by Carol Ashby
“You promised her to Quintus Sabinus. Of course she doesn’t want to marry him. He’s an evil, violent man who will beat her and maybe kill her, just like he did dear, sweet Augusta. You know that. How could you sell your sister to that monster even for 50,000 denarii?”
“You’ve never had to talk to him. Do you have any idea what kind of power he wields in Rome? He made it very clear that I can’t refuse his offer.”
“Of course you can. You’re Claudius Drusus, not some servile freedman. How can you do this to your sister? Are you a man or what? A real man wouldn’t sell his sister for any amount of money just because he’s afraid. Would you sell your own daughter? No. And you shouldn’t sell your sister.”
“For that kind of money from a man who’s made it perfectly clear it could prove fatal to refuse him, yes, I'd sell Drusilla. I'd sell you, too.”
His words should have shocked her, but they didn’t. In her heart, she knew they were true.
“If you were even half the man your father was, you’d stand up to him and stop this.”
Lucius’s brows slammed down as his fist struck the table. He shot to his feet.
Cornelia swallowed hard, but she rested her hand on her own throat and raised her chin to conceal that from Lucius. The comparison with his father may have been one step too far.
“That’s enough. This marriage is going to happen no matter what you or Claudia say. I won’t cross a man who could crush us if he chooses. He’d even enjoy doing it.”
Cornelia faced her husband with her fists on her hips and eyes flashing with anger. His greed, his cowardice, his failure as a brother and husband―how could a son of Publius have turned out like this?
Disgust and condemnation burned in Cornelia’s eyes. That ignited flames in Lucius’s eyes as he read her revulsion. He was now paterfamilias. He might expect the respect due the head of the family, but she would never give it to a worm like him.
“Enough! You will not speak to me about this again. Go back to the villa. You can teach Claudia her duties to her husband just before the marriage. You seem to forget that obedience and respect are your first duties to me. I have plans with another woman this evening, and I want you gone before she arrives. I’ll send for you if I ever want you.”
“Don’t bother. I won’t come merely because you summon me.”
She squared her shoulders and tipped her head to look down her nose at him, even though he was several inches taller. “I leave gladly, Lucius. The sight of a man who could betray his father and sell his sister sickens me.”
With head held high, she made an elegant turn and walked out of the room.
Cornelia paused outside the door to Claudia’s room, but she couldn’t make herself enter. It had gone even worse than she expected, and she hadn’t the courage to tell Claudia it was even more hopeless than the poor girl already believed.
Her face was an emotionless mask as she passed through the peristyle and into the stable yard where her litter waited. With confident grace, she sat and swung her legs in. As the slaves placed their shoulders under the poles and lifted, she let down the curtains. Then she buried her face in her hands. Her body shook in silence as she wept hot, bitter tears: tears for Claudia, tears for Publius, and tears for the wreck of a marriage she was trapped in herself.
Chapter 14: A True Friend
Too often when Malleolus passed Claudia’s bedchamber, her hiccupping sobs were like hammer blows to his heart. Lucius kept complaining about her endless tears. It was time to help her stop.
As he approached, sobs turned to silence. When he entered her room, she was sitting at her dressing table with her back toward him. No sound, but the small jerks of her shoulders revealed her weeping.
In the polished brass mirror, he saw what she held in her hands. She drew a finger along the blade of a small dagger. She turned it in her hands, and then...she turned it toward her breast and raised in into position.
“Claudia!”
She twisted to face him, but she didn’t lower the dagger.
Malleolus strode to her side and seized her wrist. “You mustn’t do this.”
With his free hand, he loosened her grip on the dagger and dropped it on the floor.
The anguish in her eyes matched the quaver in her voice. “But Lucius is going to marry me to that horrible Sabinus. He’s older than Father, and I’ve heard such terrible things about him. Aemilia said he beat his last wife to death. I’d rather die by my own hand than marry him.”
Tears dribbled down her cheeks. “Lucius had Father murdered just so he could do whatever he wanted. I can’t bear to live here with him, either.”
Malleolus enfolded his precious mistress in his arms. She clung to him as silent sobs shook her body.
What was he to do? She had been Publius’s greatest treasure, and he loved her as much as her father had. To see her in such pain...it was almost more than he could bear.
“Don’t do this, Claudia. It’s the last thing your father would have wanted.”
Claudia fought to get her tears under control as she gazed up at him. “But I’d rather die than be Sabinus’s wife. There’s nothing left worth living for.”
Malleolus saw more than grief in her anguished eyes. He saw despair. Then it hit him.
He spoke his next question very softly; he wasn’t sure where Graecia was. “What if I could keep you from having to marry Sabinus?”
Her eyes widened. “How is that possible? Lucius is the only one who can change that, and he’s giving me to Sabinus to punish me for what I said about him murdering Father. He’ll never change his mind.”
Malleolus knelt before her and took both her hands. He lowered his voice to a whisper in case unfriendly ears might be listening. “I wasn’t planning on Lucius changing his mind. What if I could sneak you out of Rome and send you to Titus in Thracia? Would you go?”
