Tonight was the night. After his previous two plans failed, he was confident the third time would be the charm. With his insider knowledge of Newgate prison, he'd free the lad and send the two young lovers far away to live their happily ever after. And yet, despite it having been his idea and knowing it was the right thing to do, Sweeney could not ignore the ache in his heart thinking that tomorrow, she wouldn't be here. But today... they still had today.
He did not fight the urge to get closer, his legs carrying him downstairs as soon as he saw her wiping the tables in the patio before opening for the day, softly humming a cheery tune that denoted her mood. She was resplendent in an emerald dress, her hair only half pined up for once, tied prettily with a ribbon in the same colour, her long curls cascading down her back. She smiled brightly at him when she noticed him, and he felt his heart stop for a second. Lord, he was going to miss that smile. He quickly got hold of himself and greeted his landlady.
"Morning, Mr. B!" she greeted him back. "Don't you love the weather? It's a lovely day to say goodbye to this filthy city once and for all. You know, the sun infuses me with such life it makes me forget we spent all night conspiring over a bottle of absinthe, but I can assure you my feelings were very different this morning when I woke up. Nothing a strong cuppa won't fix!" She was so animated, and he didn't know what to say. He swallowed, unable to share her excitement. "Anyway, was there anything you needed?"
She glanced briefly at the shop and he followed suit shortly after, his eyes meeting Albert's beady ones. He was chopping some meat but his gaze never left Eleanor. He hoped he chopped his own hand off, that controlling arsehole. Still, he reckoned it'd be better not to raise her already paranoid husband's suspicions, because this time, his pretty wife was getting out for good. Thus, he abandoned his idea of just having a friendly chat with her and got down to business. "I'm going down to the docks to rent a ship for tonight. I'll meet you at 10:30pm in your shop as planned. The bastard should already be knocked out by then" he told her and she nodded in agreement.
"Nellie" her husband called her from the door. Hands on his hips, he threw a not very amused glare at the pair and his wife wasted no time in skipping towards him, a wide smile on her face but so different to the one she always had for him. She began peppering his face with kisses in an attempt to calm the temperamental butcher down and Sweeney took it as his cue to leave.
On his way to the Thames, he crossed paths with none other than Beadle Bamford walking leisurely towards the Lovetts' shop. The slimy beadle had seemingly hit it off with the equally slimy butcher and he took a mental note to take care of it at some point. He wouldn't risk Turpin's sidekick becoming a frequent visitor and one day telling the judge about the fair angel that lived above his chum. But Nellie was his priority now.
He rented the vessel without much issue, posing as a father who wanted to rent the small but sturdy sailing boat to take his family to the Isle of Wight for the weekend. The rest of the day went out smoothly, with him shaving patrons until 9am being a Friday and then sitting down to enjoy a tasty meat pie Eleanor had smuggled out for him in the middle of the dinner rush. At 10pm she closed up her own shop. It was time for her to feed her husband, spike his drink and send him to dreamland. However, when he got down to the shop at 10:30, he could hear the voices of Eleanor and her husband from the parlour. The bastard was not yet asleep.
"I'm telling you I don't want a drink! The doctor said it makes my ailments worse! I just want to shag my beautiful wife and go to bed with my willy spent! My whole body's aching, I feel like I'm coming down with something, take mercy on me!" he begged pathetically.
"Want some laudanum, dear?" she offered. Sweeny could practically see her face twitching in fake concern.
"No, Nellie, what I want is you! You're my best medicine, so much better than anything a doctor can prescribe me" his voice was laced with lust but he also sounded frustrated.
"I know, darling, but there's nothing I can do when you... you know" she said. Sweeney was intrigued.
"I'm just tired! And possibly ill. It's not my fault! This has never happened and you know it! Maybe you're not trying hard enough, maybe you don't want to please me! You're still upset with me and this is your way of punishing me, you bitch." Nellie sighed audibly.
