The Return To Fleets Street

Mae

The cold air swirled around the wonky rooftops of London whistling through the cracked brickwork. Nellie tugged the old woolly wrap tighter around her freezing shoulders as she walked alone down the cobbled streets. Her heeled boots clopped against the pavements with every step and every so often she would receive a wolf whistle from random men walking past her or lurking in the dark alleyways.

This is when she felt most vulnerable. She didn't like the fact she had a reputation and most people knew who she was as Primrose. She only hoped no one recognised her as Eleanore Lovett. In the beginning she had been so ashamed of what job she was going to have to take on so she changed her name and her appearance hoping anyone she used to know (not being many) would recognise her. She was ashamed of who she was, she felt so worthless.

She used bleach on her hair that it stained it an awful yellow. She never cared much about how she looked yet she did miss her dark red curls. She felt so ugly now, so dirty.

As she headed down the streets Nellie couldn't help but finally allow the tears to well in her eyes. She couldn't stop thinking about Sweeney. Seeing him again after so long had been such a shock, she wanted to say so much! Yell, scream, hurt him and make him feel pain like she had suffered for so long. Yet she didn't think it worth it, his face alone had upset her. She couldn't bring herself to even look at him anymore with out feeling such heartache.

She had buried Sweeney Todd right at the back of her mind and locked the key. She never thought of him, never wondered anymore about what he might be doing. She had been so miserable at the beginning thinking about why he left, where he might be, if he was alright and if he would come back to her. Now all that was left was hate. She didn't care any more, he had changed and so had she. That was a different time, they were now different people...

All that Nellie cared about now was Mae. Her beautiful little 4 year old daughter who was the only reason she kept on breathing. The one light in her life that wasn't so awful, Mae had saved her in so many ways....

Approaching the bar Nellie smiled widely seeing her little girl gleaming happily now she spotted her mother. She watched as Mae jumped up from sitting by the window and laughed as she ran over to her outside with wide arms.

"Mummy!" She beamed swinging her small arms around Nellies waist and burying her face in her mothers embrace.

"Hello darling" she smiled leaning down to pick her up and kiss her her plumb rosy cheek. Mae had dark brown hair and big beautiful brow eyes like Nellie. She was dressed only in a piece of dark cloth that hug as a dress over her small form. Her hair was knotty and her skin a little dirty, she wore a bottle cap on a piece of string round her neck that used to belong to her mother. Really she looked as poor as she was.

"I've missed you" Mae said running her arms around Nellies neck as she carried her into the bar to find the Langdons.

"I ave' miss you also, so much darlin'"

"Oh finally you decided to turn up with our money!" Mrs Langdon shouted across the busy crowd of people before limping over to her with her dodgy knee.

Mrs Lovett braced herself and placed Mae back down and held her hand. "I ad' a late night tonight" she explained to which Mrs Langdon rolled her eyes and tutted "bet ya did" she grimaced looking at Mrs Lovett like she was dirt on the street.

The woman was petite like Nellie but had ugly features to match her ugly personality. Her hair was a dark black that hung dead around her skinny little face. Her nose was pointy and sharpe much like her chin. Mae described her as a witch which always amused Nellie. She certainly acted like one.

"Where's the money?" She asked directly placing out her hand expectedly.

Nellie pulled out a purse from her dress pocket and took a few notes and coins into her hand to pay the landlady for looking after Mae.