My Neighbor's Wife

Chapter 10

It is very early in the morning, Lucy's bags are already packed and she's already dressed- ready to go home. She sits on the queen size bed of the lavish inn that they have been staying for for the past whole week, waiting for the judge and the beadle to tell her that they are leaving.

Moments later, she hears a knock on the door and it is followed by the beadle's voice calling for her. "Mrs. Barker, we're leaving."

She quickly stands up and grabs all her bags which are lying on the floor. She scans the room to check if there are any forgotten things that she is not able to put in her bag and there is none- everything is intact. She walks towards the door and opens it to see the Beadle waiting for her. She smiles at him as he takes her bag from her to carry it for her. They walk through the corridors to the stairs, going down. They see the Judge already waiting for them.

Judge Turpin greets them with a smile; he offers his hand for Lucy to take and escorts her outside- where the carriage is already waiting. The judge lets Lucy climb in the carriage first, and then after Lucy is settled, he follows, then the beadle. They take off, going back to London.

On their way home, Lucy cannot help but think of Judge Turpin. In the whole week that they are together, he has been really nice to her. she expected that the whole time she will spend with the judge and the beadle will all be dedicated for work- she is wrong. The three of them managed to go to the park, eat at a fancy restaurant and attend a party where they danced all night.

Lucy finds it hard not to like Judge Turpin- as a friend. He treats her like Benjamin does. He is a very gentleman and a very caring person. He always fusses about her- asking her if she has eaten already, if she did get enough sleep, if she's tired. He is always concerned for her well being- just like her Ben. She can say that they are somehow similar; but there is something about the Judge that differentiate him from her husband- Judge Turpin is a lot more manly and aggressive, in a way, and Ben is gentle and child like.

The more days Lucy spends with the Judge, the more she gets to know him. The more she gets to know him, the more she gets fond of him. He is the only man that she is comfortable with, other than her husband. Because she firmly believes that Judge Turpin can be trusted- he wouldn't do her any wrong. Though she's not sure with Beadle Bamford, there's something about him that unsettles her.

Beadle Bamford is a dangerous man- Lucy thinks. Whenever he is around, she always feels like he is watching her every move. She feels uncomfortable around him. Especially when she sees his smile- more like a grin- it is an I-know-something-that-you-don't smile. And the way he looks at her, how he openly stares at her and her form- it makes her shiver.

The long ride back home makes Lucy feel sleepy- plus the fact that she has to wake up very early to prepare her things. They also have to travel early in the morning because if they leave in the afternoon they will return to London late at night- which they are avoiding because it is too dangerous to travel at night.

She leans her forehead on the small window of the carriage to catch some rest, but the road is rough and she just ends up banging her head on the window. Judge Turpin notices this; he guides Lucy's head so that she is leaning on his shoulder. Lucy makes no protest, she closes her eyes- thankful to the judge- and she drifts off to sleep.
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Benjamin wakes up with a stiff neck and a sore back. Feeling an empty side beside him, he immediately looks at the spot where Mrs. Lovett is last night, but she's not there. He sighs as he rubs his lower back, hoping to ease the pain. He is about to stand up and find Mrs. Lovett but he thought better of it. He needs to think- think about what's going on between them.

He fully lies down the sofa; resting his head on the armrest. He sighs in relief as his body stretches. He crosses his arm in front him and begins pondering about what happened last night. He does not know why he did it, but he's not going to deny the fact that he liked it.