She’s so different compared to—Edward stopped himself. Perhaps that was why he found himself so attracted to Ellie—but he wouldn’t let his mind go there. Using the tongs, he transitioned her image to the second tub and dropped another photo into the first. Agitating both, Edward attempted to keep his thoughts from returning to Ellie and was surprised when someone suddenly opened the door, flooding the room with light.
“Hey!” Edward exclaimed, trying to shield the tubs from the abrupt white light with his body. “Shut the door!”
“Oh!” Ellie gasped, frightened at finding Edward alone in a dark room. Stepping the rest of the way inside, she quickly closed the door behind her. “I’m so sorry!” she apologized.
Discovering it was none other than the person foremost on his thoughts just seconds earlier, Edward blushed. “Ellie, I should be the one apologizing. I hope I didn’t scare you.”
“Just a little,” Ellie shuffled nervously, her eyes adjusting to the dim red light. “Did I ruin any of your pictures?” she asked, her eyes taking in the damp string of photos hanging from the rope and the two still soaking in the tubs. She was surprised to see most of them were of her family.
Edward returned his attention to the pictures. “Well, only a few, but it’s no matter. It’ll only take a moment to redo them.” As he picked up the tongs to dish them out, Ellie came beside him to get a closer look. Edward was suddenly self-conscious about the portrait of her he had earlier been admiring. Yet her gaze wasn’t fixed on it. Instead, she was studying the photo he had started developing after it.
“May I?” Ellie asked, motioning to the image.
“Sure,” Edward replied, picking the photo up with the tongs and placing it on some paper towels he had laid out.
The photograph was of Ellie and her family. She remembered him snapping the picture several days before. She and her sisters had been sitting on the couch when Edward turned the camera on them. Diane, nearby, had come up from behind the couch and placed her arms tenderly around her daughters. Their smiles were sincere and the love between them apparent. Ellie wanted to ask Edward for the photo but couldn’t quite muster the courage. Perhaps in a day or two she’d request a copy. Moving her attention to the prints hung on clothes pins to dry, she giggled at the one of Margaret with her mouth covered in chocolate.
Edward, who had been watching her, felt his breath catch. Ellie had the cutest giggle. He wanted to move closer to her but wouldn’t. “I plan on giving that one to your mom. Think she’ll like it?” he asked, already knowing her response.
Ellie nodded. “These are great—though why you took so many pictures of us I can’t understand. I thought you preferred animals and landscapes,” she playfully jabbed.
Unsure how to respond, Edward smiled and shook his head. “There’s something about your family that intrigues me. Maybe it’s the way you all get along and how close you are.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the arguments? We don’t get along all the time.”
“Yes, but at least you argue. My brother and sister and I aren’t even close enough to argue. We’re like strangers. I guess I’m envious of the bond you share.”
Ellie studied his face in the glow of the red light. She felt sorry for him, and suddenly grateful for the family she sometimes took for granted.
Shrugging, Edward checked the hanging prints and, confirming they were fully dry, began plucking them up. “So did you need something from the laundry room?”
“Oh, I completely forgot why I’d come in here in the first place,” Ellie blushed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry I interrupted you.” Going over to the shelf above the washer, she opened it and, pulling down a stain-remover stick, motioned to it. “Margaret spilled some mustard on her outfit and I couldn’t find any stain-remover downstairs.”
“I think it might be a lost cause. I remember getting mustard on myself many times when I was a kid. My mom always ended up just throwing the item away. Too much work.”
“Well, this just happens to be her favorite ballerina leotard.”
Edward playfully cringed. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Ellie smiled. Sensing his need to be alone again, she exited the room and returned to Margaret.
Edward watched Ellie leave and then sank against the countertop. There were so many things he wanted to say to her but couldn’t. Dragging his hand down his face, Edward was torn over whether their budding friendship was even acceptable. Perhaps Ellie just considered him to be—a friend. Although he could tell she enjoyed his company, there didn’t seem to be any kind of marked partiality. Yet the way she blushed sometimes. . . . “No,” Edward said aloud, busying himself with re-developing the prints that had been ruined by Ellie’s entry. Though he knew he should stay away from her, Edward was having a hard time convincing himself that spending time with Ellie around the house could do any harm. I’ll only be hurting myself in the long run, he tried to reason. As he studied the negative of Ellie through the peephole viewer on the enlarger, Edward tried to convince himself this “friend” didn’t elicit any feelings within him at all. He never had been a good liar.
“Yes, I’m absolutely serious!” Edward insisted, “My mom rented a castle for us to stay in when we vacationed in England.”
“I’m so envious!” Ellie replied as she walked through the porch door he held open for her, “I’d absolutely love to visit England someday.”
“Perhaps someday you will,” Edward smiled, causing Ellie’s heart to skip a beat as they continued outside to walk through the Dashwoods’ enormous backyard. Their walks had become a nightly ritual. Edward always brought his camera along and the two chatted while he snapped pictures of the yard or his reluctant model, Ellie.