Titus still had five years to complete his mandatory ten-year military service. He was permanently assigned to the palace detail in the capital city of Thracia, so he would have regular lodging and not have to travel. If Malleolus could only get her there, Titus should be able to have her live with him.
Claudia’s face brightened. “Can you? I know Titus would welcome me, but I have no idea how I could get there safely. It’s so far, and I’ve read how dangerous travel in the eastern provinces can be. I’ve never been farther from here than the eastern estate.” The fleeting look of hope began to fade.
“I know of someone who might help us. Promise me you won’t do anything foolish before I see whether I can get you to Titus.”
She forced a shaky smile. “I promise. Do whatever it takes to get me out of here. If anyone can save me from Lucius and Sabinus, it’s you.”
“Say nothing to anyone. Even Graecia. The walls have ears, and Lucius mustn’t suspect what we’re planning.”
She glanced around the room as she nodded.
He rose and walked to the door, but he turned in the doorway to look back at her. Hope shone in her eyes as her tentative smile brightened them. Somehow, he must find a way to rescue Publius’s treasure...and his own.
When Malleolus told the door slave he was going to the eastern estate, the slave simply replied, “Yes, steward.” Malleolus often took care of business where Lucius’s wife and family lived. He didn’t mention the extra stop he would make on the way.
What good fortune that he’d asked Publius where his newest close friend who owned merchant ships lived. To reach Lucius’s villa, he passed through the city wall at the Porta Esquilinas, so he knew exactly where the Gardens of Maecenas were. It was simple to find the house of Aristarchus of Thessalonica just south of the Gardens.
Simple to find, but not what he expected. It was in a good neighborhood on the eastern end of the Oppian Hill, but it was modest in size and devoid of any ornamentation that might lend it distinction. If this Aristarchus truly was a man of great wealth with a merchant fleet and estates all over the eastern
Empire, why didn’t he live in an opulent town house or a luxurious villa outside the city?
But Malleolus knew of no other friend who might help, so the Greek merchant, whatever his true situation, was his only hope. He drew a deep breath and knocked.
A small window in the heavy door opened. “Yes?”
“The steward of Publius Claudius Drusus needs to speak with Aristarchus of Thessalonica. It’s a matter of great urgency.”
The door swung open, and the doorkeeper motioned Malleolus to enter. Then he closed and bolted the door. “Follow me, please, and I will see if my master can speak with you now.”
He led Malleolus into a small room off the atrium. “Wait here, please.”
Malleolus paced as he waited. Sooner than he expected, a large bearded man of about fifty entered with a welcoming smile on his face.
“I am Aristarchus. What is this urgent matter for my brother Publius?”
Malleolus kept his eyebrows down, but for this Greek to refer to Publius as brother was surprising. And also promising. He wasn’t quite sure how to make his request to this total stranger, but Claudia’s survival hung on whether the merchant would help his dead “brother.”
“My master told me you were one of his close friends, so I have come to beg a great favor from you.” He swallowed hard before proceeding. It still hurt to speak of what had happened. “Publius has been killed in the arena for refusing to sacrifice to Caesar and deny his Christian faith. His daughter Claudia is now in great danger if you can’t help her.”
The smile vanished, replaced by an expression both sad and serious.
“I am grieved to hear Publius has been killed. Tell me what the problem is and how you think I can help solve it. I will do what I can.”
Relief flooded Malleolus. He’d been afraid this man he first heard of three weeks ago wasn’t a close enough friend to help, in spite of what Publius said.
“It’s a shameful thing that has led to my master’s death and his daughter’s desperate need. His oldest son, Lucius, was the one who betrayed him to the authorities. He did it so Publius would be executed and he could become head of the family, free of his father’s control. Claudia accused Lucius of murdering their father, and he decided to punish her by marrying her to Flavius Sabinus, who offered 50,000 denarii for her. Sabinus is a cruel man who wants her only because she’s so beautiful. Claudia was about to take her own life to avoid the marriage when I stopped her. It was only by promising to get her to her brother Titus that I was able to convince her not to kill herself this morning.”
Malleolus paused before asking the question that would be the true test of the friendship his master claimed to have with the Greek merchant.
“Lucius must not know that she’s gone to Titus, or he’ll try to get her back and force her to marry Sabinus for the money. I have some money, but not enough to get her safely to her brother in Thracia. He’s a tribune posted to the governor’s palace in Perinthus. He said he didn’t need an allowance, so he hasn’t been getting one. He has only his officer’s pay, and all he would have inherited from his father has been given to Lucius instead. He might not have enough money to pay back whoever might bring her to him.”
Aristarchus waved his hand before Malleolus could even ask the final question. “That is not a problem. I will gladly take care of everything. In fact, I know the perfect way to get her to her brother without Lucius ever knowing what has happened to her. However, she would have to leave immediately and leave almost everything behind.”
“I’m sure she would be willing to do both.”
“Good. It is best that you not know exactly what is to be done. Then you should be safe from Lucius suspecting your part in the affair. Does Claudia often go to the Baths of Titus or Trajan?”
