Episode 7; We lose-because we win

Emily and Lavinia came racing inside shouting dad as they jumped around excitedly as Emily held a poster for the circus. Lavinia jumped around excitedly "it's so exciting" Emily said. Mr Dickinson leaned on the back of the chair. "It's election day of course"

"No we're not talking about that..." Emily said as her and Lavinia look at each other. "Who cares about an election when you can't even vote" Emily and Lavinia fall into giggles. Ben covers his mouth to not show that he was smiling "we are talking about.." Lavinia said as Emily holds up the big poster.

AMHERST
PREPARE TO BE DAZZLED

THE CIRCUS IS COMING TO TOWN

"The Circus!!" Emily exclaims holding the poster in front of her "the circus is coming to Amherst" the two ladies grinned as they explained, that there would be lions, tigers, Siamese twins. Lavinia and Emily linked arms and put their head together to act like they were attached. The begged their father to let them go, but he said no that it was vile and crude for two young ladies to go too. "No, circuses are full of thieves and hucksters, gypsies...and how about those ladies though?" Emily and Lavina looked at each other they knew they weren't going to be able to go "those so called "acrobats", scantily-clade, who will certainly be roaming about, flaunting themselves like common h-- I'm not going to say it." He stopped and held up a finger before continuing"no. Circus is no place for you girls." Emily moved her head in half a circle and smiled "so will you take us?" She asked earning a look from Lavinia and her father turned to walk away, but a knock Interrupted him. Ithamar side stepped into view from around the corner.

They went off to talk by walking around the house.
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Emily sat on her father chair with the circus poster rolled up in her hands. She was slouching in the chair "Who cares if I never see an elephant. I saw a cloud that looked like an elephant once" Emily spoke out loud. Ben side eyed her as he wrote on important documents. "I'm sorry your dad won't let you go."
"He doesn't let me to do anything. You may have noticed." Emily looked towards Ben, who turned in his chair to look at Emily. "Yeah, no reading, no swimming... "And no circuses." Emily added giving a tight lipped smile. "So... what are you gonna do instead?" He asked leaning back in his chair

"For fun, you mean?" Emily asked "Yes. How will Emily Dickinson entertain herself?" He puts down the ink pen "Mm. I don't know. I might stick around the house. Maybe have a conversation with a moth." She looked up in the air, then at Ben. "Well..." He grabbed the newspaper off the table and held it Infront of him for Emily to look at "..here's something." He smiled and flipped to the column in the newspaper that he was referring too "What's that?" Emily asked slightly intrigued "Poetry contest. It says today is the deadline to enter. "We seek the undiscovered lyrical genius of Amherst". That's you. I mean, based on what I've read of yours, it could be." He read the news paper out to her.

"I know about the contest." She confessed and sunk lower into the chair "You do? So have you entered already?" He asked Emily chuckled at his cluelessness "Remember that conversation we were just having? About my father." She asked raising an eyebrow "Oh. Yeah." He pieced it together "No reading, no swimming, no circuses, and no poetry. At least not in public." She mumbled the last line quietly.

"Do you really think he would care if you entered a poetry contest?" He asked leaning forward a bit. "I guess you don't really know him yet" Emily sat up and looked at him "I guess not"

"My father says women who seek literary fame are no better than..well.." she lets out a dry laugh "let's just say "Acrobats"."
"Well that's a shame because..." he said and moved back to his chair, placing the newspaper on the poets lap. He sighed "you would have won" Emily looked at him and smiled to herself. "Oh and tell your Y/n that there is a songwriters contest on the back of the newspaper.." he said as Emily stood up and began walking up to her room.

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Emily looked through her draw full off poems, and a different draw full of Y/n's songs she picked a poem and read it. She smiled because she had found the one. Then she turned her attention to the music sheets. She picked a few and walked down stairs to get Y/n, she found her songbird on the porch "hey birdy" Emily said and sat down next to her, holding a palm of songs with the newspaper on top of the small pile "what's this about?" Y/n asked slowly taking the newspaper from her, "I think..." Emily paused and took a breath "you should enter the songwriting compatition"

Y/n looked over at her and breathed in "Em you know I can't"

"Why?" Emily breathed out annoyed, not at Y/n but at the fact that even if Emily couldn't send her poetry in. She still wanted Y/n to succeed. "They won't let women send it in, I already knew about it" she points to the print "any men who have music to write maybe have the chance to have their music sung by famous singer Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind or Nellie Melba, Australian Singer."