On the other side of the wall, Marianne paused from her sketching, and Diane from her correspondence, to share a knowing look. Both had overheard him and assumed a double meaning to Edward’s words.
As soon as Diane heard the porch door close, she got up and hurried to the window to catch a glimpse of the pair. She smiled while watching them wander laughingly into the crop of sunflowers Margaret had planted several years ago for a school project.
“Mom, don’t spy on them,” Marianne chided without looking up, her bangles making noise as her arm manuevered the paintbrush over the canvas.
“I’m not spying,” Diane denied as she returned to her seat. What was wrong with watching her oldest daughter fall in love? As a mother, seeing her child’s heart being awakened for the first time was one of the most terrifying yet remarkable things she’d ever witnessed.
Sneaking a peek outside again, Diane glanced just in time to see Francil walking past the window on her way back inside. To both her and Marianne’s annoyance, Francil joined them moments later in the second study where they were sitting. Yet instead of greeting them, she merely walked straightaway to the window to continue staring intently into the backyard. Diane, curious as to what had captured Francil’s attention, strained her neck to get a better look and found that both Ellie and Edward were visible again.
“Edward is such a fine young man,” Diane began, breaking the silence as she tried to interpret Francil’s expression. “We are so glad you invited him.”
“Edward is liked wherever he goes,” replied Francil, turning only slightly to acknowledge her mother-in-law. “My mom and I have great hopes for him.”
“As do all parents for their children,” Diane commented as she picked up her pen to continue writing.
“I don’t think you understand,” Francil’s change in tone caused both mother and daughter to look up. “I can tell you right now, we will never let him settle for someone who can’t benefit him financially.” Francil glanced pointedly toward Edward and Ellie, and then back to Diane.
With coldness forming her words, Diane asked, “And does Edward have any say in it? What if he wishes to marry for love?”
Francil smirked. “My brother is not a fool. Without my mom’s blessing, he will
be completely cut off without a penny.”
Diane could not—would not—stand for this type of condescending threat and fumed inside, knowing all too well her daughter-in-law’s meaning. Ellie was now penniless. Getting up, her voice stretched tight as she returned, “I understand your meaning perfectly. Please excuse me.”
Observing this strained interaction, Marianne was flabbergasted by her mother’s unusual self-control. Afraid of what she might do or say in her mother’s stead, she quickly followed after Diane. But before soundly closing the door behind them, she shot one last accusing look at her sister-in-law. Francil, however, took Marianne’s hostility in stride, secretly pleased by her and Diane’s affronted reactions. She had to admit it was fun stirring them up a bit. Besides, Francil felt they should have already known that Edward was way out of Ellie’s league!
Now in the safety of her suite, Diane paced back and forth across the floor as she tried to work through some of the protective rage surging through her motherly veins, declaring that the last encounter with Francil was the final straw. Diane felt as if she’d been bending over backward in putting up with John’s wife, but enough was enough. It was officially time to get out of that house, romance or no romance! If Edward cared for Ellie, as indeed she suspected, he would follow after them.
Having made up her mind, the next day Diane wasted no time in extricating her china from the house. Not yet telling Ellie about her cousin’s offer or the fact that they’d be moving out in a matter of days, Diane asked her eldest to assist with packing up her treasured china dishes after dinner. Margaret, being too young, was no help, and Diane had asked Marianne to complete some other preparatory tasks for their move. Much to Diane’s dismay, when she and Ellie were about half way done, Francil sought them out in the dining room.
“Why are you packing up those dishes? Are those supposed to go, too?” Francil’s voice hissed. Ellie turned from atop her perch to see her sister-in-law greedily finger the remaining china on the dining table.
Unable to look at Francil for fear of losing her temper, Diane addressed the woman, “These dishes were my mother’s. They are not included in the estate.” Ellie breathed a sigh of relief at how well her mother was maintaining her composure.
“Oh. . .” Francil said with disappointment. Even though she already knew there wasn’t a chance the dishes were ever going to stay behind, she added, “Are you sure you’ll have room for them in your new place?”
Diane couldn’t hold back her glare, “Don’t worry, I’ll make room for them.” She then glanced up at Ellie who sent her mother a pleading look to not engage in a verbal war.
Ellie lowered more plates from the hutch to wrap and pack, handing them to her mother. But instead of continuing their task at hand, Diane merely put them down on the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I forgot I have something I need to do,” she announced before making her way to the door.
Before Diane could exit, Edward’s sudden entrance blocked her escape route. “Oh hello, Edward,” Diane greeted with a natural smile. Her dislike for his older sister had no effect on the fondness she felt for him. “If you’ll excuse me, Edward, I have to attend to some pressing matters.”
