by Tanya Bird
‘I truly hope you made the right choice.’
Chapter 37
A small boat carried them out to the ship. Then, one at a time, they climbed the ladder to the deck. Nero had sailed many times, but now he had the twins to worry about. They were already fighting over who would board the ship first. Remus took hold of Atilius, and Nero pulled Caius onto his lap.
‘I need you here to help guard your sister,’ he whispered into the boy’s ear.
Caius stilled in his arms and looked out at the water. ‘Guard her from what?’
‘Pirates.’
Caius’s eyes widened slightly, and he gripped Nero’s arm. ‘Real ones?’
Nero nodded and winked at Asha, who smiled back at him.
The journey to Alexandria would take around six days if the weather held up. From there, they would travel to Cana, then board another ship to Muziris.
‘I’ll take Atilius up,’ Remus said. ‘You sure you’re all right?’
It was said like he might fall apart at any moment. ‘Fine.’
‘His heart is broken,’ Asha said to her father, so much sadness in her eyes that anyone would think the heartbreak was her own. That was how it was with people you loved.
Nero looked up at Felix, who had almost reached the top of the ladder. He had been complaining the entire climb about the distance between the rungs. Short legs were problematic at times.
‘Almost there,’ Nero called.
Felix let go of the ladder to make a crude gesture with his hand. Asha giggled, and Remus shook his head. Nero smiled to himself, glancing back at the bustling dock. All he had to do was get on the ship and let it carry him away from her. He could do that.
Once everyone was settled on board, the twins running laps of the deck and getting underfoot of the crew, Nero wandered to the stern of the ship. His gaze drifted to the men carrying crates and sealed pots along the dock, mules led back and forth, boats coming and going. Leaning on the taffrail, he watched, knowing soon enough the only scenery would be the open sea.
‘You only have yourself to blame,’ Felix said, joining him.
Nero watched as the dwarf pushed a crate of iron bars closer to the rail and climbed up. They both stared out at the port for a moment.
‘If you had just let him die—’
‘Dulcia would’ve found a way to blame herself.’
‘She would have gotten over it eventually.’
‘She feels those things deeper than the rest of us.’
Felix snorted. ‘Might have toughened her up.’
‘She’s tougher than you think.’ He watched another boat depart below.
Straightening, Felix drew a deep breath. ‘I can already feel the change in my stomach.’
‘We’re still anchored.’
The dwarf rolled his eyes. ‘I am perfectly capable of getting seasick while the ship is docked.’
A smile flickered on Nero’s face. ‘Six days is not so long.’
Felix punched him in the arm. ‘Careful. If I throw myself overboard, I might be tempted to take you with me.’ He leaned forwards again. ‘I must focus on the horizon if I stand any chance of surviving…’ He trailed off, eyes narrowing on the dock.
‘What’s the matter?’
Felix leaned farther over the taffrail. ‘If my eyesight was not deteriorating with age, I would swear that is Nerva.’
Nero followed his gaze and found the man he was referring to. It did look like Nerva. But what caught his attention was the woman at his side. It was Dulcia—unmistakably Dulcia. Even at that distance he recognised her.
‘What is she doing here?’ Panic surged when he heard the anchor being raised below. He turned in search of a crew member, almost knocking Felix off his perch in the process. He grabbed hold of the first person he saw. ‘You need to lower the anchor. I’m going ashore.’
The man pushed him off. ‘We leave with the tide. The only way you’re getting ashore now is if you swim there.’
Felix winced. ‘You just had to say it.’ He looked at Nero. ‘I swear to the gods, if you—’
‘Don’t let them leave.’ Nero grabbed hold of the taffrail, swung his legs over the top, and dropped down. He had forgotten about his ribs until the moment he hit the water. He cursed into the sea, bubbles rising from his mouth. When he surfaced, he heard Felix shouting at him from above.