"Of course not, Bertie. I've come to my senses, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Didn't I prove it to you yesterday? Or this morning? But it happens to some people and we're particularly active, it's normal little Bertie gets tired sometimes too." Realising what his landlord's problem was, Sweeney had to bit back a chuckle. "How about this? You sit back and have some laudanum to relax while I give it another try, hmn? I promise to be even more attentive to junior."
"Yes, but show me those juicy balloons of yours! They always get me going, Nell. I need to touch them" Albert pleaded and based on his moans of appreciation and the faint sound of slurping, he could tell Nellie had complied.
Sweeney clenched his fists when he heard his landlord grunting, knowing the undeserving butcher was now receiving oral pleasure from his Nellie's talented mouth. No, not his Nellie. She wasn't his, she was legally Albert's and soon Arthur's. He had no right to be jealous, but he could not stop it. Fortunately, it seemed to be over soon. He heard the sound of glass breaking, followed by silence. Still fixing her dress, Nellie came out of the parlour and into her shop to get a glass of ale and wash out the acrid taste of her husband. She lowered her gaze in embarrassment when she noticed Sweeney standing there, aware that he'd probably heard everything.
"Sorry for... the delay" she apologized, gulping her drink in one go. "Ruddy bastard had to choose tonight of all nights to put up a fight. Thank God I'm getting rid of him. One more day enduring his antics and I swear I'll grab one of his knives and murder him myself."
Sweeney smiled sympathetically, he knew a thing or two about taming one's murderous impulses. She smiled back and led him to the parlour, they had no time to waste. "Be careful, he hasn't had that much laudanum. I think it'll be enough for the night but try not to make much noise just in case" she informed him as she knelt down in front of her husband and began fishing for something in his underpants.
"I know how laudanum works," he said somewhat curtly and averted his gaze. "He can still wake up. You should have given him your special poison to ensure he won't."
"Well, you heard the bugger, didn't want a drink tonight. This is the best I could do. But don't worry, even if he wakes up he'll be terribly confused and fall back asleep in a jiffy. He'd need someone shaking some sense into him to fully come out of his stupor and not even his best mate, that Smeade butcher in the South Bank wants to deal with Albert when he wakes up." She finally found what she was looking for in Albert's privates because she smiled up triumphantly. She took out a small golden key and showed it to Sweeney.
"This is the key to his safe. After what me parents did, he became even more paranoid and bought his own safe. Never parts with the key and hides it in his drawers. He knows no one wants to get near them. Now come with me, I'll show you where the safe is" she walked to the bathroom with Sweeney following right behind but instead of going for the bathtub, she pointed to the mirror. "Right behind it. Careful it's quite heavy and there are some bricks behind you must remove before you get to the safe, that's how paranoid he is. So I'll leave you to that and I'll go change and apply more makeup. I have to look the part!" she said and left him alone working to get to the money.
The mirror was indeed heavy and so were the bricks, he had a hard time imagining his bloated landlord doing that every evening. When he finally got to the safe, so deep into the wall he had some trouble taking it out of the hole, he wasted no time in opening it. Inside there was a considerable amount of money, so much more than he thought the butcher was capable of amassing in the almost three months since Nellie's parents robbed him blind. There were also some papers, his marriage certificate, and a Manila envelope he was about to open when he heard Nellie re-entering the room.
"How do I look? she asked and he spun around to take a proper look at her. Her dress was even more revealing than her usual ones, in a bright yellow colour with black lace and blue feathers decorating the plunging neckline. More feathers adorned her hair, pulled up into her trademark messy bun but higher atop her head this time. Two chestnut ringlets framed her face, and her big doe eyes were darkened by all the soot she used on her eyelids and lashes. She'd also applied generous amounts of rouge on her cheeks and overlined her lips to make them appear much bigger. She was meant to look ghastly, but she still didn't.
"Like a prostitute, pet." The most beautiful one I've ever seen, he thought. She giggled in response.