"So why does it have to be a man and not a women?" Emily asked "because they say that women haven't got music talent in writing music, only singing it" Y/n sighed and placed the newspaper down. "I have an idea, come on Birdy" Emily pulled Y/n with her, but Y/n slipped her hand out of Emily's grasp. "Em I can't I have to help your mother with dinner, you go do your plan but I am trusting you okay?" Y/n asked slightly worried, Emily nodded with a slightly smirk on her face. "When have I ever failed you, my love?" Y/n rolled her eyes and walked back inside to help Mrs Dickinson and her sister and of course Maggie.

Emily slowly approached her brother "There you are. God. I've looked everywhere." She smiled but looked down at Hey, Em." Austin said still staring at the little grave with the name Ichabod Beecher on it.

"What are you doing here? I thought staring at gravestones was my thing." Emily asked jokingly but Austin wasn't listening he just started at the grave "We have a problem." He spoke up, Emily looked towards Austin and asked "What is it?"

"Somebody's buried in Sue's spot. Who the cripes is Ichabod Beecher?" "Oh, that's the Beecher baby. One of the Beecher babies, I should say. God, that poor family. So many babies. Every single one of them died." Emily explained "Well, why is this dead Beecher baby buried so close to our plot?" He asked and pointed to the grave where the dead baby was "I guess they lost so many babies they ran out of room." She said with a small laugh.

Austin didn't find it funny, he found it annoying. "Well, that sucks, but I'm supposed to be buried right here and Sue, as my wife....should be buried next to me. Shouldn't she?"

" Why don't you just move the baby?" The poet offered the idea, but Austin looked appalled by the idea "What? I can't move a dead baby. What would the Beechers say?" Emily looked from the grave to Austin with a deadpan expression "Uh, nothing. They haven't lived in Amherst for years. They all moved back to England. Uh-huh. Plus that baby died 27 years ago. He's basically an adult now." Emily made wild hand gestures as Austin considered the idea.

"Oh. That's true." He mutter, Emily hummed before asking for help with her problem, Austin asked what it is and Emily began explaining "The Springfield Republican is holding a poetry contest. Today's the last day to enter it."

"Well, you're not gonna enter, are you?" Austin said quickly "Of course not. Dad would kill me." Emily whisper shouted as she looks back at the grave.

"No, I know he would."

"Which is why I want you to enter it. My poem under your name." Emily offers the idea "and to publish Y/n's song.." she asked
Austin looked at her shocked and unaware that she was showing to ask him "Me? I can't do that, Em."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, it's dishonest." Austin asked looking from Emily to the grave "Only half-dishonest. The "Dickinson" part will be true and Y/n said that she wants it to be published" Emily explain a small smile growing on her face.

"Yeah, and then what? You'll be mad because you won't get the credit." Austin said trying to argue a point "i knew you'd say that. I've thought about this. I swear I won't get mad. I don't care who gets the credit. I only want the world to read my words."

"Are you sure?" He asked looking to Emily for confirmation "Yes, I'm positive. Here. You have to hurry, the deadline is this afternoon. They'll print the winner in the paper tomorrow. For both, the poem and the song" Emily handed him two pieces of paper, one with lyrics the other with some word.

"It's not like really weird or anything is it?" He asked sceptical "No." Emily scoffed as Austin side eyed her "No. Look, if you win, you'll be proud. Austin, please do this for me." Austin side as Emily begged "Okay. For you. You're the best. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you." Emily said side hugging him. Austin looked back at the small grave stone "How psyched is Sue gonna be when I dig up this baby?" He said sounding so happy about it.

