A Modern Day Sense and Sensibility: An Adaptation of Jane Austen's Classic (22 page)

With their attendance at the ball expected, the ladies had no choice but to try on all the lovely things Charlotte picked out: beautiful gowns, elegant shoes, and lots of dazzling accessories. “I’m pregnant and don’t look good in clothes right now,” Charlotte declared, “But don’t take away my joy—allow me to make sure all of you do!”

For her mother, Charlotte chose a two-piece, light blue, chiffon dress suit which had embroidered beading around the collar. It looked fabulous on Mrs. Jennings. To finish the look, Charlotte selected a clutch for her as well as shoes and jewelry to match. Charlotte also insisted her mother update her hairdo.

For Lucy, Charlotte selected an emerald green, strapless dress which narrowed from the hips down and came with a matching shawl. The green did wonders in bringing out the vivid shade of Lucy’s eyes. Charlotte chose a delicate bag, strappy stilettos and a simple necklace to complete Lucy’s attire.

Picking out Marianne’s evening wear seemed to bring the most pleasure to Charlotte, as everything looked great on
Marianne. By far the most beautiful of the women, Marianne, despite her current disposition, radiated in each selection Charlotte presented. Finally settling on an off-the-shoulder design with long flowy sleeves, the gown’s soft peachy shade caused Marianne’s skin to glow and the narrowed waist only served to highlight her slim circumference. The delicate layers of sheer fabric that descended from the waist just barely touched the floor, sashaying whenever Marianne moved. To accompany the dress, Charlotte chose the perfect beige heel, a delicate clutch, and a pair of earrings and necklace to match. Marianne was stunning.

Ellie was the last to be fitted in her formal attire. For the eldest Dashwood daughter, Charlotte chose a simple black gown that was reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn’s look in
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
. Ellie fell in love with how the dress made her feel, and was glad it wasn’t colorful like the other gowns since she preferred subdued tones. To Ellie, the simpler, the better. Charlotte paired the selection with elegant black heels and a small metallic clutch, and although she tried to get Ellie to accept a coordinating necklace, Ellie was firm in that she wanted to wear the silver chain her father had given her as a birthday present a few years back.

With the ladies now set for their debut at the charity formal, the exhausted foursome (for Charlotte was only more energetic after a successful day of styling) headed back to the flat for a relaxing evening before it started all over again the next day. Charlotte had scheduled them a long session at the beauty parlor, making sure they were spoiled with pedicures and manicures. Afterward, each sat before a makeup artist and hairstylist who perfected their faces and gave them elegant updos. The ladies looked amazing and couldn’t wait to show off Charlotte’s handiwork at the party later that evening.

Hosted in one of the finest ballrooms in the city, the Dashwood International Charity Ball was exquisite. The room was filled with grandeur, extravagant food creations, and hundreds of wealthy guests as a band played Glen Miller dance tunes on stage.

When Mrs. Jennings and her party entered the room, Charlotte’s disappointment was apparent at seeing James immediately locate a few of his golfing buddies and excuse himself. Although this wasn’t exactly how she’d envisioned the evening playing out, Charlotte sighed and moved on—bent on having a good time that night, regardless. “Well, should we find our table?” she suggested. Everyone nodded and moving together through the crowded ballroom, they approached a waiter who led them to their table.

Scanning the crowd once their purses had been deposited beneath their seats, Mrs. Jennings announced, “Oh, look. There’s Francil!” Glancing back at Ellie with anticipation, she quickly started toward John’s wife, leaving everyone with no other choice but to follow.

As they approached Francil, the ladies took notice of her extravagantly sequined black gown with its plunging back. The ensemble gave off a blue hue as it shimmered in the night lighting—radiating wealth. Francil looked like a million bucks.

“Francil!” Mrs. Jennings exclaimed, catching Francil’s attention.

“Oh, hello,” Francil greeted, looking as if it were a chore speaking to them.

“You look fabulous,” Mrs. Jennings complimented. “And where’s that husband of yours?”

“This dress is amazing, isn’t it,” Francil bragged, examining it before explaining, “John stepped outside for a few moments. Pre-speech jitters.”