"Thank you, love! That was the idea!" She twirled for him, proud of her costume and he couldn't help but softly smile. Nellie Lovett was something else. She noticed the envelope Sweeney was holding. "What's that?" she asked as she walked over and took it from his hands to open it herself. Inside there were three photographs of Eleanor in nothing but her corset and bloomers. Sweeney's eyes went wide when he looked at them before they darted to her. Any other woman would have blushed at the discovery of such improper pieces of erotica featuring none other than herself but Eleanor seemed amused and even proud. He had to admit the photographs did her justice.
"Took this the other day when the photographer came, I thought he'd forgotten to send them over but turns out my old man wanted to gatekeep them like a treasure" she explained. In a gesture that surprised him, she bent down to place a kiss on the first photograph, the red of her lips contrasting with the black and white, making the image even sultrier. "Leave it, it will be a nice way for my Bertie Baby to remember me."
"No" the words left his mouth before he could stop them. She quirked an eyebrow but smirked when she came to the realisation.
"Alright, dear, you keep them then. It will be a nice way for you to remember me." She winked. He rolled his eyes but still grabbed the envelope containing the photos and put it in the inside pocket of his vest. In a few hours, she'd leave him forever. What was the harm in keeping a memento to remember her beauty? He would not treasure these pictures like he treasured those of Lucy and Johanna in his original timeline but he still did not want to forget her. In a few years, he wouldn't want to be asked about her and just be able to recall the colour of her hair.
"What about the other photograph? The one we took with Albert" he asked, suddenly remembering the far more innocent image of them that he'd too like to keep, cutting Albert out, of course.
"Dunno, love, haven't seen it. Maybe Albert is keeping it somewhere" she said casually and he had the feeling she was not being entirely truthful. But it wasn't like they had time to argue.
"We should get going. Is that everything?" he pointed to the travel bag in the corner. She nodded and he went to pick it up. It was heavier than it looked.
"Just packed me essentials, I swear. But your clothes are in there too and I had to get some accessories too. Cost me a pretty penny, it did, but I didn't have enough time to get to the mortuary and get them cheaper and I didn't know if we'd have the luck of finding a little priest amongst the recently deceased" she explained and he was glad he wasn't going to wear a dead man's clothes. She frequently kept things she stole from his victims, like rings, cufflinks, and Pirelli's purse that got them in big trouble with the urchin, but he always felt a certain apprehension.
She sauntered towards her snoring husband, the sway of her hips accentuated by her dress. It really looked good on her. "Goodbye, my love" she leaned down to whisper in his hairy ear. "Your sex goddess is leaving and I'm taking all your money. You're going to die alone, ill and forgotten, poor baby. You deserve it, though, for everything you've done to me. " Eleanor placed a soft kiss on his temple, the cruelty of her words a sharp contrast to her tender gestures. "I wish I never married you."
Sweeney gulped, feeling uneasy at the venom such a joyful girl could display at those who wronged her. It wasn't the first time he witnessed it, although never directed at him no matter how much he merited it, but it never ceased to surprise him how similar they both were when it came to harbouring resentment. She was just much better at hiding it, keeping it dormant until she delivered the final blow. His thoughts inevitably went to the "other" Eleanor, the one he tried to kill. Did she hate him now? She should, for having the man you loved attempt to murder you and your unborn child would be the ultimate betrayal, so much worse than her lie if he were to be honest about it. Perhaps his almost killing her was what it took to finally kill that unconditional love she had for him. He sincerely wished it was the case. He didn't want her to spend the rest of her life crying for a man who never loved her as he should have.
***
The pair left the shop and walked diligently towards their destination. It was the dead of the night and the streets were deserted, save for a couple of carriages, some costermongers returning home after a hard day of work and from afar he spotted a lone woman walking with an infant and what looked like all her belongings, the poor thing had probably been booted out by her husband but that was none of his concerns. Thus, they made it to Newgate in record time, and realising the Friday night visits had not yet begun, they began looking for a secluded place to wait. They found it under the stairs of a pub that had already closed for the night and seemed to be empty. From there they had a good view of the back entrance to Newgate but could easily retreat into the shade the staircase provided and avoid being seen. The only problem was that due to the boxes that were stored under the stairs, there was little space for them. They were much too close for comfort.
