Roxie’s words trailed off, knowing she was spilling private information to a virtual stranger. She wasn’t normally this open, but Olivia exuded comfort like a warm home on a cold night. Roxie blinked the last of the tears away and smiled with a confidence she didn’t feel.
“That’s terrible, I’m so sorry to hear that.” The tranquility in Olivia’s voice soothed Roxie’s rattled and bruised nerves. “I remember George mentioning something about that when we were out on a drive one night. You’re the girl who disappeared?”
Roxie’s eyebrows lifted, astonished that Mr. Bennet remembered her and had spoken about her. He’d always been nice to her, but that he’d even thought about her told her he’d cared more than she thought. Knowing that warmed her heart and made her glad she’d come back.
“I am, yes. It’s complicated, but I had my reasons. That’s why I came back, I’m at a point in my life where I need answers, and the only place I’ll get them is here.” Roxie shrugged, her words trailing off as she tried to decide what else she could say without making Olivia uncomfortable.
Roxie liked the older woman in a way she hadn’t experienced before. Trusting people hadn’t come easy to her since her parents’ deaths, but Olivia was different, and Roxie knew that instinctively.
Olivia picked her cup back up and smiled easily at Roxie. “He’ll be really glad you’re back then. And I’m sure he’ll help in any way he can. George is resourceful, after all.”
“He always was,” Roxie agreed, picking up her glass and settling back into her chair. “He was always so gentle with everyone around him and determined to make sure people were comfortable. I always thought it was because he was a doctor, but doctors now seem more bent on making sure their patients don’t bother them than putting them at ease.”
“George is always a doctor, but that doesn’t make him cold like some of his associates. He’s a different breed, I guess. Surgeons can be arrogant and rude, but he’s the exact opposite.” Olivia smiled a smile that was a mixture of inner peace and pleasure at the thought of the man it was now obvious she loved.
Roxie was glad to see that maybe the older man had found love at long last. Lincoln’s mother was a hard woman to love, but even Roxie had seen that Mr. Bennet had loved her. It was good to know he’d found a woman like Olivia to share his life with. If only Roxie could find that same kind of peace with Lincoln.
No, you aren’t thinking about him right now, she chided herself and put the glass of tea down. “He’s a very kind man.”
That seemed a lame statement, but it was true.
“He is.” Olivia nodded, the conversation was about to become awkward but Olivia inhaled and changed directions. “I have to go out for a little while, but feel free to make yourself at home.”
“Oh, well, maybe I’ll go for a walk then,” Roxie replied with a polite smile, not sure of what else she should say.
Roxie hadn’t expected to be left in the house on her own, but it seemed Olivia had made a judgment that meant the unknown younger woman wouldn’t rob her of her possessions. That was nice too, being trusted like that. Of course, Liam had called ahead so maybe he’d reassured Olivia that Roxie was to be trusted.
Either way, Roxie was at loose ends now with nothing to do. She’d suggested she’d take a walk, so perhaps that’s just what she would do.
“Just leave your glass there, the maid will pick it up. I really do hate to leave you, but I have an appointment I can’t miss. If you need anything, or decide you will be staying the night, just let the maid know and she’ll get you settled. She’s normally in the kitchen at this time of day, but if you can’t find her, just press the top button on the white panel by the front door and it will call her. The door is unlocked, so you’re free to come and go as you please.” Olivia stood up as she spoke, her mind obviously on whatever her next task was. She clasped her hands and focused on Roxie once more. “It’s been really lovely to meet you and I hope you do decide to stay, I know George would be pleased if you did, Chloe.”
That name jarred her again, but Roxie hid it with a bland smile. “Thank you, Olivia, I may just do that. I hope everything goes well with your appointment.”
“Thank you, Chloe. I’ll see you soon.” Olivia gave a slight nod of her head before she headed out of the room.
Roxie sat there, trying to adjust to being called that name again. It wasn’t easy, hearing it like that, even though she knew it was her name and it had been used often lately. Still, that wasn’t who she was now, though that would be hard to explain to those who used to know her.
When the front door closed and a car zoomed away, Roxie got up and looked around the house. She found everything familiar, but somehow different. Time and Olivia had changed most of the decor. Why she’d expected the house to look exactly the same, she couldn’t imagine. Well, it was her imagination that did that, wasn’t it? She’d kept the house the same in her mind all these years, even if she knew things would probably have changed. That’s how the past was, houses, people, places stayed the same, until you visited them all again and found out everything had changed.
Sunlight streaming through the windows drew her outside to walk around the grounds. The pool was still there, even if the furniture around it was changed. Where there used to be teal and purple cushions, there were now colors Roxie would call oatmeal and almond decorating the umbrellas, tables, and chairs. There was even new paint on the pool house, gone was the dark wood stain, now replaced with a light stain that lifted the mood around the place.
A further walk revealed a new stable with six horses inside. Roxie wasn’t sure which of the family members was into horses, but it was obvious one of them was. The horses were topnotch, well-bred animals, judging by their shiny coats and striking features. She didn’t know much about horses, but she did know the difference between a plow horse and a thoroughbred.