Edward nodded and allowed Diane to pass before walking toward Francil with his cell phone in hand. “Francil, Mom’s on the line.”
Francil took the phone from Edward and placed it to her ear. “Yes, Mom?” she asked into the receiver.
Now discharged from phone delivery duty, Edward finally turned to Ellie and they shared a fond smile. His presence was so soothing, Ellie nearly forgot about the drama which had taken place in that room mere minutes before.
“No,” continued Francil, huffing her way through the French doors that led onto the porch, “I told you to order it—now Harry’s going to have to wait another month for one to be shipped in!”
Reaching for the last stack of plates in the china hutch, Ellie over-estimated her arm strength and began to wobble while attempting to lower herself from the ladder. Ever observant, Edward came to the rescue.
“Here—let me take that,” he said as he took the dishes and placed them on the table for her. Ellie couldn’t help but notice his very large biceps as he completed the task. Usually hidden beneath a t-shirt, they were now exposed by the sleeveless tank he had worn during his earlier workout.
“Thank you,” Ellie blushed gratefully, dropping lightly to the ground. To get her mind off Edward’s wonderful physique, Ellie tried to distract herself by proceeding to wrap the dishes in newspaper.
“Ellie,” Edward began, his tone causing Ellie to quickly look up. There was something different between them that evening. Perhaps seeing Ellie pack made Edward realize he had few opportunities remaining to reveal his heart?
“Yes,” Ellie answered anxiously.
“Ellie, you do know that I attended Stanford several years ago, right?”
Ellie was surprised at his choice of topic. It certainly wasn’t what she was expecting and certainly not what she’d hoped for. “No, I—ah, I don’t believe you’ve ever mentioned that,” Ellie replied cautiously, wondering where he was going with this.
“I studied English there,” continued Edward.
“Oh. . .” Ellie nodded, “um . . . so you like to write then.”
“Oh no, I can’t stand English,” Edward confessed, “It was my mom’s idea.” He smiled at her before moving closer. If Ellie believed in such things as personal space, Edward had just stepped inside hers. She felt her lips tingle, her body anticipating what might happen next. Would he try to kiss her? The tension between mounted as the silence lengthened. Ellie was unable to tear her gaze from Edward.
“Ellie, I—” Edward started to say, his voice deep and laced with another emotion Ellie couldn’t quite put her finger on. Was it regret?
“Edward!” Francil’s frantic voice came crashing through the room.
The pair quickly turned to see Francil gawking at them, and there was no mistaking the worried expression on her face after having observed their interaction. Her alarmed behavior effectively broke the intimate conversation started by Edward.
“Edward—” she continued, somewhat flustered, “Mom wants to talk to you right away.”
Edward’s brow wrinkled, “What’s the rush? Please tell her I’ll call her back later.”
“No!” Francil pursued a bit too enthusiastically before reclaiming herself, “No, Edward, she wants to speak to you now.” Francil was going to use any means possible to separate Edward from Ellie.
Knowing he could not win this battle, Edward glanced apologetically at Ellie before taking the phone from his sister and moving outside to take the call. With Edward’s protective presence now gone, Francil used this opportunity to send Ellie a condescending frown as an attempt to intimidate her sister-in-law.
Instead of reacting like Francil expected though, Ellie averted her eyes and once again busied herself with packing dishes. Her hope was that Edward’s sister would eventually leave and Edward would return to continue their conversation.
Unfortunately, the outcome of Edward’s chat with his mom ended with his running an “urgent” errand for Francil ASAP. Therefore, the closure Ellie hoped for did not come to fruition and she was instead forced to ponder what might have been while pouring all of her energy into work. Yet try as she might to keep on task, Ellie couldn’t stop hypothesizing over what exactly Edward had attempted to communicate. Had he been trying to tell her he wanted to go back to school? Or did Edward just want her to know he went to college? No, Ellie was sure Edward had been too serious for objectives such as those. What if it was something about his past he’d wanted to share? Sighing, Ellie knew only time would tell. What was it that her mother used to say? “Patience is a virtue”? Now that long-suffering trait only seemed a torment.
That Sunday morning, Ellie awoke to surprising news—her family would be moving to their new home in just two days. Ellie was overwhelmed. Not only was the idea of leaving her heart behind troubleso
me, but now they only had a couple of days to pack up their bedrooms and be out of their long cherished home! Although it was hard to imagine any other place feeling like their own, the panicked Ellie tried to reassure herself that at least she and her family would be together as they started this new life.
When hearing of their planned departure at breakfast, Francil was delighted. It was no secret she had been eagerly anticipating their evacuation. “So, are you excited about moving, Ellie?” Francil’s sugary-sweet voice inquired in between bites of her quiche. They were all seated around the kitchen nook table sharing a Sunday brunch.
A Modern Day Sense and Sensibility: An Adaptation of Jane Austen's Classic Page 5