‘If you think I am going to have you rescued, you are wrong!’ There was silence for a moment as Nero swam away from the boat. ‘And what am I supposed to tell the captain? What reason shall I give for the delay? Love?’ He made an exasperated noise. ‘I am going to enjoy watching you drown!’
Nero treaded water for a moment, clutching his chest where the pain came in nauseating waves, then resumed swimming.
Dulcia must have seen him jump, because she was on her knees at the edge of the dock when he got there. She reached a hand out for him.
‘Are you mad?’ she asked, panic in her voice.
He took her hand but did all the work climbing out for fear of pulling her into the water. When he emerged, dripping and panting, people stopped what they were doing to stare at him. He looked around for Nerva, finding him at the far end of the dock, chatting with someone. When the general glanced in their direction, he stopped talking, looked Nero up and down, and shook his head.
‘What are you doing here?’ Nero asked, focusing on Dulcia again. ‘What happened? Did he hurt you?’ His eyes moved over her. She was wearing a simple belted tunic, reminding him of the Dulcia of his youth.
‘Did who hurt me?’ She was still holding his hand, unfazed by the water running down her arm and pooling at her feet.
‘Anyone,’ he breathed, realising how ridiculous that sounded. His eyes moved over her again. ‘What are you doing here?’
She turned and looked at Nerva. Done with his conversation, he now stood watching them, giving what appeared to be a nod of encouragement to his sister.
She faced forwards. ‘I came to tell you that you are wrong.’
He frowned. ‘You came all the way to Ostia to tell me I was wrong?’
She nodded as people resumed work around them.
‘All right. What was I wrong about?’
She focused on his chest while she worked up the courage to say whatever she had travelled twenty miles to say. ‘You said I belong at my father’s side, that I belong in that world.’
He tried to think back to their conversation. ‘You do belong in that world.’ His hands went to her arms, and she shivered as water ran down her skin.
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I belong with you. I have always belonged with you.’
Nero let go and took a step back. His gaze drifted to Nerva, wondering if he could hear what his sister was saying. ‘Why did he bring you here?’
She drew a breath, visibly nervous. ‘I am coming with you.’
Five words that nearly knocked him into the water. ‘Where?’
She glanced at the ship behind him. ‘Wherever you are going. Anywhere. As long it is with you.’
His hands went to his hips, trying to remain calm. ‘What about Manius?’
‘There are probably a line of suitors at his door as we speak.’ She stepped closer, tentatively reaching for him. ‘My father is going to deal with Manius.’
Nero’s eyebrows were drawn so tightly that Dulcia apparently felt the need to run a finger between them. Her other hand held his wet tunic, as though he might dive back into the water and swim away.
‘What about your mother?’ He knew he was in shock because all he could manage were more questions.
She gave an exasperated laugh. ‘What are you doing? Trying to talk me out of coming with you?’
There was pure light in her eyes, a light he had not seen in some time. His hands went to her face, cold fingers spanning her jaw and neck. ‘This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen.’ His eyes moved over her. ‘Now I won’t be able to let you go when you tell me it’s all a cruel joke.’
She tilted her head, eyes
glassy. ‘Promise?’ Her expression turned serious. ‘This time you do not let go. I don’t care if Severus sends his army after us. You hold your sword in one hand and keep the other firmly wrapped around mine.’
It still did not feel real. ‘Should I be expecting Severus’s army?’
She smiled up at him. ‘You are not afraid of one emperor and a few thousand men, are you?’
He studied her face intently for a moment. ‘No.’ It felt real then, and his body hummed with the realisation that she was going with him.
Reaching for the neck of her tunic, Dulcia pulled out a leather thread with a ring hanging from it. It was the one he had given her. She untied it at the back and slipped the band onto her finger. ‘Finally. Everything is as it should be.’
He bent to kiss her, but she pulled abruptly away, a hand going over her mouth.
‘What’s the matter?’ he asked, fearing she had changed her mind. He kept hold of her just in case.
‘You taste so salty.’
