Suffering To Survive

Part Five

Part Five

Sweeney Todd surveyed the exterior of Turpin's manor, cursing under his breath at the daunting task before him. The building was too large for Sweeney to know where the baker was from the outside alone, and he couldn't merely waltz in expecting Turpin to hand the baker over to him. Of course, after Johanna had finally retired to Mrs. Lovett's room on her first night, the first thought in the barber's head was to march to Turpin's and rip his throat out then and there. No preamble, no permission from any living soul that attempted to question his presence. Just find the damn judge, exult in finally seeing the man's blood as it burst from his throat like a beautiful fountain of rubies, then grab the baker, watching the blood flow from anyone that tried to get in the way.

How had Mrs. Lovett managed to sneak into the building as often as she had? He had made multiple trips past the house, and each time he had seen the same man standing by the widow by the front door, as if he was guarding it. Sweeney scoffed, was Judge Johnathan Turpin so damn vainglorious that he felt a need for constant protection from the lower order scum of the city? Didn't he already have a bootlicker "guard" in Beadle Bamford? Despite what the man pretentiously believed, he was still a mere judge.

The barber's initial irritation quickly gave way to consternation, however, when a far more ominous notion slithered into his mind. The man by the window was inside the house, most guards would be outside to keep others from entering; could he be there to keep something -or someone- from getting out? Sweeney could feel his heart race as he came to the reality that freeing Mrs. Lovett would indeed be far more difficult than he had originally thought. There was no option for Sweeney to solely enter the building, razor at the ready, and to grab the baker. If they were going to bring the baker home, then he, Johanna, and Toby needed an actual plan.

Another grave thought broke through to the front of his mind without warning. Why, of all people, would the judge take her? He had to admit that she was a rather attractive woman, intelligent, kind, and could be charming when she wasn't being insufferably chafing. Aside from having beauty, however, the rest weren't reasons why someone like Turpin would want to hold her in his manor. She was far too bold and headstrong, not at all the meek and easy to overpower woman that he would prefer, and -based on his disturbing appetite for Johanna- seemingly too old for his predatory tastes as well.

That was when he gave it more thought, was it possible that he wasn't the only one seeking revenge? Nellie had left him permanently scarred, had broken into his home on numerous occasions, and most recently, had freed his former prized prisoner. "Shit, what could he possibly be doing to her in there?" With that thought in the forefront of his mind, he rushed to the door and beat his fist against it until it stung, shouting for someone to "Open this damn door!" at the top of his lungs.

The man that Sweeney had spotted stood erect at the door with a stoic countenance, eyeing the barber's appearance. "Is there something that I can help you with, sir?" Sweeney demanded to speak with the judge immediately and the man let out a huff of disapproval. "My apologies, sir, but master Turpin is currently presiding over court. He should be returning momentarily for his lunch hour; however, you may wait in his personal office if you would like." Sweeney shook his head, he couldn't simply sit around, only to murder the man that ran a house full of servants. The man quickly shut the door in the barber's face, was everyone in this residence so damn supercilious?

Sweeney grumbled under his breath and was about to step back in another attempt to spot the baker, when he caught sight of Toby speeding towards him, bending over to catch his breath. "Mr. Todd! J-J-Joha-Johanna told me where to f-f-fiii-ind ya! It's 'er, your wife, she's off 'aving a fit and runnin' 'round all over the house! Johanna's terrified outta 'er wits." The barber swore and looked back at the house, debating on what to do. "I can get Mum, m'sure that Turpin don't even know who I is. Plus, I'm small, so I can get around the place without bein' seen." Toby beamed with pride in his confidence that he could sneak the baker out of the building.