Rubicon

by Linda Coleman

  Melissa reached for Caesar’s hand to beg him again to believe her. She would say anything to stop him torturing Vitruvius, but she never got the chance. From the door another voice spoke.

  “I would prefer it if you did not! It makes such a bloody mess and the poor bastard has done nothing to deserve it!”

  Antony walked into the room with so much confidence even Caesar was taken aback. Still naked, he walked round the room slowly, surveying every person there, gauging the strength of the opposition. He paused at a side table and toyed with the fruit in the bowl that sat on it. He eventually picked up an apple and took a bite. Melissa did not dare look at him or move. Of all the stupid things he could have done, this had to be the worst.

  Apollodorus stopped playing with Antonius. He gave the boy the coin and rose to his feet, lifting Antonius into his arms. Antonius made no sound of complaint. He was simply fascinated by the magic coin in his hands and turned it over and over, trying to make it vanish.

  Caesar recovered himself first. “Consul Antony, do you not think you are inappropriately dressed to receive a Queen?” He walked over to a chair and sat down.

  “This is my house and I am dressed as I usually am at this time of day. Had I been advised of your visit, I may have made other arrangements, but as it is …” Antony yawned and stretched himself, displaying every muscle in his body to good effect, “… I did not have the time. I am sure that I have nothing her majesty has not seen before.” His last remark was addressed to Cleopatra alone and he had stopped just in front of her, facing her full on.

  Cleopatra had at first been as surprised as anyone at Antony’s entrance, but she maintained her air of indifference. She had, nevertheless, made a thorough assessment of him. He was younger than Caesar and in much better physical shape − very well proportioned in fact! She found his behaviour reckless, but it was obvious he was not scared of anything or anyone, including Caesar. She was not used to such arrogance being displayed in her presence, but the sheer nerve of the man fascinated her. He must have known that at the snap of her fingers he would be dead. She was a Queen, to be respected and adored, yet he showed no regard for her position. As much as his apparent lack of respect annoyed her, she was intrigued to know what he would do next.

  “No, sir, I agree that you do not,” she replied, “though it must be said that since I have been in Rome I have neither seen it in such quantity nor on such prominent display.” Cleopatra nodded slightly and gave him a half-smile, signifying her approval of his physique. She raised her hand and Antony bent to kiss it, never taking his eyes off hers.

  “Your Royal Highness.” He was oozing charm now, every word spoken as if Cleopatra was the only person in the room who mattered. “I welcome you to my home.” This was the second time he had made a reference to the ownership of the house and he hoped his point was getting across. “I trust that Lissa here has been a decent hostess in my absence. She is not Roman and her manners can appear sharp, even rude, until you get to know her.” Antony had turned and was walking towards Melissa as he spoke. He crossed behind the couch she was sitting on and placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, making her jump.

  “Passable!” Cleopatra gave a curt reply, glaring at Melissa. She returned her attention to Antony and continued in a more seductive tone, playing the same game with him that he was playing with her. “Caesar has told me much about you, though I must admit I am surprised to find myself in your house.” She looked around the plain room again, obviously surprised that a man of Antony’s position would have such a dull residence, but she had acknowledged Antony’s comments. Good, he thought. This was his house on paper, even if Caesar had paid for it, and he could do what he wished in it.

  “Ah, a man of my position has many homes,” He began stroking Melissa’s hair as he continued, “and I do like to make my presence felt in all of them.” Cleopatra’s eyes returned to Antony and she raised an eyebrow. From the way he said the word all she guessed he had been the man in Melissa’s bed. This development would make things interesting. Cleopatra’s gaze shifted to Caesar, but he seemed either not to have picked up the reference or had chosen to ignore it as he sat in silence, glaring at Antony.

  Antony bent over and kissed Melissa on the top of the head. As he did so he whispered to her, “Be ready.” She gave the slightest nod she could in response and tensed her body, ready to move on his signal.

