A Modern Day Persuasion

by Kaitlin Saunders

  An Adaptation of Jane Austen’s Classic

  by Kaitlin Saunders

  Copyright © 2010 Kaitlin Saunders

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1439261172

  ISBN-13: 9781439261170

  E-Book ISBN: 978-1-61397-265-6

  LCCN: 2009910582

  This book is dedicated to

  my mother, who always believed in

  me and introduced me to my first love,

  the works of Jane Austen.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  March 19, 2001

  The world was over for seventeen year old Anne Elliot. With tears streaming down her face, she lay crying on her bed, clutching a pillow which was now drenched with tears. Anne’s beautifully appointed bedroom, which normally was a treasured haven, now seemed more like a prison than a place of rest, a place holding her captive from the man she loved. Glancing up, Anne spotted her godmother Carol Russell, her mother’s most trusted friend, looking beseechingly at her. Carol was unsuccessfully trying to make Anne understand that this decision was in her best interest. Usually, time spent with Carol brought a feeling of security and a sense of well being to Anne. When Anne’s mother died, Carol assumed the role of surrogate mother, loving Anne as she would her own daughter. Now reaching out to Anne with empathy, Carol attempted to hug the distraught and weeping girl, but the gesture was quickly rejected. Carol’s comforting embrace this time held no solace for Anne. How could the arms of a friend ever compare to the embrace of one’s soul mate? Still, Carol did her best to placate the heartbroken Anne, despite the rejection.

  Anne recognized the hurt in Carol’s eyes. She hated that she was treating Carol this way, knowing full well that her actions were causing pain to the older woman. Even in Anne’s torturous agony, Anne still had compassion for others, a character trait that her own mother, Emma Elliot, had treasured in her daughter. She used to tell Anne she could have been the ‘poster child’ of every parent’s dreams: effortless to raise, ready to please, and consistently obedient to a fault. But at this moment Anne did not appreciate these qualities in herself. Her eagerness to please now could only be viewed as a curse!

  Neither her father nor Carol had approved of Rick, a handsome young man of 20, whom Anne had met the summer before. She remembered the day vividly. Her older sister Elizabeth had cajoled her into a game of tennis at the country club, attended by only the rich and privileged. Afterwards, Anne wanted to celebrate her win with a cooling dip in the pool. Her sister readily agreed but for a different reason. Elizabeth was eager to meet the new lifeguard she had heard so much about. Rumors were circulating that he was quite easy on the eyes. As she watched Elizabeth smother her lips in gloss, Anne could not understand her sister’s fixation with boys. The guys Elizabeth had brought home seemed obnoxious and really stuck on themselves. This lifeguard probably wasn’t any different. After successfully coaxing her sister away from the mirror, Anne headed out to the pool, eager for a refreshing swim. Turning to ask Elizabeth a question, she realized that her flighty sister had already disappeared. Sweeping the area, Anne quickly spied Elizabeth making a beeline for the Lifeguard station. Aggravated, Anne rolled her eyes in frustration, exasperated at all the havoc this one guy was causing.

  Gazing up to the lifeguard stand, Anne decided to see what all the hype was about. There, before her, sat a tall, suntanned young man with piercing blue eyes and a magnificently built frame. Although handsome, his features weren’t perfect by any means, having a bit too much of a Roman nose. Still, there was something about his appearance which struck Anne to the core. To her embarrassment, Anne realized she too was gawking at his sheer manliness. The reversed phrase ‘Me Jane, You Tarzan’ popped into her head. Blinking her eyes to get a grip on reality, she chided herself and began to laugh at her silliness. Determined not to give this guy a bigger head than he must already have, she purposely decided to ignore him. Wrenching her eyes away, she tossed off her flip-flops and sunglasses to quickly execute what she hoped would be a perfect dive into the pool. However, in her hurry to ‘ignore’ the new lifeguard, she inadvertently tripped over a pile of stacked ropes used to divide pool sections. To her horror, she found herself hitting the water with a painful belly flop.

  If that had been the worst of it, only her ego and stomach would have been bruised. But unfortunately, Anne discovered that both an ankle and her right arm were entangled in the ropes. Her frantic struggle to free herself only caused further entrapment. Instinctually, she panicked, yelling out for help. Within seconds, Anne found herself being rescued by Rick Wentworth, the new lifeguard, a young man who, at that moment, became her ‘knight-in-shining-armor’. She took one look into his concerned face and knew he had captured her heart. Later, Elizabeth accused her of tripping on purpose, which Anne vehemently denied. No, thought Anne pensively, she was certain it could only have been fate.

  But now fate was causing Anne to do ‘the right thing’ and please her elders rather than herself. It only took one disapproving glance from either Carol or her father to make her capitulate rather than witness their displeasure. Anne feared that if she did not follow their advice to the letter, it would surely ruin her life…and Anne was never one to take risks.

