Opheliac

Opheliac Chapter II "Not While I'm Around"

Opheliac

Chapter II

"Not While I'm Around"

"Here, love." Mrs. Lovett handed Johanna a cup of tea and poured a splash of gin in it before settling down in her chair. "I think we could all use a drink tonight, don't you?"

Johanna sat on the settee in front of the fire, accepting the teacup with shaky hands. She hadn't spoken since she brought her down here. Without lifting her eyes off the ground, Johanna spoke with a blank expression, "What's going to happen to me?"

"Well, Mista T is taking care of our little blunder upstairs, so I suppose we'll just wait down here for the sailor to come for you."

Johanna looked at her apprehensively. "You're really not going to go to the law?"

"No sense in that, wouldn't be good for business. Can't have people thinking we run a madhouse of our own here, can we?" Mrs. Lovett said lightheartedly, trying her best to not give the girl any insight into how she was really feeling.

"But won't you or Mr. Todd get in trouble?"

"Don't you worry about that now, we can handle our own."

The older woman's calm demeanor bewildered her. Johanna stared into the fire and the two sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I didn't want to hurt him," Johanna said suddenly, the flames reflecting in her eyes, "I had to."

"I understand, dear... You were only protecting yourself." Mrs. Lovett tried to assure her, surprised at how quickly the girl seemed to calm down.

Poor girl must be traumatized, Mrs. Lovett thought to herself, shaking off the uneasy feeling she got from seeing such a familiar vacant expression cast over Johanna's young features. She glanced at the clock on the mantle, it had been an hour since she locked Toby down in the bakehouse.

Everything that transpired this evening made her realize that until tonight, she had been so caught up in the thrill of her and Mr. Todd's unorthodox business venture to stop and think about the possibility of anyone catching on, let alone what they would do in the event that someone did. If they disposed of the beadle like all of their other victims, surely someone would notice if Judge Turpin's very own henchman disappeared. Realizing she needed to communicate this to Mr. Todd sooner rather than later, Mrs. Lovett cleared her throat.

"When did you say the sailor was coming back for you?"

Johanna blinked, clearly unaware of how much time had gone by until now, and looked at Mrs. Lovett worriedly. "He should be back by now."

Mrs. Lovett noticed the concern in her voice, and replied comfortingly, not wanting her to pick up on her own worry. "He's probably just running behind, it being late and all."

The minutes continued to pass by, and there was still no sign of Anthony's return.

Someone could come in search of the beadle anytime now... Almost thinking herself into a panic and growing increasingly impatient, Mrs. Lovett moved abruptly from her chair and into her bedroom.

She came back out with a pistol in her hand. Johanna looked at her in alarm.

"I want you to take this. I am going to go upstairs and check on Mista T, you wait here for the sailor. Do not open the door for anyone but him. Okay, love?"

Johanna nodded in reply as Mrs. Lovett hastily put the gun in her trembling hands.

--

In the shop above, Mr. Todd was kneeling over the body of Beadle Bamford. He was covered in blood and appeared slightly dazed until the sound of knocking and Mrs. Lovett's voice brought him out of it.