My Neighbor's Wife

Chapter 24

The most anticipated day of the people of Fleet Street has come.

Mrs. Lovett is in her bedroom, putting on the final touches of her makeup. She has put on some decent amount of kohl over her eyes; she also smears some rouge on her cheeks, enough just to put color on her ashen looking face. To finish the deed, she uses a red tint on her thin lips, perfectly giving her a sultry look. For once, she has exchanged her usual do of two ponytails into a neat bun, opting for a more elegant look. Though there are some short ringlets of stubborn hair escaping, yet they still perfectly frame her face.

The purple dress- that has a matching black corset and gloves- that she is wearing today is given to her by none other than, David. The color of the dress compliments her pale skin, giving her a glowing look. It also accentuates her figure, slightly hiding her barely noticeable swollen belly. She really must thank David for giving her such a fancy gown. If it wasn't for him, then she will not have anything to wear that will be appropriate for the ball.

Mrs. Lovett pouts her lips and makes a kissing sound, feeling contented now with how her makeup goes. She walks over in the corner of her room and stands in front of the full body mirror. She checks herself one last time to see if there's anything that needs fixing. Seeing that she's all set, she happily twirls around, spreading out her arms. She can say that she looks marvelous. With a smile plastered on her face, she is ready to face her escort.

Walking out of her bedroom, she goes over to her parlour. She has left David there with some biscuits and tea, just so he will not get bored while waiting for her to get dressed. She spots him reading one of her books when she arrives at her living room. His back is turned into her, so he cannot see her yet. She is quite nervous about how he will react upon seeing her. Will he like what he will see, or not? Making her presence known, the baker clears her throat rather loudly to gain the man's attention.

When David turns around to face her, his eyes slowly widen and his mouth hangs open. Mrs. Lovett does not know what to think of this. Why is he looking at her like that? She shyly ducks her head down, looking embarrassed. She feels disappointed, for she thinks that she actually looks good. Oh! How wrong is she?

"What?" she murmurs, not meeting his eyes.

David doesn't answer right away; he is just staring dumbly at Mrs. Lovett. The lack of reply causes the baker to look up at the man. Moments later, after regaining his composure from his awe, he stammers a reply. "Nellie, you- you look, you look perfect."

Mrs. Lovett breaks into a big smile, relief suddenly washing over her. She feels blood rising to her cheeks at David's compliment; biting her lip, she ambles towards him, and when she is just a foot away from him, she smoothen out his suit and pats him on the shoulder. "You're not bad yourself.

David grins; He takes a step back, bows and tips his hat, holding his hand out to the baker. "Shall we go now, my lady?"

Mrs. Lovett takes David's hand in hers; together they walk out of her shop and into the waiting carriage outside.
------------------------------------------------------
Nellie knows that The Barkers are going to attend the ball, too. Her last encounter with Ben, he has told her that he's going to tell his wife that he has changed his mind and wants to go, now. Though she is not very sure if he will push through, she is not able to talk to him after that little incident in her parlor. She often wonders if Ben really meant what he has said back then. She is sure, though, that he doesn't.

Well, she should not really be thinking about Ben. David is with her tonight, and she shall focus her attention to him. She is glad though that David and she are able to talk and work things out about- again- that little incident in her parlor.