Her Return

Her Return pt13

"Toby!"

Mrs Lovetts call had the boy trudging into the pie shop to see her looking perplexed and astonished by how clean her shop was after the mess it had been left in last night. Waking up late this morning and dragging her hungover head out of bed was hard enough not to mention the weighing thought of having to clean up after the party last night. However as soon as she got herself up and dressed she had been pleasantly surprised when she headed into her shop to see all the work had been done. Floor swept, dishes and glasses cleaned, left over food packed away not to mention all the surfaces had been washed too.

"Did you do this?" She asked in astonishment as she looked around the tidy shop.

Toby rubbed his eyes still dressed his pyjamas "no mum" he yawned with the shake of the head.

Frowning deeply she bit her lip in intrigue. "Well there ain't such thing as fairies dear...unless I was doin it in me sleep..." she couldn't work out just how her shop was so clean and tidy. It couldn't have been Sweeney, there was no way he would have picked up a broom for she was certain he didn't even know how to use one.

"I dunno mum, but I'm hungry..." Toby said sleepily heading in the shop unbothered by the mystery that was 'who cleaned the shop'

"You get ya'self some toast love, I'm just gonna check on Mr T..." Toby was ever so used to her saying this so nodded and began to prep some bread.

As she headed outside the cold air danced around the tops of her exposed shoulders "bleedin hell" she muttered with a shudder before picking up her heavy skirts revealing her tight heeled boots. As she made her way up the creaky staircase she looked down at her courtyard, even that seemed to be tidy. Very odd...

Reaching the barbers door she knocked softy not expecting a response as he never replied to her when she knocked. She was so used to the same routine of her knocking and entering that she began to wonder why she even bothered with the knock in the first place.

Yet this time when she entered he was nowhere to be seen "Love?" She called out yet there was no response.

With a heavy sigh she placed her hands on her hips scanning his shop with a deep frown. Just where the bloody hell was he? What the hell was going on this morning.

——————

The streets seemed eerily quiet this morning as Lucy headed further into the east of London. After the attacks at Westminster it seemed people were more cautious leaving the house at the moment in fear of another attack. The aftermath of the attack had left an uneasy for most Londoners most shaken by the incident.

After getting the carriage into Brixton Lucy could feel the nerves washing over her body as she began to head down a familiar street. Glancing over her shoulder she made sure no one was watching her not that any one in this area may know her but even so she couldn't be too careful. Last night had well and truly been the breaking point, the idea of her beloved Ben falling into the arms of Eleanore Lovett was something she couldn't allow her brain to wrap around.

All night she had cried. Painful sobs mourning the man she once loved so dearly and hating so mercilessly on the baker for causing him to change. He acted so foolishly now just like her, her uncouth ways rubbing off on the once fine gentleman he was. Her Ben would have never had dreamed of jumping into bed with someone so improper, someone so demeaning and unworthy as her. Eleanore Lovett had always been such an obvious flirt when it came to him, even when they lived with her all those years ago she could recall the times she would act so improper around him. She couldn't blame her Ben all that much for glancing her way, the woman quite obviously flaunted herself at him.