Mrs. Jennings nodded and looked around the vicinity of Francil. “Are either of your brothers here as well?”

“Yes, he should be here by now,” Francil replied non-chalantly, not having heard Mrs. Jennings correctly over the commotion in the ballroom. Her answer, at first puzzling them, had the ladies quickly scanning the crowd in order to determine which brother Francil was referring to.

Francil was the first to catch sight of her brother, and rightly so, since none of them had ever seen this man before. “Oh, there he is,” she pointed to the back of a man engrossed in conversation with a large group near the bar.

Both Lucy and Ellie thought perhaps they’d been confused about whom Francil had pointed at, yet when the man turned around and waved back at his sister, they realized there had been no mistake.

“Edward?” Mrs. Jennings questioned, thinking perhaps she had overestimated Ellie’s taste in men. Even from afar, the stranger appeared self-important and overdressed.

“No, this is my brother Robert,” Francil explained with a laugh, succeeding in motioning for him to join them. Maneuvering toward their group, Robert handed Francil the glass of champagne he brought with him. “We were just talking about you,” Francil told him before taking a sip.

Robert raised his eyebrows. “Really?” he inquired curiously, eyeing all the young ladies unabashedly.

“Mrs. Jennings, I’d like you to meet my youngest brother, Robert,” Francil introduced. “Robert, this is Mrs. Jennings,
her daughter Charlotte, Ellie and Marianne Dashwood, and Lucy Steele,” she recited in succession.

“Nice to meet you,” Mrs. Jennings smiled. To her growing disapproval however, Robert only threw her a contemptible glance before looking dismissively at both Ellie and Marianne. Passing over what the elderly woman considered to be the beauties of the group, it came as a surprise to her observant eye when he gazed with interest at Lucy. Maybe there could be a match there after all? Loving the role of cupid, Mrs. Jennings became even more bent on finding Francil’s remaining sibling. “Is your other brother Edward here?” Mrs. Jennings asked Francil, glancing hopefully at Ellie who blushed and looked away.

“Edward? Oh, he had other
more important
engagements,” Robert answered in his sister’s stead.

Lowering her eyes, Ellie tried not to let his words injure her. After all, who was to say whether Edward even knew that she and Marianne would be there. Curiously though, Lucy looked relieved by Edward’s absence.

“Well, shall we find our seats?” Mrs. Jennings suggested, sensing the awkwardness. “Where are you and your husband sitting, Francil?”

“We’re seated over there,” Francil pointed to the table front and center of the festivities.

“Oh,” Mrs. Jennings appeared disappointed at being so distant from all the excitement. “I guess we’ll make the trek back to our table before John’s speech begins.”

Francil’s curt nod sent them on their way and, once seated, the group waited for dinner to be served. As their table was one of the last to be serviced, guests were already back on the dance floor before Mrs. Jennings and her party had even started their meals. On the menu was cordon bleu, grilled asparagus, toasted sweet rosemary bread, and peppered corn. The food was succulent and delicious—even Marianne ate a few bites.

Observing the dancing couples, Ellie was enjoying her food until a burst of laughter from a table several yards away
caught her attention. What she saw stunned her. With a flustered countenance, Ellie lowered the water glass she had been sipping from, startled by the sight of none other than Willoughby himself surrounded by friends.

Swiftly averting her eyes from his form, Ellie stared down at her half-eaten dinner, praying that Marianne wouldn’t take notice. Diligent to maintain her silent composure, she quickly stole a glance at her sister, pleased for once to find that Marianne was preoccupied with picking at her food. Ellie was about to breathe a sigh of relief until Willoughby happened to say something especially loud and funny, rousing the interest of everyone within hearing distance. Unfortunately, Marianne was not deaf and instantly recognized Willoughby’s voice. Although at first thinking she must have dreamed it, Marianne’s eyes slowly surveyed the party until she caught sight of him.

“Jim!” Marianne exclaimed, her tender tone causing the guests around to stare openly, curiosity aroused.

