Page 4 of Dancing With Redemption

“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.