  Antonius was still being held by Cleopatra’s bodyguard. Antony moved towards him. He had to retrieve the boy first or he knew Melissa would kill him herself. The bodyguard was a great hulk of a man, with biceps as thick as Antony’s neck. He looked like he could snap Antonius like a twig. Antony reached out and put his hands under Antonius’ armpits. He pulled slightly, but the other man did not yield. Antony had already gauged his distance from the nearest weapon and was steeling himself to make his move when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Cleopatra had gestured to her servant to release Antonius. The man did so without further resistance, and Antony breathed a sigh of relief as he gathered the boy into his arms.

  “And what about this one?” he turned back to Cleopatra, ruffling the boy’s hair affectionately. “He has not given you any trouble has he?” Antonius wriggled, trying to get free, but thankfully he did not cry out.

  “The boy is charming. He reminds me of my son. They are not too dissimilar in age, though this one is perhaps a year older. His father must be so proud of him.” Cleopatra was fishing. She knew only too well that Antony was the boy’s father from the striking similarities between them, but from her experience of Caesar, she fully expected Antony to deny it.

  “I am,” Antony said calmly. His voice displayed no hint of dishonesty and the lack of a denial of his parental status shocked not only Cleopatra, but Caesar and Melissa as well. The latter spun her head to look at him and for a moment she and Antony stared at each other. It seemed that just when she thought she had figured him out, Antony could surprise her yet again.

  “And what of his mother?” Cleopatra seemed keen to continue the conversation.

  “She died giving birth to him. Lissa takes care of him for me. Someone has to, and my wife will not allow him in her house.” That was it! Melissa realised that by declaring feelings for Antonius, Antony had a bona fide reason for being there without implicating her. Caesar would be livid. She stole a quick glance in his direction. His mouth had twisted tightly and he was biting on his bottom lip, definitely livid, but his anger would be directed at Antony alone. Feelings of relief began to spread over her and she relaxed slightly for the first time that morning.

  Antony continued talking. “Now it is time for his breakfast, so he must leave us. Lissa, would you mind?” Antony walked over to Melissa who stood up, preparing to take Antonius from him. A look of relief passed between them, but, before the exchange was complete, Caesar spoke in a cold, heartless monotone.

  “No, Antony, there is still a matter I need Lissa for. She may not leave us.”

  Panic welled up inside Melissa again. Antony could see the fear in her eyes and shook his head very slightly. He indicated for her to sit back down, which she did. He took Antonius to the door, put him on his feet and pushed him through it to Vitruvius who was anxiously waiting on the other side. Caesar made no objection. Whatever happened next, at least the child was safe.

  Antony returned to the couch. He lay down on it and put his head in Melissa’s lap. Melissa threw a cushion across him to provide a little modesty. He looked up at her and winked. He closed his eyes, sighed and then resumed the conversation. “What is it you need from her at such an early hour?”

  “The question of her ability to foretell the future is in doubt. It must be resolved. It has been suggested that her guard may have defiled her, despite your assurances that he was trustworthy.” Caesar’s annoyance at Antony’s continued display of arrogance was now more than clear in his curt tone.

  Antony took Melissa’s hand in his and gently rubbed it. He placed it on his chest “Doubtful
,” he replied thoughtfully. “The fool definitely has some feelings for her, that much I grant you, but he has not had the opportunity to enter her, nor will he.” Antony turned his head to look at Caesar and then delivered the blow Melissa had dreaded from the outset. “Believe me, there is not enough room in there for both of us.”

  Melissa’s head began to spin and she nearly fainted. It was all she could do to stay sitting upright. Accustomed as she had grown to Roman coarseness in sexual matters, she still cringed at Antony’s vulgarity. What was he doing? He had just admitted to having slept with her.

  Cleopatra gasped with excitement and sat forward on the couch, eagerly waiting for the next exchange. All eyes fell on Caesar, whose face was becoming redder by the second. His hand gripped the side of his chair so tightly that his knuckles whitened under the strain. Melissa was trembling now, terrified of what Caesar would do. Antony had completely humiliated Caesar in that one sentence. He would not get away with it. She only hoped Vitruvius had already taken Antonius away to a safe location.

