she was sure she saw her mother staring back at her, smiling radiantly as the day the day she bought it. She could almost just see herself and her four sisters standing around her, gasping at how beautiful their mother looked and begging their three brothers to come have a look see at mummy's new dress.
But as she looked at her eyes, she could still see Margery Lovett's tear-stained face shining through, reminding her not to get lost in silly day-dreams, even if they were about her dear mother who had cared for her so well. Sighing once more, she dug through the drawers until she found the powder and began masking her pale, tear-stained face with it.
Mr. Todd awoke from a restless sleep the next morning. Remembering his plan that he had made up the night before, he dashed out of bed and buttoned his shirt quickly. Throwing on his vest and neck-scarf, he put a notice on the door that shop would not open that day. Running down the steps two at a time he raced for her pie shop. Only seeing the two children cleaning the counters, he inquired them as to where Mrs. Lovett might be. The small girl, unable to speak, pointed to the floor, signaling the bake house. Sending James to fetch her, Mr. Todd sat at the counter. Staring at the silent child that remained, curious he asked,
"Madeleine is it?" She nodded. "Can you speak?" She shook her head. He was about to ask another question, but James had returned with Mrs. Lovett in hand.