"It's still early. We should go over the plan again" he said, trying to distract himself from the fact that Nellie's petite yet voluptuous body was almost pressing against his own. She, however, seemed unbothered by it, her gaze fixed on the prison, her mind probably on Arthur. Lucky lad... "The prostitutes go visit the guards a bit earlier than the priests visit the prisoners. As soon as you see them, you are to join them. It won't be hard for you to blend in with that dress and you'll be partially covering yourself with a cloak like they do but have the bag of coins ready to bribe any girl who looks at you suspiciously. Understood?" She nodded but he could tell she was slightly taken aback by his stern tone.
"Now once you are in, don't let any warders grab you. You are good-looking and heaps fresher than the dollymops they're used to but you're to tell them you're for Colfer. He's the custodial manager. One of the few good men in there." He would know, because Colfer was the one who, in his original timeline, had allowed that one brief visit of Eleanor carrying Lucy's goodbye letter, despite it being against the rules. That man's act of compassion was the reason he didn't lose all faith in humanity. He did not know it, but he kept him alive for 15 years.
And only much later, when he had Eleanor in his arms and she told him she always knew they'd be together one day did he realise she too saved him. He did not doubt she had her own motives to risk herself by visiting him but she still gave him his true love's letter. One act of selfless kindness on her part, of selfless love, would one day bring him back to her. It was almost poetic, funny how fate worked, bringing them together as if they were meant to be. But they weren't. So he'd gotten angry, left her as soon as he came, not caring about the sobbing mess he was leaving behind. He was Lucy's. In that timeline and in this one. No matter what he felt for the baker, he should never forget that.
"Colfer will reject without a second glance. He's happily married and with two children. He wouldn't risk it all for... you" he said dismissively and he could tell by her slight grimace that his cold tone was hurting her. He'd done it again and it gave him no satisfaction.
"I know, the plan is for me to pickpocket him and steal the master key that opens Arthur's cell. I'll give it to you while you're pretending to confess him and then I go seduce those men over there at the door to distract them so you can get Arthur out. You've been talking about nothing else but the plan since we said goodbye to me Albert. Believe me, I know what to do" she sounded irritated.
"I just want everything to be perfect," he said truthfully. He did not want to take any unnecessary risks. Did not want to put her at risk.
"You just can't wait to get rid of me, huh?" she said, bitterness lacing her voice, despite her sarcastic tone.
"Eleanor..." he began but did not know what to say. Because he couldn't tell her how he really felt, especially not now that she was about to escape with someone else. It would only complicate everything even more. And yet he couldn't have her thinking it was easy letting her go. He cared about her and she needed to know that. "Be careful with those guards at the door. I have no doubt you're going to successfully entice them away from their duties but they don't usually get any special visits and they can be... rougher than most, more desperate. I'll be here waiting while Arthur goes to get the boat, just scream once if you need help to make them stop and I'll be with you in a heartbeat. I won't hesitate to slit their throats."
"Thank you, dear, but don't worry about that. I mean, your priority should be helping Arthur, not me. I'm a big girl, I could handle it. I've endured worse" she gave him a reassuring smile.
"But you don't have to, not when I'm around," he said softly, and her smile widened. It was so genuine it transfixed him.
They were close, so very close and he allowed himself to admire her beautiful features. Her glowing skin, her dark orbs that were gleaming under the pale moonlight, her delicate nose, and those impossibly kissable lips... He noticed she had a strange look in her eyes and did he imagine her gaze dropping to his lips? His heart was beating wildly in his chest, it was now or never...
And then she turned round, alarmed by the sound of approaching footsteps. In the end, it was only a drunkard who went to see if the pub was open. He didn't see them and left as soon as he realised his favourite place was indeed closed, but the spell was broken. It's better this way, he thought sadly.
"You should get dressed," Nellie said nonchalantly. "You too have to blend in with the priests. They can't notice you're a demon" he was a bit taken aback by her assertion but her playful tone did not go amiss. She was only joking...
