“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.
Picking up his camera, which always seemed on hand lately, Edward snapped a few pictures of Margaret as she continued to garnish her dessert.
“Ellie,” Marianne called from where she was sitting, pulling out her earbuds, “Come look at my painting and tell me what you think—but be honest.”
Edward watched Ellie as she walked over to her sister and studied the artfully created masterpiece Marianne had been working on for weeks. It was ablaze with passionate blends of orange, purple, blue and green. On it was calligraphy writing which Ellie quietly read aloud, “Love is to burn, it is to be on fire. . . .” Ellie reflected on the piece in its entirety before giving Marianne an answer. “It’s terrific, Marianne,” she finally said, conveying the sincerity of her words by placing her hand affectionately on her sister’s shoulder.
“I don’t know how it should finish though,” Marianne said, blushing as she tapped her paint-stained brush thoughtfully on the rinsing jar. “Love is to burn, it is to be on fire, it is to. . . .” Turning suddenly to Edward, she asked, “Edward, what do you think?”
Ellie had to muffle a giggle upon seeing Edward’s surprise at being called upon. Startled and looking quite ridiculous with his mouth full of ice cream, Edward’s eyes darted curiously between the sisters. Attempting to avoid further embarrassment, he turned around while proceeding to finish chewing the large bite. But this only made him appear even more absurd. Trying to stifle their laughter, the sisters watched Edward as he set aside his half-eaten banana split, and with a tinge of red to his face, advanced to get a closer look at the artwork. Nudging them playfully, he looked at the painting and pondered it for a moment. Ellie observed him as he did so, admitting to herself that there was something about Edward which she found overwhelmingly attractive. Maybe it was his gentlemanly manner or his expressive eyes. Whichever, she knew she wouldn’t mind spending more time with him to ascertain exactly what it was.
Edward opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again and Ellie noticed the furrowed brow on Marianne’s fair face as she awaited his opinion. “Ignite, thus. . .” he began in a semi-querulous tone, “keep the fire department number . . . handy?” Marianne couldn’t control the laughter that rose up inside her. “I told you, I’m not a poet!” Edward defended himself, “I just take pictures!”
Marianne turned back to her painting and dipped her brush into the paint. “Edward, you’re pathetic!” she joked.
Edward winked at Ellie and she replied with a similar grin. She liked him—she liked him a lot. . . .
After cleaning up the kitchen together, Ellie and Edward collapsed on the fluffy couch behin
d Margaret who had already stationed herself on the floor to watch Cartoon Network. An old episode of Tom and Jerry began to play as Ellie closed her eyes momentarily in an effort to ease her exhaustion. She had been on her feet all day and the thought of turning in for the night had never sounded sweeter. Yet, it was useless to attempt leaving Edward’s company or trying to relax. Being near him made her insides feel all twisted up. She was excited but also nervous by the realization that mere inches separated their bodies. Ellie couldn’t help thinking how sensual it was watching the slow rise and fall of his chest as he silently watched the cartoon.
Interrupting her thoughts, Edward turned his face to better look at her while toying with his camera. He’d been snapping pictures of the three sisters all evening after confessing there was something about their close bond which intrigued him. “Has your mom had any luck finding a place yet?” he asked.
“No, not yet. I hope your sister isn’t getting too impatient,” Ellie answered as she shifted in her seat nervously. Was he anxious to see them leave? The thought made Ellie very uncomfortable, and well, depressed.
“Don’t you worry about my sister, she needs to learn a little patience,” Edward replied, setting aside the camera and clasping his hands in front of himself. Ellie was somewhat comforted by his answer and felt her shoulders begin to relax. “Francil’s used to getting everything handed to her,” Edward continued, “My mom wasn’t very good at saying no.”
Ellie nodded and paused, her attention momentarily stolen by the cartoon on the screen until it went to commercials. “What’s your mom like?” she asked curiously.
“Well—” Edward began, now shifting his entire body toward her as he became more animated, “Take Francil and multiply her characteristics by like, ten,” he said. Ellie’s eyes widened—she could only imagine. Edward nodded, “It’s just like the old saying, ‘as the mother is, so goes the daughter’, except Mom has taken domineering to another level.”
