A Modern Day Sense and Sensibility: An Adaptation of Jane Austen's Classic (5 page)

Edward was exhausted. It wasn’t even seven-thirty in the evening yet and he was ready to crawl under the covers and call it a night. Meetings with his mother always had a similar effect. Loosening his bow tie, Edward sat on the edge of the bed and yawned. He hadn’t even stayed for dessert. His mother hadn’t been too happy about that, but at least he’d paid his respects at the radio personality gala and given the mother he hadn’t seen in months a hello and a hug. Of course she’d been busy most of the evening with acquaintances and business associates, but that wasn’t unusual. Lowering himself back onto the bed, Edward told himself he’d just close his eyes for a minute and then change out of his Armani tuxedo and into something more comfortable. The room was so quiet and peaceful, and the slight breeze coming in through the opened window felt soothing as it drifted across his cleanshaven face. He was just about to doze off when the faint sound of a voice coming from outside reached his ears. It was definitely female and he wondered which of the Dashwood ladies it belonged to. His curiosity getting the better of him, Edward forced himself up off the bed and removed his bow tie before unbuttoning the first few buttons of his dress shirt. He decided now was as good a time as any to change out of his evening wear. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop but the unusual rhythm and clarity of the voice told him this was no ordinary conversation coming from outside. Maneuvering
slowly to the window, Edward pushed aside the curtain to peer below.

There, down on the back lawn, were Ellie and her two younger sisters engaged in some sort of dance routine. The porch lights provided enough light for him to make out the girls as they bounced about. While Marianne steadily called out the beats, the lovely Ellie caught his particular attention as she seemed to be making up dance moves and demonstrating them to Margaret who, in turn, copied them. It was obvious by their playful body language that the sisters were very close, and Edward found himself feeling envious of the bond they shared. He had never been close to either of his siblings. Feeling the sudden urge to capture this moment, Edward picked up his SLR camera from the nearby desk and adjusted the manual settings for nighttime and porch light. Aiming the camera at the sisters, he snapped several pictures of the duo before lowering the camera. Almost immediately, he felt self-conscious about having trespassed upon their privacy and quickly deleted the images. He would get permission before taking more pictures of them in the future.

Edward was just about to turn away from the window to change when he noticed Marianne jog inside with Margaret in tow. Expecting Ellie to follow, he was surprised when she instead remained. Without knowing exactly why, Edward felt drawn to Ellie and couldn’t pass up on this opportunity to spend some time with her. Not giving himself time to second guess, he quickly set aside the camera and headed downstairs.

However, by the time Edward reached the back porch where Ellie still sat on the hammock, he noticed she was crying. But before he could change his course to allow her some privacy, his presence was noted and Ellie blushed as she tried wiping away her tears.

Ellie didn’t like others to see her crying, and had even waited for Marianne and Margaret to leave before releasing her emotions. Edward’s approach had startled her, and as she attempted to erase the evidence of sorrow, she chided
herself for not having waited until in the safety of her own room.

No turning back, Edward stepped toward Ellie and handed her the white handkerchief from his front tuxedo jacket pocket—for once thankful that his mother had insisted he keep a supply of the archaic item for formal society events. Ellie shyly accepted the handkerchief, feeling the cloth’s silky texture and noting how his initials were monogrammed on it. Turning from him, she proceeded to wipe away the remaining tears before delicately blowing her nose into it. Not thinking clearly, Ellie folded it back up and attempted to return it as was.

“Keep it,” Edward smiled as he sat down next to her. “Did you really think I’d want it back after you’ve blown your nose on it?” he grinned at her teasingly. “Although, I might be able to make a fortune selling it on eBay. People go crazy over things like that, especially when it belongs to a famous dance choreographer or something like that.”

“You saw that?” Ellie groaned, her cheeks turning rosy. “Marianne and I were helping Margaret with a school project.”

“I think my favorite part was when you went like this,” Edward got to his feet and demonstrated a kick ball change with some arm flapping, exaggerating everything.

Ellie laughed, amused by his silly depiction of their routine.

Edward paused to study Ellie as she did so, captivated by the soft chime of her laughter. He found the sound delightful and before he could stop himself told Ellie just that.

Stopping short, Ellie grew quiet and Edward was immediately embarrassed by his unusual omission—normally he was master of casualty. Disguising his discomfort, he feigned preoccupation by sitting back down and rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt until the awkward moment passed.

Ellie had laughed—she’d truly laughed for what seemed like the first time in ages. The sensation of joy felt so foreign
to Ellie that she had been startled by Edward’s observation. “I didn’t think I’d ever laugh again,” she confessed, the heaviness in her heart returning, “ugh, stupid emotions.” She fingered the handkerchief nervously, trying to keep her tears at bay.

“Yeah, they always catch me off guard, too,” Edward replied in an effort to keep things light.

Ellie smiled at him again. She hadn’t expected Edward to be such a jokester. “So, besides making despondent girls laugh, what else do you do?” she asked playfully. Ellie couldn’t quite understand what it was about Edward that made her so nervous in his presence. She almost felt like she didn’t know herself when he was around—she was all a flutter—especially when Edward flashed her that smile of his, which he just happened to do right then, causing her stomach to somersault.

“Actually, nothing,” Edward answered matter-of-factly, folding his arms across his chest and relaxing onto the woven berth.

“You don’t work at all?” Ellie looked at him with surprise.

“No, I just mooch off all my friends and family,” he answered sarcastically before adding, “I live a squandering life. . .” Edward pretended to be nonchalant while examining his fingernails as if in character, making Ellie laugh.

“So how long do you plan on staying here then?” Ellie relaxed back next to him.

“Oh, I don’t know. As long as they’ll have me I guess.”

