Caught Somewhere in Time

The escape from Newgate I

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.