Roxie left the stable and headed in a familiar direction, the path that would lead her home. She paused, noting that the birdhouse had been replaced along with the fence. Stone stood in the place of wood and the birdhouse was now a marble griffin. Another sign of time passing, she thought, her fingers tracing over the griffin. It was doubtful Mr. Bennet had any idea how important that birdhouse was to Liam and Roxie, but still, she was sad to see it was gone.
Everything seemed smaller as she walked up the road and turned down the road that would take her to where the house she’d lived in used to be. She hadn’t meant to walk down to the place, her feet had brought her here from muscle memory alone. From her short trip earlier, she knew that the house had been replaced, there was no sign of the old place, really, just that old tree and not much else. She didn’t go into the grounds, she didn’t want to trespass, especially when she could see no real sign that anyone else had ever lived there, no indication that another house was once here, before it burned to the ground.
She wondered if anything at the back of the house was still the same, but didn’t dare cross the driveway to find out. There were no cars up front, but that didn’t mean anything. There might be someone home who would allow her to walk around and seek out signs of what used to be, but sense took over before she could embarrass herself like that.
The lost house was another part of the past that could not be brought back to life. She wanted to continue to look around but decided that she’d had enough for the day. She’d run away from Lincoln, from the future which looked far too bleak, and come back here looking for answers. There were no guarantees she’d get any answers, but she knew she’d never find a clue about what had happened if she kept spending all of her time here waltzing through the past.
That made her smile as she turned from the house and headed back to the Bennet residence. Waltzing through the past indeed. She always had some form of dance on her mind. Even now, when she had nowhere to dance. It wasn’t likely there was a studio here for June, the girl had grown up to become a woman in medical school and then a doctor. Roxie doubted June did very much ballet anymore, if she
did manage to find spare time.
Roxie spoke with the maid when she got back inside the house and asked for a room. When the woman opened the door that used to be Lincoln’s room, Roxie wondered if fate really hated her that much. Still, she thanked the woman for her assistance and threw her bag on the bed.
There wasn’t much in the bag; pajamas, necessities, her handbag, another pair of jeans, and a few shirts, but nothing fancy. She hadn’t planned to stay long, and she hadn’t planned to do much more than visit the police station that had investigated the deaths of her parents and the fire. After that, she didn’t know what else she could do, but she was determined to do something.
There was a television in the room, so she turned it on, found a movie, and watched it while she waited for the family to come home. Liam arrived first, knocking at her door.
“Laura told me she’d put you in here. Is everything alright? Do you need anything?” Liam asked from the door, not coming into the room. He’d always been a gentleman.
“No, I’m fine,” Roxie said and shook her head no. “What are you doing now?”
“I thought I’d have a drink after I change, if you’d like to join me?” Liam asked, his hand still on the doorknob as if to keep him safe from falling into the room.
Roxie couldn’t help the smile that idea gave her, and agreed to a drink. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”
“Of course.” Liam nodded and closed the door softly.
He’d always been gentle and quiet, not loud and boisterous like his friends. That was one of the things that had drawn her attention all those years ago. Fifteen minutes later, Liam knocked at the door, with wet hair and dressed in a black polo shirt and khaki trousers. “Ready?”
“Yes, thank you.” Roxie scooted off the bed to follow him down the stairs and to a sitting room decorated in dark woods and masculine earth tones. This must have been decorated by Liam himself, or by Mr. Bennet.
“Have a seat.” Liam indicated an antique leather sofa while he went to a drinks cabinet. “What will you have?”
“Just some water, please, Liam,” she answered, not interested in alcohol at that moment.
“Are you sure? There’s juice as well,” he offered but she refused it. “Here’s your water then.”
“Thanks. So, you still live here?”
“Yes, sometimes. I have an apartment closer to the hospital, but I like to come back here when I can. There’s no place like home, right?” He grinned at her as he took a seat in a dark leather armchair to her left.
“I suppose. It’s been a long time since I’ve been home.” She smiled weakly and sipped at the glass of water he’d poured her. “I see the fence was replaced with a stone wall. Do you remember the birdhouse that used to be there?”
She wasn’t sure why she asked, whether to prompt his memory about what they used to mean to each other, or just out of curiosity, but the words were out before she could stop them.
“I think so, yes. I’m not sure who put it there or why. We never put birdfeed in it, and I never saw a bird near it. I think it was too exposed for any bird families to move in.” His smile was charming but devoid of any memory associated with letters or the secret words he’d written to her.
No matter, she decided, even if she had kept the last letter he’d written to her. Lincoln had replaced all of the men in her life, as if he’d stamped himself all over her to warn other men away. At least, that’s how she felt when she thought about it. Even if he was done with her, she still felt like she belonged to him, despite how she’d run away.
“Does your wife or girlfriend plan to come to dinner tonight?” She asked him, wondering if there was someone special in his life.
Liam smiled a smile so charming it nearly disarmed before he even spoke. “No, I’m not seeing anyone at the moment. No wife, no boyfriends either, before you ask.”
His wink told her he was teasing her, making her smile with a soft laugh. “Well, things change. I miss how simple and innocent life used to be sometimes, but I wouldn’t be bothered if you had a boyfriend, you know? It wouldn’t shock me, I mean.”