“Oh my. . .” Ellie replied.
“Exactly,” Edward said as he laid back against the couch. “When my dad passed away, we were all still really young. Mom had no choice but to become the breadwinner. Because of that, we didn’t really get to see much of her growing up.” Ellie nodded, feeling compassionate. Edward angled his head to look into her eyes, “Of course, she’s ready to play at being Mom now, but all of us already have our own lives and don’t even live in the same state.”
“What does your mom do?” Ellie asked, quickly correcting with, “Isn’t it something on the radio? Like she has her own show or something?”
The cartoon had resumed but neither noticed.
“She’s a syndicated psychiatrist,” Edward said, his face conveying he was a bit surprised Ellie wasn’t aware of who she was. “You’ve probably heard of her radio talk show, ‘Family Ties with Frederica’?”
“Ohhhh, yes, I forgot,” Ellie nodded in recognition. She thought she remembered her mom listening to that program until finding out her step-son was marrying Frederica’s daughter. With the exception of Edward, Diane was not a fan of the Ferrars family.
Diane, unbeknownst to Ellie and Edward, had stumbled in upon the conversation and hadn’t been able to resist observing the special moment between the two. She seemed to have a knack for sniffing out romance, but what could she say, it was a gift. Diane had actually come downstairs with quite another purpose, but upon witnessing the unmistakable chemistry between Edward and her daughter, she became sidetracked. After nearly ten minutes of standing in the shadows, basking in their new romance, she finally scampered off to find Marianne.
Locating her artistic daughter in the laundry room cleaning her art supplies, Diane hurried to her, exclaiming, “Look what came in the mail today!”
Marianne glanced up from her task and turned down the Maroon 5 album she had been listening to, “What, Mom?”
“It’s from my cousin,” Diane said, removing the letter from its envelope. “Apparently he has a place for us to live.”
Marianne smiled and dried her hands on her apron, reaching for the letter which Diane released.
Dear Cousin Diane,
I heard about your husband’s recent passing and extend my deepest condolences. I now run an apartment complex in Oregon and would like to offer one of my apartments for your use. Since your circumstances have no doubt changed, I would make it as affordable as possible. . . .
“Have you told Ellie yet?” Marianne slowly took her eyes off the letter to gaze questioningly at her mother.
“No—” Diane began, but was interrupted when Marianne moved towards the door with excitement while trying to untie her apron. Diane stopped her, “Marianne, let’s wait a while.”
Marianne looked at her mother oddly. “Why?” she replied with a frown, putting her hands on her hips. “I thought you couldn’t wait to get away from Francil.”
“Yes, but this is so much more important,” Diane began, taking back the letter and replacing it in its envelope. “I believe that Ellie really likes Edward and that he likes her, too. And if we were to leave now. . .” Diane trailed off and Marianne took the hint.
“Edward? She likes Edward?” Marianne was flabbergasted. “You mean that way?”
Diane raised her eyebrows and tried to suppress a chuckle. “Darling, you can’t expect your sister to like the same type of men you do.”
Marianne shifted, wiping her already dry hands on the apron as she digested this news. “I know that, but Edward?” she asked again. “He has no life. What does she see in him?”
Diane smiled and took one of Marianne’s hands, “That, my dear, is a question you’ll have to ask your sister.” Marianne nodded, setting her mind to do just that later in the evening. “Promise me you won’t say anything to her about the apartment,” Diane pleaded.
“Okay!” Marianne acquiesced as she backed toward the sink, raising her hands in surrender. Marianne might not agree with her mother’s motives or understand why Ellie was interested in Edward, but she would give them time and meanwhile pin down her sister’s exact feelings.
Just as she had set her mind to do earlier, Marianne entered Ellie’s room later that night and found her sister warmly snuggled under the covers reading a book. Collapsing onto the bed with a purposeful thud, Marianne sent Ellie’s book tumbling to the ground.
“Marianne!” Ellie complained as she bent down to retrieve the novel despite hearing her sister’s amusement. Normally, Ellie would have laughed herself, but she happened to be reading A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin and was half-way through the book’s climax.
