Demons'll Charm You

Chapter 3: An Afternoon Out

Toby was beyond thrilled as the following weeks brought much success to the shop. Many traveled from all over London to taste Toby's meat pies, with their perfectly spiced meat and flaking golden crust. They were being called "the best pies in London" by the newspaper. He became so busy in the evenings that he decided to close the shop every other morning and on Fridays so that he had enough time to shop for ingredients and prepare the pies. It gave him time to rest, as well.

It was a tedious routine at times but Toby enjoyed it, however, he soon began to realize that he needed to find other ways to pass the time he had for himself. He hadn't made any friends, despite having sociable returning customers. He knew many were still wary of the pie shop's history and not many wanted to befriend Toby, and because of this, they distanced themselves from him, despite Toby's welcoming disposition.

On many occasions, Toby could have sworn that he saw the young woman from the grand opening, Miss Marsden, peeking through the window during the morning as he worked inside the shop. Whenever Toby would look up to see if it truly was her, however, she would be gone. Toby eventually convinced himself that it was not her, for why would a woman like her care about a man such as him? And why would she be on this side of town for that matter?

Despite the loneliness, Toby was feeling exceptionally well. It had been over a month since the shop had been opened and Toby decided it was time for him to splurge a bit on himself. He had set aside some money from the shop's earnings in hopes of purchasing a new coat and possibly a new hat too; he needed to keep his presentation in tip-top shape to continue to impress. This morning, Toby eagerly locked up the shop and went on his way, glancing back at it as he walked. His eyes darted up to his bedroom windows, which now were covered by new curtains. He had not seen any shadow or felt anything eerie in the room since the night of the shop's opening, which was a relief to him. The paranoia had to be put to rest for now.

As Toby walked along the crowded London streets, he could feel curious eyes on him. Only when he looked back at them did passersby greet him. It only bothered him slightly as he knew that after some time, the stares would stop and people would know him as Tobias Ragg, the pie shop owner, not Tobias Ragg, the boy who was tangled up in a murderous mess.

Toby eventually approached a shop that had a hat display in its window, but as he drew closer, he realized that the shop was a women's hat shop. The pale-colored hats were displayed beautifully on red velvet boxes with delicate jeweled flowers and ornaments. As he gazed past the hats, he realized that there was something far more beautiful within the shop. Belle Marsden was standing next to a hat stand with a slight frown on her face. Her attention was focused on the sleeve of her dress until she suddenly looked over her shoulder as if someone had been calling her name. Toby watched as she gently shook her head in reply and faced forward, looking directly at the window. Their eyes met and Toby, suddenly embarrassed at his apparent gawking, stumbled back while Belle tilted her head slightly in confusion. Her mouth opened to speak but a woman stood in front of her with an obnoxious feathered hat, blocking Toby's view. Toby took this moment as his chance to flee from the store. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk away briskly, weaving through people. He wondered what she must think of him now; was she telling others about the strange pie shop owner staring at her through the window? Did she remember this wasn't the first time he'd been caught staring at her?

Within seconds, Toby heard the bells of a shop door chiming followed by the sound of light yet determined footsteps behind him. Toby continued walking but hopeful thoughts of it being Miss Marsden entered his mind, though he forbade himself to entertain them and turn around to see if he was being followed.

"Mr. Ragg?" A voice called out from behind him.

So it was her. Toby stopped walking and turned around slowly, fearing she'd chastise him. "Yes? Hello, Miss Marsden."