My Addiction is You

7.

"There's a famous geologist
giving a lecture today." Emily read from the paper "He just got back from a lab on Mount Vesuvius." "A laboratory on a volcano?" Y/n asked reading it.

"That is the coolest thing I've ever heard." She said putting the newspaper down to look at everyone. Y/n

"Yes, Professor Hitchcock. Star of the Harvard science department
until we poached him. Big win for Amherst.
Austin, you should go." He asked Austin, who turned and looked at him

"Oh, no, I'm good." He had his hands resting on Sue's shoulders as she sat at the dinner table.

"What? How can you miss this?" He stated

"I graduated a year ago, Dad.
I've had enough lectures." He told him Emily folded the newspaper, "I'll go." She told him and got a disapproving look from her father
"No." He said as he sat down at the table, "why not!"

"I believe you know why no!?" He said, It's true Emily did know, but she still wants to go. Mrs Dickinson walked in carrying a teapot of water. "Here is your hot water Mr Dickinson" Maggie followed after her "Will you please tell your wife to sit down? I'm the maid, I'll do the chores. That is, if she'll let me." she told Mr Dickinson. "Yes please dear sit down"

"Why can't women go to the lecture?" She asked Annoyed

"Professor Hitchcock was hired
to teach students at the college, not girls who live in the town." Mr Dickinson explained

"Well, so why can't I go to the college?" She asked as everyone picks at the food on their plates

"I wrote about it in my essay,
"On the Proper Place of Women." You did read my essay, didn't you?"

" I skimmed it."

"All right, well, let me summarize. A woman should receive an education, to be sure. But that education should not be the same as a man's. And why should it when the role for which she is being trained is so very different? Look, an education prepares one for a career." He explained trying to get through her daughters head that there are rules in this society, he poured out water for his tea.

"And the career of a woman is in the home. Well" Mrs Dickinson agreed handing things out and placing food on the table in an orderly fashion.

"What if I want to learn about volcanoes so that I can entertain guests when they come over?" She offered the idea.

"Well, I see you are in a silly mood this morning, my girl." He stood up with his tea and walked into his office with Mrs Dickinson following after him to talk to him about something. Emily looked back down at the paper as she unfolded it.

"It's just not fair. There's so much I wanna learn, and I can't just go and get taught." Emily wrapped her kimono around herself.

"I have to steal random bits of knowledge when no one else is looking." She explained stealing a peice of bread from her father's plate. Austin handed Sue the teapot

"I wouldn't stress out about it. School is boring. " Austin said,

"Wouldn't be boring for me because my brain works." Emily replied

" Hey, that's not nice. Besides, we couldn't allow girls at school. It'd be too distracting" looking at Sue in a flirtatious way

"Uh, I just wanna go to this lecture." Emily groaned frustrated, as she took a bite of the bread

"Well, I want to go look over the blueprints for the new house that Father is making for us. It's going to be a romantic Italian villa. So pimp. Sue and Y/n, would you accompany me to visit the architect?" He directed his question at his soon to be wife and her sister. "Um why me?" Y/n asked "because you will be staying with us there until there is enough room here for you" Austin replied, "I can't I told Rachel I would help her with packing"

"And Y/n can't either she has plans with me" Emily said fast.

"I told Mrs. Packard I'd help sort through her dead husband's things." Y/n replied as she took a bite of her toast "Why is that your job?" Austin asked "It's payment for my room and board. And she can't bear to touch them in her grief." Y/n replied understanding the pain of losing someone

"Okay anyway Sue If we must be separate today...You can't forget about our little ritual." Austin told his fiance next to him.

"What ritual?" Y/n and Emily asked "Just this thing we do where we both eat a chestnut at the ring of the vesper bell." Austin explained while he strocked Sue's face.

"No. Just me and Sue, and you have no one to do it with so ha" he said

"Chestnut at the vesper bell. You can't stop me, and I will have someone to do it with" Emily stared down her brother and took another bite of her food.

**************

They stood in Betty's shop, as Lavinia was picking out a dress to wear. "What about this blue silk?" Betty asked, Emily passed behind to two wemon swing her bag around out of bordem, Y/n sat on one of the chairs. Sue stood near Lavinia as she shrugged to pick out a dress.

"Do you think the hips are wide enough, I want to look fertile, for you know who?" Emily walked past her sister and looked at her like she had grown three heads. "Oh, no, Vinnie, don't tell me you still got eyes for that Joseph Lyman." She asked

"Shh. Betty, don't tell. Betty knows all my secrets." She told the girls sitting around

" Well, you're in here once a week. And you sure can talk." Betty said, Lavinia Gasps as she spots a beautiful green dress "What is that?" She asked, she had fallen in love with the dress "That one's spoken for. Custom piece I'm making for Jane Humphrey." Lavinia sighed sadly. Emily made a gagging sound to show her disgusted with the women "Oh, my gosh. Jane Humphrey has the best taste. She always looks so ample." Lavinia complimented her

"Jane Humphrey is a snob. And she's in love with Austin."

"From what I hear, a lot of girls in this town fancy your brother."

"Yeah. Well, it's too bad for them. He's marrying Sue."

"Emily..." Sue whispered, she understands the girl was upset with her but it was a secret.

"Is that so?" Betty asked looked at Sue

"Oh, sorry, I forgot it's a secret." She said

"Oh, no, I know how to keep a secret. Don't you worry. Congratulations, Sue! I suppose I'll be making you a wedding dress? How did Y/n take the news?"
She asked and smiled at the girl who now had a frown on her face with her arms crossed.

"Oh. I don't think I can afford you. And-" Emily cut Sue off "She might not even go through with it, oh and Y/n clung to Sue like a koala "Emily! Stop." Sue said and looked over her shoulder towards the younger girl.

"Well, you'll be making my wedding dress, Betty, for sure." Lavinia told the seamstress who looked from Sue to Lavinia

"Are you getting married?" She asked

"Someday." She replied Emily walked towards the mirror "Don't be too sure, Vinnie. Remember what that fortune-teller said?" She looked over her shoulder at Lavinia "i told you never to talk about what that fortune-teller said." Lavinia said to her sister.