A Modern Day Sense and Sensibility: An Adaptation of Jane Austen's Classic Read Online Free PDF Page B

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 chidedherself 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 foreignto Ellie that she had been startled by Edward’s observation. “I didn’t think I’d ever laugh again,” she