Now she was flubbing again.
“I’m sure it wouldn’t, but no, I like women. In fact, I wish I’d had the courage to tell you how much I liked you before you disappeared, but I never could get the nerve up.” Liam took a drink of his scotch before he put the glass down on a coaster and looked at her.
Roxie frowned, confused. But he had told her, in every letter he wrote to her. Maybe he just meant he regretted not saying it to her face. Oh well, it was all in the past now anyway.
“All water under the bridge, now,” Roxie said finally, knowing that Liam could never replace Lincoln in her heart. It was a pity, but that was just the fact.
3
Roxie
“Oh, dad’s arrived,” Liam said softly, the moment gone already.
Roxie frowned, but then let it go. It was probably best not to dig up her past with him, anyway. She was in love with his brother, jerk that he was, so anything that might have been with Liam was long gone.
“Chloe,” Dr. Bennet breathed out in shock when she walked into the hallway to greet him. “I know the kids said you were here, but I still couldn’t quite believe it. It’s so good to see you.”
Roxie smiled at the man who’d grown older, like everybody else she used to know. His hair was more gray than black now, and there were deep lines around his eyes, where there used to be slight indentations. His eyes were still bright and full of concern, however, and she walked into his open arms with relief.
It felt good to get a hug from him, like she was almost really home again.
“It’s good to see you too, Dr. Bennet,” Roxie said as the hug went on. She didn’t want to let go, she felt so safe, but knew she had to. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been fine, honey. How are you?” His dark brown eyes examined her from head to toe and she was pleased when he didn’t frown at her choice of hair color. “You look great. Healthy.”
“Yes, I stay active with work and the dance classes I teach,” she replied, though she didn’t go into what kind of dance she taught.
“That’s good. Are you staying long?” He nodded his head towards a sofa, and she joined him there.
“I’m not sure yet. I have some questions I need to get answers to, about the, well, the fire that killed my parents.” She held his gaze and saw that he seemed to know that was what she’d say.
“I expected you to show up looking for those answers if you were able to.” He nodded again, his eyes moving to the window. “I bought the property from your father just before his death, did you know that?”
“What?” Roxie looked at the older man with a frown of surprise. “No, I didn’t know that. Why would they sell the house to you? I don’t understand.”
Dr. Bennet took Roxie’s hand with a sigh of sympathy. “Well, since you were accepted into the ballet school in Paris, they decided to relocate there. They wouldn’t have needed the house here…”
His words trailed off as her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. “I was accepted into the ballet school?”
“Yes, they were planning to surprise you with the news, but, well, the fire happened. Then you disappeared. Lincoln and I have been looking for you ever since. You see, I’m also the executor of their wills,” Dr. Bennet paused, gathering his thoughts before he spoke again. “You have an inheritance, you know?”
“No, I didn’t know,” Roxie murmured, her mind whirling in disbelief. Too much information had been dumped in the few sentences he’d spoken to her. “I was accepted into the ballet school?”
She couldn’t help but go back to the one thing that had mattered to her so much back then. It was almost cruel, but she knew her parents had only wanted to surprise her. That knowledge could have changed everything, though. She could have gone off to Paris to live her life, learning French, dating French men, honing her ballet skills. It would have been the perfect place to hide all of these ye
ars.
But then she wouldn’t have her daughter. She wouldn’t have the independence she had now. She wouldn’t know just how strong she was, well, maybe she would have learned all of that, but the fact remained, she had a daughter now that would not have been born if she’d known she’d been accepted into the ballet school in France. She may have still slept with Lincoln that night, but her choices would have been a lot different.
Roxie felt the weight of the world settle on her shoulders and the sensation of being strangled made her reach for her neck.
“Breathe Chloe. Come on, don’t panic on me.” Dr. Bennet gripped her right hand, taking it from her throat to pat it, to bring her back from the edge by focusing on him.
“I can’t breathe,” she garbled out around her tight throat, wanting to wrap her own hand around her neck again.
“You can, honey. In, out. In, out.” He set the rhythm and she followed, trusting him to lead her in the right direction.
“There’s an inheritance?” She asked when she felt almost human again.
“Yes, your parents had some money, a few safe deposit boxes at the bank, and some properties that they did not sell. If you’re careful with it all, you won’t ever have to work again. Of course, I don’t know what’s in the safe deposit boxes, I’ve left them alone, but there may be a lot in them that you’ll want.” Dr. Bennet’s voice tapered off as panic threatened to overwhelm her again.
She didn’t want to accept money that had come about because her parents died, but at the same time…she would be more independent if she didn’t have to work, if she could provide for her daughter without Lincoln’s help. She could get custody of her, buy a nice house, send her to good schools, everything Lincoln could do. They’d be, for the first time since they’d met again, on equal footing.
“Do you remember you have an aunt in Paris?” Dr. Bennet asked, but Roxie shook her head.
“No, not that I remember.” Roxie searched her memory, but couldn’t remember either of her parents having siblings or even aunts and uncles. “Who is she?”
Dancing With Redemption (Barre To Bar Book 5) Page 2
