***
It was dawn and to the east the sun was a red ball on the horizon and was growing in strength and warmth. Grimly and tiredly Marcus looked up as he caught sight of his villa, as it appeared through the trees. And as he drew closer to his home, the sense of foreboding grew. Kyna would be wanting to know where he’d been all night. She would probably be frantic with worry, but before he could settle her there was something more important that he needed to know. The answer to which he had begun to dread.
Somewhere out of sight a dog was barking, and the scent of freshly baked-bread was growing stronger. In his right hand he was grasping the reins of a horse over which he’d slung Blaikisa’s corpse. The dead man’s arms and legs hung limply on either side of the beast, pointing at the ground. And bringing up the rear, Indus kept his eyes firmly fixed on the horizon. He didn’t look happy and had not said a word since Marcus had sent a messenger to fetch him. In his hands the Batavian was carrying the bronze statue of Ceres.
As he came up to the door of his villa it burst open and Kyna came rushing out. Her face looked ashen. She stopped abruptly, as she caught sight of the body slung across the horse’s back.
“Marcus there…,” she exclaimed, but he held up his hand to silence her. Bringing the horse to a halt, he reached out and pulled the corpse down onto the ground. Rolling it over with his foot, he gestured at the body.
“Is this Cassius’s freedman, Blaikisa?” Marcus asked, in a quiet voice. “Do you recognise this man?”
Kyna stood rooted to the ground as she stared down at the corpse. Then quickly she raised her hand to her mouth and gasped.
“I think so,” she said, her voice fading as she turned to gaze at Marcus with large eyes. “Yes, I think that is him.”
Marcus nodded and grimly turned to gaze at the corpse. Cassius had lied to him.
“Marcus,” Kyna said urgently and something in her voice made him turn to look at his wife. “Marcus, we received a letter,” Kyna said in a shaken voice. “It was delivered late last night whilst you were out. Indus thinks that the man who delivered it was the same man who was here before, who warned us to leave Rome. The letter Marcus. It’s come from Elsa.”
Chapter Seventeen – The Collapse of Marcus’s World
Marcus gazed in silence at the letter in his hand. The scroll of delicate papyrus had been tightly wound around a wooden stick and the wax seal, bearing the proud stamp of Cassius’s house and family, was unbroken. The letter looked fragile, small and insignificant. Kyna stood facing him in the main living area of their villa. His wife’s face had drained of all colour and she was furiously picking at her fingernails.
“Why would Elsa send us a letter,” Marcus asked with a confused frown. “She doesn’t live that far away. If she had something to say, then why not come to our house and tell us in person?”
“I don’t know,” Kyna whispered hoarsely. “But something is not right Marcus. I can sense it. You had better read what it says.”
Marcus nodded and carefully he broke the seal, unrolled the letter and began to read the small, neatly written words out loud.
Elsa to Marcus, I have waited a very long time to write you this letter. But now that I am old and strong enough, the day has finally come - and I am glad. It feels that a burden has been lifted from my shoulders and that I am free at last.
You will remember the day that we first met all those years ago, in the depth of winter, at my father’s home at the Charterhouse lead mines in Britannia. You thought you were being kind to me and Armin that day, by sparing our lives after you had so brutally murdered my father, Lucius. But you were wrong. What kind of person do you think I am? Did you really think that I would forget or forgive you for what you did to my father Lucius and my uncle Bestia? You murdered them both. I know what your family did to them. I know the whole long sordid feud between you and your father Corbulo and my father Lucius and uncle Bestia. I have not forgotten, and now is the time for vengeance. I am my father’s daughter, not yours and I owe his spirit that much. The dead shall have their revenge on you Marcus. They will watch you squirm and twist, they shall laugh at you and they shall spit on you, for you deserve nothing less.
I want you to know that it is I, who has caused all your recent misfortune. This was my plan from the start and no one else’s, although Cassius my husband and his freedman Blaikisa, agreed to help me. Cassius was good at fooling you Marcus, he enjoyed the part he played, and Blaikisa served us well. But I am not the heartless bitch you think I am. Many years ago, I vowed that I would punish you for what you did to my family. But you did not deserve death. That was never my intention for I know that there is some goodness in you. So, I gave you a chance. To walk away, but you ignored it. So now you shall bear the consequences. I do not seek your death. No, Marcus your punishment will not be that easy. You are going to witness the collapse of everything that you have spent years trying to build. I am going to take away everything you have, your reputation, your career, your position in society and your money. I am going to ruin you Marcus. I am going to take away everything that you love and possess. Just like you did to me and my brother. My vengeance will be complete when I see you fall. And once it is done I want you to know that I, and Cassius and our new-born child, will live out our lives in peace and happiness, far away from you, and that I shall never think of you again.