“Yes, to the Baths of Titus.”
Aristarchus rubbed the back of his neck. “She must be there in two days right after the baths open. She can bring one small box, like she might normally take to the baths. It must be light enough for a woman to carry by herself. She should plan on walking several miles. A woman will meet her in the women’s dressing area just inside the entrance. She will identify herself to Claudia with her father’s name.
He stroked his beard. “Claudia must find some excuse to send her maid away before she undresses. The woman will contact her as soon as her maid leaves. She will take Claudia to the one who will transport her to Thracia. She will never come to this house, so there will be no way for Lucius to know I have played a part in her escape. He might figure out what has happened to her if he knew about me.”
Malleolus’s whole body relaxed. “What you propose sounds so simple.”
Aristarchus placed a hand on his shoulder. “I will leave all the difficult details to the best strategic mind I have ever known. I expect no difficulty in rescuing Claudia from her evil brother and delivering her to the good one. Now, can you give me a good description of your mistress so the woman meeting her can recognize her?”
“Claudia Drusilla is about chin-high on you. Her hair is naturally blonde with a reddish tint. The color is quite unusual. She has large brown eyes with very long lashes.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Aristarchus’s mouth. “Publius told me his daughter is unusually beautiful, but to every father, his daughter seems the most beautiful woman alive. Is it so?”
“To call her unusually beautiful doesn’t do her justice. Many would call her the most beautiful young woman in Rome. The Roman ideals of beauty come to life in both her face and figure, and Publius turned down ten marriage requests from some of the finest families in Rome. Yes, I would call her an extraordinary beauty in every way.”
“I think the reddish-blonde hair and brown eyes will be enough for her contact to find a famous beauty. Now the plan. I will know nothing of the details of the escape myself. I have already told you what is needed to start her escape, and that is all you will know. You should do everything you can to find her, as if she had run off on her own. That way Lucius will not blame you for her disappearance.”
The half-smile broadened into a full one. “I will entrust all the planning and execution to a brilliant man who will spare no effort to make certain Publius’s daughter reaches her brother in Perinthus. I can guarantee that the plans of the man in charge of her escape will be clever enough to prevent any discovery, no matter how hard you search.”
Aristarchus planned to hand the entire affair over to Philip. His son would devise some clever way to get her out of Rome so she could not be traced and forced to return. He would even relish the opportunity to conceive and execute the rescue of the poor girl.
“I can’t thank you enough for your kindness to Claudia...and to me. I’ve served Publius since before she was born, and she is...was his greatest treasure.” Malleolus tightened his lips, but his eyes moistened anyway.
Aristarchus placed his hand on Malleolus’s shoulder and gently squeezed. “You need not worry any more. I will get your precious Claudia safely delivered to her good brother. You need only to return home and have her prepare for her escape. Be sure to have her at the Baths of Titus with her single small box right after they open in two days. Leave the rest to me.”
Aristarchus guided Malleolus back to the door himself and opened it after looking out the small window to be certain no one was watching. He patted the steward on the back as he prepared to walk out the door.
“You can rest assured that you have entrusted your Claudia to the best man possible. She will be with her brother very soon.”
Aristarchus closed and bolted the door after Malleolus left. Yes, she would be in the best possible hands with Philip, and Aristarchus would be praying for the poor child who was broken-hearted over the death of her father. She did not follow Jesus, so she had no way of knowing that her father had not really died at all.
Chapter 15: Reason to Hope
When Malleolus returned, Claudia was pacing in her room.
“May I speak with you
, mistress?”
She took his hands. For the first time since her father was killed, hope lit her eyes. “You were gone so long. I was afraid...”
“I went to the eastern estate as well in case Lucius asks where I went.”
“Will he help?”
Malleolus scanned the room to make sure no one was listening. Graecia might be more loyal to Lucius than to her mistress.
“The day after tomorrow, you’ll go early to the Baths of Titus. You must be at the women’s bath as soon as possible after it opens. You can take one small box. It must be light enough for you to carry by yourself. When you get there, you need to stay in the women’s dressing area just inside the entrance, but do not get undressed.
“You must send Graecia away, maybe to fetch something you would use at the baths, something special so she has to come home to get it. A woman will approach you right after you send Graecia away. She will identify herself using your father’s name. Graecia must be gone long enough for the woman to take you away without her seeing you leave. She will lead you to the man who will get you to Titus.”
“Who will she be taking me to and how will he get me to Titus?”
“For your safe escape and for my safety after you’ve gone, you won’t know before you meet her, and I will never know.”
“But can we trust these people?”
“I watched his eyes as I told him about your father. I saw sadness when he heard. I think we can trust him. He had no doubt that the man who will plan your escape can get you safely away from here and take you to Titus.”
She fingered a strand of her long, flowing hair. “I can’t marry Sabinus, and I can’t stand staying with Lucius even one more day, but how can I decide to do this when I don’t know anything about what I’ll be doing?”
Claudia hugged herself as she rocked a little. “I really have no choice, do I, Malleolus?” She spoke her decision in a trembling voice, afraid to stay, afraid to go.