He opened her bag and instantly spotted the two priest habits. He was meant to put one on top of another and then take one off to give it to Arthur so no one would suspect them when he smuggled the lad out of the prison. But it was a warm night and he knew he would suffocate with two habits as well as his clothes. Sighing, he removed his vest and began unbuttoning his shirt, trying to ignore Eleanor's presence and the fact that her eyes were probably glued to his hands. But when his shirt slid down his arms and she made a sound of appreciation, he couldn't keep ignoring her. He cleared his throat and glared at her, suddenly bashful but hiding it well.
"C'mon, love, don't be shy. That's such a toned chest you have, best one I've seen today!" she said, referring to Albert's obese body. She grinned teasingly but he was not amused.
"This chest is only for my wife to see" he cautioned and she rolled her eyes but did not say anything else. She turned round again and stared at the prison with a vacant expression. He dressed up, not knowing what was on her mind until she spoke.
"Did you always know she was the one?" she mumbled. "Lucy, did you always know she is the love of your life?"
"Yes," he replied truthfully, hoping she dropped the topic. It was true, he loved Lucy from the moment he saw her.
"But the other woman you told me about. The one you had before Lucy and broke your heart. Did you love her? Did you perhaps think you could have a life with her?" she asked, almost shyly and although he did not like her prying, he did his best to keep his temper in check. After all, Eleanor did not know she was that woman and what his true feelings for her were.
"Perhaps, but she was never a threat to Lucy. After I met my wife, there was no one else for me" his voice was firm but why did he feel like he was trying to convince himself as well as her? Damn, Eleanor for messing with his head. Couldn't she shut up for once in her life?
"I'm happy for you" she concluded, and he could feel the sincerity in her voice. He was glad the conversation about Lucy was over but he still felt compelled to say something.
"Thank you. I hope you'll be happy with Arthur too. He's a good lad and he loves you, he'll treat you well" he told her but she just sighed in response.
"You know, sometimes I wonder if I do. I mean do I love him and want to spend the rest of my life with him or did I join in on your crazy plan to rescue him because he's my ticket out of London? Away from Albert" she said quietly.
"Eleanor, you do love him. You're about to break him out of prison, it's normal you're getting cold feet" he tried to reason with her, he couldn't afford her backing out last minute. "Remember how happy you were with him, planning your life by the sea. He loves you, Nellie, and I know you love him too."
"I suppose I do but it's just... I didn't think love would feel like this," she explained "I always imagined true love would be mad, strong, and unconditional. It would almost be an obsession. I always imagined my heart would beat solely for them, only when I'm with them, but it does beat without him. And when we were apart, I did not miss him like I know I should have. So what if he's not the one? What if I'm making a mistake running away with him and letting the opportunity of being with my true love pass me by?"
"Eleanor, stop this. You love Arthur, he's a good boy, he will make you very happy" he lectured her, but he could tell she was not convinced. "In any case, you and I know Arthur did not steal the money, he doesn't deserve to be transported on a false charge. You two deserve a life together, away from all this."
"I guess you're right " she conceded quietly.
All of a sudden, she spotted the prostitutes making a beeline for the prison door. She quickly put the cloak on and the hood up. "My moment to shine has come" she spoke solemnly yet her tone was light-hearted. He could tell her spark had returned to her and he was relieved. "You finish dressing and I'll see you inside. There's a small box with some accessories for you to look even more convincing, a big golden cross, a ring and Albert's old Bible he's never read in his life. I even got you a beard!" she said excitedly as she left his side to join the hooded prostitutes.
He shook his head and began rummaging through her clothes to find the accessories box inside her travel bag. He found it and when he took it out, he noticed what looked like a piece of paper under it. Out of curiosity he took it out too and turned it around. It was the photograph the two of them had taken with Albert a few days ago, and she'd already cut her husband out of the image. He looked at it, his pulse quickening when he examined it, how good they looked together, the light in Eleanor's eyes as she smiled up at him.
And suddenly, he knew. Her smiles, the strange look in her eyes, the sudden doubts about Arthur being the one.
Eleanor Lovett had feelings for him too.
And that was dangerous.