Edward looked directly at Ellie with his dazzling blue eyes, making it very hard for her to focus. Losing track of her thoughts, she defaulted to a previous question.

“So, seriously you don’t do anything at all?” she asked again, this time attempting to look anywhere but into his eyes.

“Well, not much,” Edward gazed beyond her to the estate’s vast backyard, noting the well manicured lawn and how majestic it looked with all the lawn lamps glowing. “I guess you could say I play at being a photographer.”

“What type of pictures do you take?” Interested, Ellie momentarily forgot her shyness and turned slightly to better face him.

“Wildlife, people, nature,” Edward’s face lit up as he turned back to her, “I love landscapes especially. I’ve had a few of my pictures picked up by National Geographic, but just as freelance. Regrettably, not enough to pay the bills.”

Even though Edward downplayed his photography, Ellie couldn’t help but be impressed. To be featured in National Geographic—that was big time, right? Showing her admiration, she exclaimed, “Really? That’s awesome!”

“Thanks,” Edward flashed Ellie his amazing smile again, but then looked away. “Just wish my mother felt the same,” he added, his voice tinged with disappointment.

Ellie noticed the sadness on Edward’s face before he quickly tried to disguise it with a smile. Sensing some history there which might shed some light, she delved deeper, knowing that if Edward didn’t feel comfortable answering, he could just say so. “I take it your mom doesn’t want you to be a photographer?” she asked.

Edward nodded. “I guess she thinks I should be focusing on more important things,” he explained, “Like sports cars, the latest movie stars, and corporate America.” He scoffed with frustration as he ran a hand through his chestnut hair.

Ellie didn’t know what planet his mom came from. Most mothers wanted their sons to marry good church-going girls and settle down, not carouse with party animals. “I’m sorry,” she empathized and Edward nodded his reply. She could tell he didn’t want to talk about it anymore and obliged. “So is it just you and Francil?” Ellie asked, changing subjects.

The uncomfortable topic now behind them, Edward relaxed again. “No,” he answered, “Francil and I have a younger brother named Rob. I don’t think you’d like him though,” he finished with that adorable grin, baiting Ellie.

“Why not?” she inquired, taking the bait.

“He’s really in to himself,” Edward said as he raised his eyebrows, moving them up and down which made Ellie laugh.

She couldn’t help but notice she had been laughing a lot during their conversation, more than she had been during the last couple of months combined. It was a nice change. She—enjoyed Edward.

While Ellie mused over how much she was appreciating Edward’s company, Diane happened to be walking past the large bay window in the living room which overlooked the hammock and spotted the couple below. Pausing, she smiled at seeing them in the midst of an enjoyable conversation and laughter. It made her heart contented to see a glimmer of hope in Ellie again. The poor girl was always so concerned with taking care of the family that she often forgot to take care of her own happiness. Diane was glad Edward was here to bring out the best in her beloved daughter, and let out a wistful sigh as she continued past the window, wondering what the future might have in store for the two youngsters.

A week later, Ellie escaped to her room not only to catch up on some emails, but also to investigate within herself why this young man was having such a huge effect on her. Listening to Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album on her iPod speakers, Ellie’s stomach did somersaults whenever she recalled his cute smile or the way he made her laugh. Speaking of which, just then she felt her stomach leap yet again, though not at all for romantic reasons. Ellie was hungry and realized her last meal had been breakfast. She’d been so busy sorting through her unpacked belongings that she hadn’t remembered to grab a snack before escaping to her new room. Normally Ellie wasn’t one to leave boxes all about, but she’d been so busy helping Diane with chores and taking care of Margaret that she figured why unpack when her mother might announce any day they were ready to move. Looking at the clock, Ellie saw that it was nearly nine o’clock and her body begged for nourishment. Putting her desk back in some semblance of order and turning off her music, Ellie headed downstairs to the kitchen and was surprised to find Margaret hunkered beside Edward over a carton of vanilla ice cream. Margaret was all giggles as Edward brotherly dabbed a bit of the ice cream on the tip of her nose and played it off as an “accident.” Ellie chuckled as she took in the sight of them armed and dangerous with chocolate syrup, bananas, slivered almonds and whipping cream. Margaret’s hands were
covered with the sticky syrup and she proceeded to lick them clean until noticing that Ellie was watching. Sheepishly grinning at her older sister, Margaret invited her over.

Ellie’s heart melted over the childish invite. Because of their age difference, she had always felt like more than just a big sister to Margaret—almost like a mother. When Margaret was born, she and Marianne had been given the responsibility of caring for their newborn sister after Diane had been diagnosed with a severe case of postpartum depression. To help their mother cope with her unbalanced emotions, their father had sent Diane on a psychiatric break, or as he had explained it at the time, a “brain vacation.” The sisters hadn’t really understood what was going on or why their mother had to leave, but they did their best to help in any way they could. That “brain vacation” ended up lasting over three months, forcing Ellie to take on a very maternal role during that time, looking after not only the newborn, but Marianne as well. Yet together they made it though, and Diane had returned happy and with arms ready to comfort them.

As Ellie moved to join the banana split duo, she noticed Marianne seated behind her easel painting away in the adjoining room not far from them. Marianne, with her earbuds in, was too intent on her brush strokes to notice the amusing scene going on behind her.

“Now squeeze the chocolate syrup on top,” Edward instructed, flashing Ellie one of his winning smiles while simultaneously trying to direct the eager-eyed Margaret who was busy licking the remaining chocolate off her fingers.

Taking the chocolate syrup bottle from his hands, Margaret began applying liberal amounts onto each banana split. “Do you want one, too?” she asked Ellie who shook her head. Shrugging, the young girl resealed the container and reached for the nuts.