His shoulders fell in relief. She had never tasted the ocean before. ‘Is that all?’ His mouth was on her again, and that time her hands slid up his neck, allowing him to draw her closer. The instant heat of her was spectacular.
‘All right you two,’ Nerva called. ‘That ship is not going to wait forever.’
He felt Dulcia smile against his lips before her heels returned to the ground. She wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her cheek against his soggy clothes. ‘Do not let go.’
His arms tightened around her. ‘Not a chance.’
‘That poor man over there has agreed to take you out to the ship—again,’ Nerva said, his words aimed at Nero.
In the water bobbed the man who had rowed him out the first time, looking less than pleased.
Dulcia slipped her hand into Nero’s as she looked over at the small boat. ‘Gods, help me.’
Nero smiled and squeezed her hand. ‘First chance we get, I’m going to teach you how to swim.’
They walked over to Nerva. He bent and kissed his sister’s cheek, then clapped Nero on the back. ‘Take care of both my sisters.’
Nero nodded. ‘I will. Thank you.’
He led Dulcia down to the waiting boat and stepped in first, ignoring the man’s look of disapproval as water dripped at his feet. Turning, he lifted Dulcia down. She gripped him tightly, unsure. The boat rocked beneath her as they settled themselves on a seat. He put his arm around her as they pulled away.
Nerva watched them leave. Once they had reached the ship, he gave a final wave and returned to his horse.
‘Are you all right?’ Nero asked as a rope ladder was thrown down to them by a disgruntled crew member.
‘I think so.’
‘Because you are going to need both hands to get up that thing.’
She smiled and let go of him. ‘I know.’
‘It’s high, but I’ll be right behind you.’
She glanced over her shoulder at him. ‘I have climbed trees twice this height.’
His lips twitched. ‘All right, clever girl. But let’s see how you go when the branches wobble.’
She waited as the oarsman secured the bottom before taking hold of the ladder. ‘But you will catch me if I fall?’
He brought his lips to her ear. ‘Yes, I’ll catch you.’
Dulcia looked up to where the rest of their family had gathered along the rail to watch, then turned to him a final time, her grey eyes bright. ‘Am I really going to see the pyramids?’
Her smile was contagious, and he could not help but grin back at her. ‘Let’s see if you make it to the top of the ladder first.’
He placed a hand beneath her elbow, and she began to climb.
Epilogue
Dulcia fell in love with Giza. It was not just the twenty-five-hundred-year-old pyramids, as tall as they were wide, but the people, landscapes and colours. It was the land of kings, and she felt it in the atmosphere. It was enough to make her want to stay a while.
Nero and Dulcia rented a mud-brick house close to the river with two rooms and plenty of light. From their front door, they could see the water; from their window, the pyramids in the distance. Their neighbours were an older couple who fussed over Dulcia as though she were an abandoned child, even though she explained to Rana and Lateef that they had family waiting for them in India. For now, they needed time to rebuild their lives—together.
As well as helping with the spice business, Nero found a job tending horses for some of the local wealthy families. It paid for everything they needed.
Dulcia filled her days cooking, helping Rana care for her grandchildren, and tending her garden. She would carry water from the river, despite Nero’s objections. She had to gently remind him that she had carried water her entire life, and she was no lady of Rome—nor did she want to be.
Most evenings they ate dinner with their neighbours, enjoying the easy company, the food, and the sound of children laughing, crying and occasionally fighting. At the end of the night, they would catch each other’s gaze across the room and say their goodbyes.
She never tired of holding his hand on those walks home, never tired of going to sleep tucked against him, or waking up to find him watching her.
‘At some point we are going to have to leave this place,’ Dulcia said one morning. ‘I am certain Rana thinks we are in hiding.’
They had been in Giza six months and had only planned to stay for two.
Nero pushed her hair back from her face. ‘Are you happy here?’
‘Very.’
‘Then we stay.’