Do not try to search for us Marcus. When you read this, we will be long gone. You will never find us. The attacks on the watermills, the grain warehouse and the stealing of the statue were intended to raise the pressure on you. But what is going to finish you off is the revelation and publication of every secret that you have. And rest assured that throughout all these years spent in your household, I have come to know them all. So, I want you to know that I have sent a letter to Attianus and another to Nigrinus and a third to Similis. I am going to reveal everything. The letters list your crimes, every dirty little secret that you have Marcus. The murders of two veterans of the 2nd Batavian Auxiliary Cohort, for which you and your father Corbulo are responsible. The fact that Nigrinus had Similis bribed to get you your position in government. I shall also reveal to the senate, Fergus’s role in protecting Hadrian and how you tried to warn Fergus about the assassination attempt on Hadrian. These letters are going to destroy your reputation. They are going to provide your enemies with the fuel to burn down your house. It is time Rome and your friends in the senate knew what kind of man you really are. And do not think that you can take your frustration out on my little brother Armin. For you will never see him again or the fortune in gold and silver, that you thought you had safely buried on the farm on Vectis. Both shall be gone by the time you read this letter.
I hope you spend the rest of your life Marcus, thinking and reflecting on what you have done to my family, and that your nights are sleepless and disturbed. Elsa to Marcus.
Slowly Marcus dropped the letter onto the floor. His face had grown pale and for a moment he seemed too stunned to do anything. Across from him, Kyna was staring at him in wide-eyed horror. Then without saying a word, Marcus yanked his knife from his belt, strode out of the room, found Blaikisa’s corpse and viciously slashed the freedman’s throat. Unsteadily he staggered back onto his feet and dropped the knife, as Kyna and Indus rushed over to him.
“Cunomoltus was right,” Marcus gasped, barely able to breath, as he wildly turned to stare at his wife. “Cunomoltus, my brother was right. We were at Vebriacum near the lead mines in Britannia, eleven years ago. He warned me that keeping Lucius’s children alive was just storing up trouble for the future. He told me that one day they may try to take revenge for their father’s death and I ignored him. He told me that I had a good heart but a stupid head. He was right. I have been a fool. A damned fool.”
“You could not have known this,” Kyna said hastily. “None of us saw this coming. Elsa, she seemed so content. She fooled us all.”
“Her brother Armin,” Marcus muttered, as his eyes widened. “The boy, yes maybe he could have want
ed revenge but not Elsa. Not Elsa. She was like a daughter to me. I tried to raise her as best as I could. I gave her everything. She was my girl.”
“Elsa has chosen her path Marcus,” Kyna said, with sudden strength in her voice. Coming up to his side, Kyna reached out and grasped Marcus’s arm in a firm grip and, as he looked at his wife, he saw a sudden resolve in Kyna’s eyes. “She has chosen her path,” Kyna said, as a single tear appeared in her eyes. “And now, so must we. We must be strong, husband. We will survive this. We will survive this because we are strong.”
Marcus gasped and turned to look away. Then at last he nodded, and a little colour seemed to return to his face.
***
The view of the sprawling city of Rome from his garden terrace was magnificent but Marcus did not seem to notice, as he sat morosely in his chair and absent-mindedly gazed out over the metropolis. He was unshaven, and he looked tired. Dark wrinkles had woven themselves around his eyes. Leaning upon the arm rest of the chair, he reached out to steady his shaking left arm. An untouched cup of posca sat on the table beside him. It was morning and five days had passed since he had read Elsa’s letter. Grimly, Marcus stared into space. Elsa’s words had struck home like physical blows. Her betrayal had been worse than the pain of losing his fingers during the Dacian wars. They had hurt more than the experience of nearly starving to death, during his captivity in Caledonia when the druids had been preparing him as a human sacrifice. Worse than Lucius’s betrayal during the Brigantine uprising. How could she have done this to him? He had loved her like a daughter. How could he not have seen this coming? Slowly Marcus let go of his left arm and reached for the cup of posca. Kyna was right. Pondering endlessly about it was not going to do him any good. He needed to be strong. He would survive this betrayal. He had to. People were counting on him.