Settling back into bed and reopening the book, Ellie was determined to ignore her rude and immature sister. Marianne, in reply, rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, pretending not to notice that Ellie wasn’t in the mood to talk.
“So, what do you think of Edward?” Marianne began, startling Ellie, “Do you like him?”
Ellie attempted to hide her flushed face from behind the book, but wasn’t able to avoid the scrutiny of her younger sister. How different the sisters were: Marianne relished an openly discussed romance, whereas Ellie was very private. Even as a child, she never liked to discuss crushes with her mom. “I don’t know. . .” Ellie began, her tone a bit squeaky as she shifted uncomfortably under the sheets.
“I think you do know, you just don’t want to admit it,” Marianne pressured.
Ellie couldn’t disguise her smile as she closed the novel and put it on the nightstand. She might as well get this over with as Marianne would not be giving up anytime soon. “Okay . . . so, maybe I do kinda like him. What’s your point?”
Marianne smiled triumphantly, and after a moment added, “I think he likes you very much.”
Ellie’s breath caught and her expression conveyed her doubts and hopes concerning her sister’s assurance. “You think so?” she asked wistfully.
Marianne turned to face Ellie and gave her an incredulous look, “I can tell by the way he always singles you out.” Ellie smiled and
glanced down, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink. Marianne sighed and pulled herself up off the bed. “When you’re married, will you promise not to live too far away?” she asked with sincerity.
“Married!” Ellie exclaimed, feeling as if the world paused while her mind began to race—okay, so maybe she had thought about how wonderful it would be to marry Edward before falling asleep almost every night since meeting him, but to have her sister voice it knocked the wind out of Ellie. How was it that Marianne was able to see right through her like that?
Still not entirely convinced her sister knew what she was talking about concerning Edward, Ellie blurted, “I don’t even know if he’ll ask me out on a date!”
Marianne gave Ellie a sideways, mischievous glance as she started toward the bedroom door. “I don’t think it’s a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’.” With that, Marianne raised her eyebrows suggestively before leaving Ellie alone with her thoughts.
Ellie found it hard to fall asleep that night. She kept thinking about how great ‘Ellie Ferrars’ sounded. It does have a nice ring to it, she thought, but then suddenly chided herself. “Oh, why does Marianne have to encourage me so!” she exclaimed before flopping down onto her other side and forcing her eyes shut.
“Is there a small room that’s out of the way? I’d like to get some work done,” Edward asked one of the household staff. He was juggling his camera, a bag containing his developing material, and several rolls of undeveloped film. Since arriving, Edward had been snapping pictures right and left, the Dashwood house and its inhabitants being ideal subjects.
“What about the upstairs laundry room?” the maid suggested. “It rarely gets used.”
“That’ll be perfect. Thanks.”
Making his way upstairs, Edward had no problem locating the vacated laundry room. The large countertop opposite the front-loading washer and dryer suited his needs perfectly. Dropping off the items on hand, Edward went back to his room and retrieved his portable darkroom enlarger and the red lamp he used to see while working. Returning to his make-shift workspace, he plugged in both devices before turning out the overhead light. Next he tacked up a heavy curtain over the one small window in the room and began unloading the gear from his backpack. Setting up three tubs and filling them with the appropriate chemicals, Edward next strung up a sturdy piece of rope with clothes pins attached. Ready to work his magic, Edward opened the first roll of film and began enlarging the best of the photos. This particular roll included stills from the evening they made banana splits. He chuckled at Margaret’s expression—he’d have to make a copy for Diane. Enlarging the next few as well, Edward paused to study the striking portrait of Ellie. Ellie hadn’t noticed, but he had taken a photo of her while she studied Marianne’s painting. Placing the photo paper into position, he turned on the enlarger and exposed the image for the allotted time. Then dropping it into the first tub, he agitated the solution until her image began to reappear. There was something about Ellie’s features which captivated him, yet he couldn’t quite pin down exactly what—maybe it was her countenance. Edward felt like he could be himself around her.
A Modern Day Sense and Sensibility: An Adaptation of Jane Austen's Classic Page 4