  “Get out! All of you!” Caesar barked the words while holding on to what little remained of his rapidly disintegrating composure. No one moved. “OUT!” he shouted as he rose to his feet. “GET OUT NOW!” Caesar screamed again and his men finally moved towards the door. At a nod from Cleopatra her bodyguard followed them. The Queen then settled back on her couch. She was enjoying this unexpected entertainment and had no intention of leaving just as it was becoming so interesting.

  Caesar had been adjusting his toga whilst the room was emptying; concentrating on something trivial was a way for him to regain his self-control. He turned to Cleopatra and spoke with a familiarity that was unusual for him. “My dear, I would be grateful if you would leave us. What I now have to discuss with my fellow consul is a private matter pertaining to the security of Rome. It would be inappropriate for me to continue in your presence.”

  Cleopatra pouted like a child. She did not like taking orders from anyone, including Caesar. She stood up, her fists clenched at her sides. For a moment Melissa thought she was going to argue, but then her expression changed. She smiled graciously and replied with equal familiarity, although to Melissa her tone sounded less than sincere. “Of course, my love, what pleases Caesar pleases me also.” She turned to Antony and her eyes wandered along the entire length of his body before she spoke. “Farewell, sir. I do hope I will be seeing more of you.” The way Cleopatra emphasised the word ‘you’ left little doubt of her meaning. She offered her hand to Antony once again. He sat up swiftly and obligingly kissed the back of it. Cleopatra turned on her heel and left without a second glance at Melissa.

  An uneasy silence descended after Cleopatra’s departure. One of them had to speak to end the deadlock. Antony sighed. “Interesting woman,” he said and gently slapped Melissa on the thigh.

  Caesar stared at him momentarily, then began to pace the room, back and forth from one side to the other. “Here we go,” Antony said under his breath, making Caesar stop dead. He was so calm when he spoke that it made the hairs on the back of Melissa’s neck stand on end.

  “Explain to me, if you will, why it is that each time I give you an opportunity for advancement you choose to abuse my trust? What gives you the right to ignore my express instructions time and time again? I have given you the most important tasks, shared with you my most intimate secrets. I have even regarded you as I would a son at times, favouring you when I should not and forgiving your many shortcomings. You have ruled in my stead and yet to be second to Caesar is not enough for you. It seems you wish to take those things which I value most in an attempt to humiliate me. On the subject of Lissa I was more than clear. I could not keep the two women because to do so would have done untold damage to my reputation, so I entrusted their safety to your keeping. You had no reputation to damage and were paid exceptionally well to act as my agent in this.” Melissa looked at Antony, her mouth wide open. All these years she had been living frugally on the little money Antony provided when he had apparently been given a small fortune.

  Caesar continued. “When you took the younger one, it was only to be expected. I knew you would not be able to refrain from helping yourself to one or the other, and I told you as much. As her alleged ability had not developed, her loss was of little consequence, although I must say I am surprised that you would so openly confess to fathering her child in front of a woman whom you know to be pressing me to make a similar admission. You know that such an outcome is impossible and so your intention must have been to embarrass me and place doubt in the Queen’s mind of my loyalties to her. All of this I can forgive, but what you have done here ...” he gestured at Melissa, “... is beyond contempt. She was not to be touched unless I ordered it. Her gift was of too great a value to me in such uncertain times. For five years I have been blessed with the knowledge of my success in every endeavour. It has allowed me to chance my hand when caution might have been the more logical course. All that time her virginity remained intact. Now I am to embark on the greatest campaign of my life and I am left without the security of her advice. My disappointment in you is complete. I do not know you, Mark Antony. You are a stranger to me.”

  Antony was grinning. He knew of course that the last five years had been a complete deception on Melissa’s part. The worry for her now was how much he would tell Caesar to save his own skin. Melissa held her breath as Antony spoke.