To Ellie’s utter dismay, Marianne hastily got up to make her way over to Willoughby’s table. In a desperate attempt to stop her, Ellie grasped Marianne’s arm as she walked by, “Marianne, please,” Ellie pleaded, yet Marianne pulled away determinedly.

As Marianne pushed her way through the crowd, Mrs. Jennings looked on with a heavy heart. The elderly woman foresaw the reunion’s outcome, especially when her eyes rested on the girl sitting next to Willoughby, one arm draped possessively over his. Wanting Ellie to notice this, Mrs. Jennings asked, “Ellie, who’s that woman with Jim?”

Ellie quickly followed the elderly woman’s gaze to the richly dressed, suntanned girl. Although Willoughby’s date wasn’t nearly as beautiful as Marianne, you could tell by her perfectly bleached hair, expensive jewelry and gaudy dress that her family had deep pockets.

“Jim!” Marianne greeted with a big smile as she finally reached his table.

“So, no joke,” he continued, not having heard her, “The next day I—”

“Jim. . .” his friend interrupted him, looking pointedly at Marianne.

Willoughby turned to see who it was and froze. When his eyes rested upon Marianne’s angelic face a softness so gentle altered his features before quickly being replaced with guilt and pain. “Marianne. . .” he spoke tenderly.

Hearing the warmth in Willoughby’s tone, the woman next to him pulled away and looked at him with annoyance. Hot to avoid his date’s full displeasure, Willoughby immediately masked his face with indifference.

“Have you received any of my emails?” Marianne asked, now that she had his full attention.

Willoughby glanced uncomfortably to the rest of the guests around the table. “Yes, I received your messages,” he said cautiously, careful to answer without any trace of emotion.

Marianne looked confused and hurt, searching his face for any hint of the affection he used to hold for her.
Then why hadn’t he answered them
? “Jim, what’s the matter?” she pursued with a trembling voice, “Why haven’t you called me?”

No longer content with watching the descent of her sister’s hopes from a distance, Ellie came up beside Marianne. Hesitating, Willoughby avoided the sisters’ gazes by glancing about the ballroom. The band had begun playing a new tune, initiating the wave of couples now making their way to the dance floor. Instead of answering Marianne’s question, Willoughby looked pointedly at the woman sitting beside him and took her hand. “You’ll have to excuse . . . us,” he said, unable to look at Marianne as he proceeded to the dance floor with his date.

It was only then that Marianne caught sight of the diamond band resting on the girl’s ring finger. She didn’t say a word as she turned to watch the two slide into each others arms and start moving to the music together—yet her
face spoke volumes. Willoughby’s betrayal now complete, Marianne’s body went cold and her face turned ashen as her heart shattered into a million pieces.

Arriving that very moment, Brandon entered the ballroom. He looked especially debonair in his black tuxedo, and he caught the eye of many a woman while scanning the crowd for Mrs. Jennings’s party. Spotting Charlotte attempting to flag him over, Brandon proceeded to their table.

“Brandon!” Mrs. Jennings declared, mouth full of the succulent dessert. She dabbed her lips with her napkin and swallowed before continuing, “Mr. Middleton told me you were still in New York.”

Brandon returned her greeting, but his attention was diverted upon noticing that Marianne was not seated at the table. “Aren’t Marianne and Ellie with you?” he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

Mrs. Jennings turned and glanced back at the sisters. Brandon followed her gaze. Spotting them, his heart tightened at the sight of Marianne’s face as she stared out onto the dance floor. Her ghostly expression prompted Brandon to scan the dancers. Sure enough, he caught sight of Willoughby.

Back at Willoughby’s table, Ellie tried to urge Marianne away from the scene. “Let’s go back to our seats, Marianne,” she began softly. Not only were the guests at Willoughby’s table now staring incredulously at Marianne, but so were numerous other observant party-goers around them.

“Force him to come to me, Ellie,” Marianne replied in a desperate whisper, her anguish gnawing at her sister’s heart.

“Marianne—” Ellie’s concerned voice grew sharp as she watched her sister begin to sway. But just before Marianne collapsed onto the ground, Brandon came up from behind and caught her in his strong arms. Ellie, surprised by his arrival, turned to him with relief.