  Now, here was Carol telling the agitated and distressed Anne the right choice had been made. Was it only hours ago that her father had found Anne packing her suitcase? Carol had rushed over when Walter Elliot placed his desperate call for help, telling Carol an ‘emergency’ situation had sprung up. What her father assumed was a silly crush had ended in a marriage proposal! Her father considered Rick beneath them socially. This alone made the young man entirely unsuitable for an ‘Elliot’. After all, Rick was not fortunate enough to have been born into an affluent family and had no hopes of receiving any kind of inheritance. To Walter, these facts made it clear Rick was a worthless nobody and certainly not an eligible suitor for Anne. Mr. Elliot further assumed that Rick was most likely working at the club with the ambition to get his hands on some heiress’ money. Walter was adamant it would not be his daughter who fell victim, and Mrs. Russell was in complete agreement. Carol equally had been sure the summer romance would fizzle out. Although she had noticed Anne’s slight blushes and increased visits to the fitness club, Carol felt the relationship would only be a passing fancy, especially for Rick, considering the many girls who were determined to supplant Anne. Carol was confident the novelty of Anne’s hero worship would
soon wear off and one of the more mature beauties at the club would replace the innocent Anne in his affections. Although Carol realized Anne would be crushed, in the end, it would be a good lesson for her. Anne was much too young to get involved and had far too much potential to be saddled to a loser. With all Anne had going for her, Carol knew that if steered in the right direction, she could quickly climb the ladder of success. The idea of Anne settling down with a mere boy who could offer her god-daughter nothing gave Carol nightmares. With Rick, the best Anne could hope for was a house full of children and a good-for-nothing husband barely putting food on the table. Most likely, Anne would have to work outside the home just to make ends meet. The thought caused Carol to shudder. Anne was far too precious to Carol for her to just sit back and allow this to happen. No, what Anne needed now was some good old-fashioned common sense and a healthy dose of reality! Carol felt it was her duty to persuade Anne out of this foolishness. Considering the promise Carol had made to Anne’s mother only a few years earlier, she had no other option than to stop Anne from ruining her life. Of course, heartache would follow, but with time that would pass. Besides, Carol would be there to comfort Anne until a more suitable man came into Anne’s life—a man from a socially upstanding family who could provide Anne with all the things she was accustomed to.

  Anne, however, did not share this opinion. She felt more than ready to begin a life with Rick. What was money when they had love? Rick was a hard worker, and with her beside him, Anne felt certain they would conquer the world. But despite all of Anne’s well-rehearsed appeals, neither her father nor Carol would budge. Steadfastly, they held to the conviction that Rick was simply using her to gain access to the Elliot fortune. When they said as much to Rick’s face, he blew up with anger, telling them in forceful terms that he could care less about their disgusting money. He only wanted Anne.

  It was then that her father made a proposition. Allow Anne to graduate from college first, and then he would reconsider Rick’s proposal.

  “That’s at least four years!” gasped Rick.

  With pleading eyes, Rick told Anne to make a choice… either him or college. She hesitated, torn. Surely, she could please both her father and Rick? If she chose college, perhaps Rick would be willing to wait? But Rick wasn’t waiting. When he saw Anne’s indecision, Rick turned on his heels, slamming the door behind him. With numbing shock, she watched him exit, feeling as if her very heart had been ripped from her body. How can accepting the advice of my father and Carol rather than following my heart feel so wrong?

  The sound of a vehicle starting in the driveway disrupted Anne’s thoughts. She rushed to the window, feeling certain that with Rick leaving, so was her future. Looking towards the street with her vision clouded by tears, Anne still managed to watch Rick as he backed his old, rusty truck out of her father’s driveway. She pounded on the window as hard as she could, yelling for Rick to stay—but he couldn’t hear her.

  Mrs. Russell pulled her away from the window. “Anne, stop this!” implored Carol. Devastated, Anne collapsed onto the bed with even more heart wrenching sobs.

  Rick sat in his truck, taking one last longing look at Anne’s room. Not seeing her, he squealed off into the night…bitterness filling his veins.

  Over seven years later…

  “Anne, are you listening?” Carol stared at the pleasant faced young woman currently engaged in daydreaming. The two were in the middle of a consultation in Carol’s upscale office to critique Anne’s latest card designs.

  Carol’s suite was clean and orderly. Her spacious and impressive mahogany desk held an opened laptop where photo’s of the Elliot family could be seen. The walls of Carol’s office were filled with modern artwork created by local artists and on either side of the room were stunning floor to ceiling windows which showcased beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon. Both women sat at a gorgeous coffee table made from a huge redwood having a diameter of over 30 inches. On its smooth lacquered surface lay a multitude of Anne’s card designs, along with price perspectives in addition to Carol’s handwritten notes.

  Anne, now 25, had a sweet demeanor about her, being blessed with a smile that showed her gentle heart. She had soft features and long, silky, deep brown hair which she usually pulled back into a bun. Her eyes, a vivid shade of olive green, were big and expressive, but their impact was diminished by a deep sadness harboring within. Her beauty was quiet and reminded Carol of a flower just waiting to blossom if only love would awaken its heart. Anne was not flashy or commercialized…she was just…Anne. Strangers often thought she had been trained in ballet, as Anne’s posture was impeccable and she held herself in such a graceful manner. Carol often remarked of the resemblance between Anne and her mother, something which pleased her god-daughter.

