Sweeney's Willow (Sweeney Todd)

- Chapter Five: Pirelli's Miracle Elixir -

* Edited *

A soft and melodic hum echoes through Mrs Lovett’s pie shop, a gentle and warm air filling the small space as Cora works to scrub the floor clean with the scrubbing brush and a simple bucket of warm soapy water. Her back aches dully just at the base as she remains bent over using all her strength to rid the tiled floor of the grime. She glances to the clock on the far wall above the counter as Mrs Lovett enters the shop, a quiet sigh slipping from her lips as she realises just how long she had been cleaning – two whole hours. Two hours of endless scrubbing and sweeping, two hours of washing the cutlery and windows, two hours of her morning spent making the shop look more inviting and less neglected. Had she been successful? For the most part, it would seem so.

“Oh, there you are.” Mrs Lovett mutters to herself as she spots Cora’s knelt form, “I must admit, dear, you have quite the work ethic for a young woman.” she compliments with a smile as she scans her now much cleaner and brighter shop.

“Thank you. It seems only right that I work hard and efficiently to earn my stay here. I don’t wish to disappoint you.” Cora says softly whilst pulling herself to a stand with a quiet moan, arching her back forward slightly with her damp hands pressing against the base of her spine, hoping to stretch the muscles a little to ease the dull aching. “Is there something else you need me to do?” she asks.

Mrs Lovett chuckles and shakes her head whilst waving a dismissive hand, “no, I think you’ve done quite enough for today, Cora. Don’t need you working yourself to the bone. You’ve managed to make my little shop look almost brand new, and it's not ever noon yet.” she grins with her hands resting on her hips, a sense of pride filling her warm brown eyes as she nods in approval. “I actually came to invite you to join Mr. Todd and I to St. Dunstan's Market. We are going to scope out his competition, that Pirelli fellow.” she explains whilst walking around the counter to retrieve her tea, she had left resting on it earlier.

“Do I have time to change into something more suitable?” Cora asks whilst sheepishly glancing down at her dark and slightly tattered black dress that she had decided to label as her work attire, something she had no issue with getting dirty.

Mrs Lovett scans her clothing and nods whilst bringing the luke warm tea to her lips. She takes a small sip and sighs contently before waving a hand down the hall in the direction of Cora’s room. “Hurry now, best not keep Mr. Todd waiting too long.” she mumbles, causing Cora to nod as she mutters a small thanks and rushes to her room to change quickly.

She wastes not a second rummaging through her closet in search of her deep red dress, the one her brother had gone through the trouble of purchasing for her on her last birthday. It was a rather beautiful and somewhat formal dress suitable for a quiet trip to the market, so, with a grin, she pulls it off the hanger and rushes to pull it on.

After thanking Mrs Lovett for tying her corset for her, she then fixes her hair into an elegant styling with half her auburn hair up and the other half hanging freely down her back. She steps back to look at her reflection while pinching her cheeks only slightly to give them a subtle pink tint. “You scrub up well.” she mumbles to herself with a head tilt before shaking her head and laughing lightly at herself.

“Cora! We mustn’t keep Mr. Todd waiting. Hurry along!” Mrs Lovett calls impatiently from the front of the shop.

“Coming!” she calls back with a frown before giving her reflection one last once over and leaving.

She makes her way to the front door of the store where Mrs Lovett and Mr Todd are already waiting in silence, a tense air around them as they stand just feet apart. “Ah, finally. Oh, you look nice, dear.” Mrs Lovett compliments whilst pulling out her keys as Cora steps into the brisk cold London air with a warm smile. “Thank you.” she says whilst turning her head to look at Sweeney, her eyes lighting at the mere sight of the slightly older man before her.