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Sue and Y/n stood in the kitchen helping Mrs Dickinson and Maggie cook the turkey for dinner. Y/n stood on the other side of the table chopping potatoes, whilst Mrs Dickinson talked to Sue. "You really know your way around a turkey" Mrs Dickinson admired Sue as she was spreading gravy on the cooked bird. "Yeah we- well since we were orphaned Me and Y/n had to do all the cooking" She explained as she took a moment to look at her sister who was chopping potatoes in her own world.

She mumbled something as she placed the potatoes on a tray, she pushed hair out of her face, as she muttered lyrics "Y/n what did you say dear?" Mrs Dickinson asked making her turn around startled by the question "oh nothing Mrs Dickinson just something I need to remember"

"Well it's not natural for women to just mutter" she said as Y/n bit her lower lip in shame "yes Mrs Dickinson" she nodded and went back to cutting potatoes "I would think that your good behaviour would have rubbed off on Emily, considering you spent every day together" Mrs Dickinson muttered annoyed at her daughter, the side of Y/n's lip twitched a little as she suppressed a smiled "hm yeah it should have"

"You haven't had an easy life have you" Mrs Dickinson said going back to the conversation, as she wiped her hands on the clothes and picked up the tray that holds the turkey, she opened the door to the oven and Mrs Dickinson slided the tray in side for it to cook more. "It's wonderful having you both back..since you returned from Boston" Mrs Dickinson smiled at the two women. "Thank you, Mrs. Dickinson." The two sister said as Maggie took the tray, to place it into the bottom oven.

"I'm happy you and Austin settled things and that we're gonna have a beautiful wedding. There's something I'd like to give you." Mrs Dickinson walked over to a draw, she got out a old looking book out, she walked up to Sue holding the book out "An engagement gift."

"I can't... Mrs. Dickinson, you didn't have to."
Sue tried to turn down, she didn't want to take the book.

"It's something my mother gave to me the day I left the Norcross farm and went off to marry Mr. Dickinson. It's been my companion all these years. Of course, I always thought I would give it to Emily on the day she married, but, well, I think it would be best if I gave it to you." She explained handing the book to her none the less The book was The frugal housewife by

"The Frugal Housewife". Mrs. Dickinson, I don't know what to say." Sue said as she looked at the book, she held delicately in her hands "Call me Mother, you too Y/n. You'll be my daughter soon. And don't worry, I'll do my best not to die on you both." Sue and Y/n stared at her with wide eyes.
Y/n looked from Mrs Dickinson to Maggie who made a little shocked noise.

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Emily walked in the front door she looked towards the two sisters sitting on the stairs the eldest Gilbert sister held a book in her hand and The youngest Gilbert sister leaned on her shoulder reading along "Hey, Y/n. Sue." She said as she approached them "Hello." "Hi" the two say at the same time not taking their eyes off the book "What are you two reading?" Sue held up the book so she could see the title "Your mom gave it to me." Sue said Emily hummed as she listened "You're really leaning into this whole housewife thing, aren't you? And I didn't think that you would want to be a housewife?" Emily Questioned Sue then Emily.

Sue stood up abruptly "eat shit Emily" she march off angrily "and maybe I want to get married" Y/n said then walked upstairs, she stood their shocked "WHAT!!" Emily exclaims as she runs after Y/n "maybe I want to marry someone rich and be able to provide for my family instead of chasing silly dreams of being a songwriter." Y/n exclaimed as she lets her arms fall down to her side.

"And who told my girlfriend that she can't chase her dreams of being a songwriter"

"No one said it, but it's the people who stare" Y/n said as Emily pulled her into the bedroom "You are talented in your songs and who cares what they say or if they stare." Emily grabbed her lover by the shoulders and turned her around, so she faces her.

Y/n cups Emily's face pulling her in for a kiss. Their lips dance with one another, Y/n wraps her arms around the poets neck. Emily wraps her arms around the songwriters waist, Emily smiles and rests her head against Y/n's who slowly opens her eyes and content sigh leaving her lips.

The songwriter moved her hands to the poets face and traces along it with her thumb. "I missed this" Emily whispers

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