  “What if I were to tell you that I had Lissa before the other one? That she came willingly to my bed years ago and I have been enjoying her all this time? What would you say then? She would still have been providing you with valuable insights, but without her precious virginity. Perhaps her kind does not require celibacy to be intuitive.”

  Caesar looked directly at Melissa. She could feel his eyes burning into the side of her head, but she could not meet his gaze. “Is this true?” he asked, almost whispering.

  Antony replied for her. “No it is not, but what if it were the case? We only have her word for it that it is so. Perhaps she can still do it. Maybe she lied out of fear of becoming my sex slave, or yours, come to think of it. Consider the possibilities from her perspective. It is a plausible suggestion that we ourselves discussed the first day we met her.” Antony moved closer to Melissa. He took her hand and placed it on his thigh. He left his hand over hers and squeezed gently, as if trying to give her some of his strength.

  Caesar was still looking at Melissa. He spoke to her directly, raising his hand to indicate that he expected Antony to be silent. “Lissa, is what Antony suggests true? Have you lied to me about the nature of your gift?”

  Melissa still could not look at Caesar and she was no longer sure whether Antony was trying to save her or get her thrown into the arena. She had also heard Caesar use the word ‘ruled’ when he spoke of governing Rome. A slip of the tongue perhaps, or was it a warning of his real intentions? He had refused the crown Antony had offered him the previous week at the Lupercalia festival, but only because the people had mercifully booed the gesture, thanks in part to the paid dissenters that both Antony and Brutus had spread throughout the crowd. Melissa was now certain Caesar was intent on absolute power, and that made him more dangerous than she had ever imagined him to be.

  She could not hide the fear in her voice as she finally spoke. “I have always been Caesar’s faithful servant and will continue to be so as long …”

  “When did he take you? Did you go to him willingly? Did you choose to do this?” Caesar cut her off. Melissa gasped for breath. She was sure she was about to be condemned to death and she could think of no way out. There was so much she still needed to tell Vitruvius and she would never get the chance. She was wracked with guilt at the thought that she had failed him and the little boy she loved so dearly.

  “Last night.” Antony butted in ignoring Caesar’s instruction for silence. “I was a little drunk when I got here. I threatened Vitruvius’ life and forced him from the room before I forced her into bed. Do you really need all the details?
I know I penetrated her, but it really is a bit of a blur after that. I would suggest anything you got from her up until last night is reliable, but as of this morning? I suggest you make your own judgement on that.” This was at least partly true. Every event Antony described had happened, just not on the timescales that he had implied.

  Caesar looked at the floor. His shoulders had dropped and he was shaking his head. “I am saddened by this news, Lissa. I had always known that one day you might choose to end your service to me and I would be powerless to prevent it, but I believed your dislike of Antony to be so strong that you would sooner die than allow him to be the one to take your gift from me. Entrusting you to him was a mistake that I should never have made and I apologise for his brutish behaviour towards you. That said, what is done cannot be undone. You are of no further use to me, and I cannot continue to support you. From the surprise you displayed earlier, and from the state of your living arrangements ...” Caesar paused and looked around the room, noticing how tired the house looked, “... it is apparent that you have not received all of the money I have provided for you to date. It was not an inconsiderable sum and there must be a significant proportion of it remaining. I will ensure it is passed from Antony’s estate to you along with a sum of ten thousand denarii from his own money to provide for the son he has acknowledged. It should provide enough for you to live on for some time.”

  “Just a minute!” Antony began to protest, but Caesar silenced him with a withering look.

  “Caesar is most gracious,” Melissa found her voice at last, “but I cannot accept the money because I have done nothing to deserve it. I knew that Antony was coming to the house last night, but I did nothing to prevent his advances − I welcomed them.” She was following Antony’s line of half-truth about their liaisons. He had lied for her, it was the least she could do in return. “I ask that you give the money to Vitruvius for the provision of an education and a good future for Antonius. He is more of a parent to the boy than I will ever be.”