She turned her head to kiss the arm wrapping her. ‘I can be happy anywhere with you.’
He drew her closer. ‘There are no pyramids outside your window in India.’
A content sigh passed her lips. ‘Maybe a little while longer.’
Two months later, a letter arrived from Nerva, with three smaller letters tucked inside. The first was from her mother asking after her health and updating her on household news. The second was from Junia, who wrote occasionally for the sole purpose of sharing gossip.
‘Manius got married,’ Dulcia said aloud.
She was leaning against the bench while Nero fiddled with one of the stools. A leg had come loose. He looked up at her announcement and was silent a moment.
‘That’s good news, isn’t it?’
She smiled down at him, and the moment she did, he grinned back. That was how it was between them, their happiness contagious. ‘Wonderful news.’
Nero’s smile faded. ‘Last letter from Nerva for a while?’
She nodded. ‘He would have sailed by now.’
‘Can’t imagine we’ll hear much once he’s north of the Antonine wall.’ Seeing her expression, he added, ‘He’ll be fine.’
She attempted another smile. ‘I know.’
He nodded towards the final letter. ‘Who’s that one from?’
Dulcia frowned down at it. She had been wondering that herself. Most of the people she had grown up with were servants in the Papias household, none of whom could read or write.
Unrolling it, her eyes went straight to the name at the bottom, and her hand flew over her mouth.
Nero put the stool down and went to her. ‘Who’s it from?’
She looked up at him, tears already falling down her cheeks. ‘Licinia.’
He looked down at the paper. ‘Everything all right?’
Dulcia scanned the letter. ‘Yes, I think so. She is living with a cousin in Segni. She seems… happy.’
He leaned in and kissed the top of her head, then left her alone to read.
A month later, Dulcia got sick. Nero returned home one day to find her lying on the floor with a basin tucked against her. Despite assuring him that it would pass, she could see the worry on his face. He stayed awake that night, watching over her.
In the morning, she forced down some food just so he would go to work and leave her to be sick in peace.
‘I’m staying home,’ he insisted.
‘Do not do that. I will be absolutely fine. Off you go.’
Nero asked Rana to check in on her, then reluctantly went to work. By the time Rana came past around noon, Dulcia had relapsed. She struggled just to keep down water. Rana insisted on staying with her until Nero got home.
‘I’m going to get the physician,’ he said immediately, hands raking his hair the way they always did when he was not in control of a situation.
Dulcia placed a clammy hand on his arm. ‘There is really no need. It is probably something I ate.’
The next morning, Dulcia rose first and prepared breakfast. She hummed the songs from her youth, as she always did when she cooked.
‘Tell me you’re better,’ Nero said from the doorway.
Dulcia looked up, taking in the sight of him naked from the waist up. Her gaze travelled slowly up to meet his. ‘Much better.’
A knowing smile spread across his face. ‘I don’t have to go to work, you know.’
Her cheeks coloured. ‘Yes you do.’
He winked at her before leaving to get ready.
When it was time for him to leave, he lingered by the front door. ‘You’re certain you’re better?’
‘I know you already asked Rana to check in on me.’ She gave him a weak smile from her chair, the small amount of energy she had mustered already spent. ‘Please do not worry. Go.’
By the afternoon, Dulcia had taken to her bed again. Rana sat perched on the end, a wide smile on her face.
‘How are you smiling right now?’ Dulcia asked, pushing the basin away.
Rana clicked her tongue. ‘The physician is coming past. I thought it best he take a look at you.’
Dulcia closed her eyes. ‘Thank you.’
When Nero arrived home in a panic, having heard that the physician had been by, Dulcia was seated at the table looking like death. Rana met him at the door, her beaming smile probably more unsettling than anything else.
‘She’s going to be just fine,’ Rana said, stepping past him and leaving them alone.
Nero went straight to Dulcia and sank down in the chair beside her. ‘You look awful.’
She tried to smile. ‘Thank you.’