  “Sorry,” said Anne, blushing as she shuffled through the designs to disguise being caught in a moment of reflection.

  Anne found her passion in creating quaint greeting cards which Carol sold in the teashop she owned in downtown Portland. Anne’s latest line was dubbed ‘Words from the Heart’ which featured calligraphy and hand drawn designs. Her other successful creations included picturesque home greeting cards, vibrant pressed flowers and dresses cut from assorted chic fabrics.

  “What were you thinking about?” inquired Carol. As much as Carol liked the new designs, she was more curious to find out why Anne seemed so distracted.

  Anne stopped, trying to decide whether to tell Carol what was truly on her mind. Anne did not always agree with Carol’s advice, but she knew that whatever wisdom Carol imparted would be seasoned with genuine love. Her godmother had always sought only the best for her, so Anne decided to take a chance, asking, “Do you ever wish that things had turned out differently? I mean, life-wise?”

  Carol continued to make notes on Anne’s designs. “Certainly. I wish my husband had not died. I wish many things. But dear…we can’t live in the past.”

  Anne looked down in sadness, “But, do you regret some of the decisions you’ve made? Do you ever think about what might have been?”

  “I…” Carol paused, giving Anne her full attention now. She knew Anne well enough to sense this was not a general question.

  Taking time to study Anne, Carol saw before her an accomplished young woman full of creative talent. A graduate from Willamette University at the top of her class with a Bachelor’s in Business, Anne had unlimited promise. Too much so to be dredging up the past and living with regrets. If her suspicions were right, Carol knew what Anne was referring to. “Please, tell me this is not what I think it is—”

  “Yes,” Anne interjected with slight defiance, “I can’t help but believe if I had only married Rick we would have been happy together.”

  “But there’s no certainty in that, dear,” Carol said calmly. “When he proposed, you still had two months of high school to complete and had recently been awarded the scholarship to Willamette. What did Rick have? Just a high school diploma and no career to speak of. Most likely you would have needed to drop out of school to help make ends meet and—”

  “But if we were in love…” interrupted Anne.

  Carol paused and looked tenderly at Anne, “Sweetheart, love doesn’t pay the bills. Besides, if he’d really been in love, Rick would have stuck around to gain your dad’s approval, even if it took years. He also wouldn’t have left you hanging all this time with not even a word, now would he?”

  The words cut deep and Carol regretted speaking so bluntly. Carol lovingly pressed her hand sympathetically on Anne’s in an attempt to soften the painful truth. Even though Anne did her best to mask her anguish, the wounds inflicted that cold March day seven long years ago were still with Anne as if it were yesterday, and hearing what Carol just said made the agony cut deeper.

  “Come on, you have so much on the ball now, you certainly don’t need to be pining away for some immature boy who had no future. It’s time to move on and let things lie in the past. I’m sure Rick has.” Anne forced a fake smile and nodded, sati
sfying Carol who was ready to get back to business. “Now, about this design. It’s particularly good. I was thinking I’ll send this off to my friend at Hallmark today.”

  Chapter 1

  Anne reveled in weekends like this, having the house all to herself. Her father and older sister Elizabeth were out of town touring Napa Valley, and they weren’t expected to return until Monday. Turning on her stereo, Anne allowed the music to swell loudly throughout the house, simply enjoying the freedom to do so. She sighed with contentment as she sat in the refuge of her bedroom composing a letter.

  She loved her room with its comfy full bed blanketed by a hand-made quilt. Sitting at a small desk situated in front of a window, Anne peered out to appreciate the beautiful gardens below. Opening the window slightly, a fresh aroma of Daphne Odora encompassed her nostrils as she breathed in the delicate scent. Scanning her cherished haven, she noted the tall bookcase holding some of her most treasured books. On its shelves sat the works of great authors such as Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens, and Beatrix Potter—all of which were Anne’s favorites. Anne kept her room tidy, just like her life. It was her personal sanctuary, a place where, regardless whether others were home, she could find peace and solace. Her soft and inviting bed was perfectly situated next to a large bay window that overlooked the family’s stately landscaped drive. Her room was spacious, well organized and perpetually smelled of freshly laundered sheets with a hint of lavender. To Anne’s delight and joy, her room held a small cove area situated in the corner next to the walk-in closet. In its recesses, Anne found she could reveal her most deep and secret thoughts onto paper. It was also where the inspiration for the majority of Anne’s card designs were created. Anne loved to curl up in the cushions with a good book or sit at her desk to keep up with correspondence. Her mother had helped Anne decorate this room just before becoming ill. The theme was pink and full of princesses. That was over ten years ago and even though Anne had outgrown such things, she didn’t have the heart to change a single detail because it reminded Anne too much of her mother. This room was Anne’s last connection to the woman who had so influenced her life. Sadly, her father had removed all other traces of Emma throughout the rest of the home. He did so to protect himself. It was his way of coping with the pain, as he too, had loved her mother very deeply. Seeing things which reminded him of Emma simply hurt him too much.