There had been much to do and keeping himself busy had taken his mind of the pain of the betrayal. Within hours of reading her letter, he’d received confirmation that Cassius’s house was indeed deserted. There had been no trace of Cassius or Elsa. No one knew where they had gone. They had just vanished. But there had been more urgent business that needed his attention. If what Elsa had said was true, about her little brother Armin stealing the Dacian gold, which he’d buried for safe-keeping on the farm on Vectis, then she had financially crippled him. That would have consequences for his position as a senator if it became public. Dylis was the only one, apart from himself, who knew where the treasure was buried, but Armin would have had plenty of time to discover its location. The bulk of the gold that Fergus had brought back from the Dacian war had been kept on the farm. Taking a sip of posca, Marcus gazed grimly out across the city of Rome. He’d immediately sent a messenger to Dylis, his sister on the Isle of Vectis, warning her about what had happened. But it would take weeks before the messenger arrived. And Elsa had the advantage for she seemed to have been planning this for years.
He would just keep on going, he had told Kyna. He was still prefect of the grain supply and he had a job to do despite what had happened. Draining the cup of posca into his mouth, Marcus reached up and wiped his lips with his hand. He’d already started making inquiries for a suitable candidate to replace Cassius, and just yesterday he’d received the welcome news that additional supplies of grain were being despatched to Rome from Sicily, Africa and Dacia. Better times are coming. His letters, appealing for aid to the provincial governors, were beginning to pay off. The welcome news had come on top of a positive response from the fishing fleets and Italian farmers, who had all promised to increase their production of food. And the day after tomorrow he would go to the senate and give them an update on the efforts that were being made to build a new grain fleet. He needed to regain the initiative. The food emergency in Rome was being brought under control. Since the return of their precious statue, the priests of Ceres had made a multitude of offerings begging for divine favour. With a good new harvest in Egypt and no further maritime disasters, the crisis would be over by the end of the year. There was no doubt about that. The time had come for the senate to recognise his work and stop panicking about the situation. He had to get them to move on. Better times are coming. He had to wrest the initiative from his detractors and he would do it. He would push on with his job, for what else should he do.
“Sir, you wished to see me,” a voice said behind him. Rising stiffly to his feet, Marcus turned to see Aledus, old friend of Fergus, rap out a quick salute.
“Yes,” Marcus said with a little nod. “I need you to do something for me and I need you to do it right away.”
As he spoke to Aledus in a low, urgent and conspiratorial voice the young army veteran frowned. At last he nodded before saluting again and hastening away. Marcus looked pensive as he watched him leave. The young man’s errand was just a precaution but in these tense, uncertain days it was the smart thing to do. Aledus was turning out to be a good, useful man. Turning away, Marcus crossed the terrace and reached out to give the black cat a tickle under its chin.
It was a couple of hours later, whilst he was working out in his garden writing a letter, when a slave came hastening towards him.
“Sir,” the slave said lowering his eyes. “There is someone here to see you. It’s Lady Claudia, Sir. Shall I show her onto the terrace?”
“Yes, I will meet her here and bring another cup of posca; make it two cups,” Marcus growled, as he laid down his iron-tipped stylus and quickly closed the small, wooden writing tablet.
“Marcus,” Claudia said stiffly, as she came up to him and reached out to touch him lightly on both hands.
“Claudia,” Marcus replied with a little welcoming smile, as he quickly kissed her on her cheek. “What brings you to my home?”
Claudia sighed and for a moment she avoided his gaze, and as she did Marcus noticed a tenseness about her that was not normal.
“Listen I have some news,” Claudia said as she looked up at him. “Bad news I’m afraid. I’ve heard that a couple of days ago Nigrinus received a letter. The letter came from an anonymous source, but whoever wrote it seemed to know you and your family very well. The letter contained an appeal to Nigrinus to have you prosecuted for the murder in Britannia of a retired officer of the 2nd Batavian Auxiliary Cohort. It also claims that you had a hand in the death of another Roman citizen, a former senator by the name of Priscinus. The author of the letter alleges that you murdered your fellow officer, and that you were complicit in the murder of Priscinus, by helping cover up the evidence. Apparently, you helped the killer, a Christian woman disappear.” Claudia sighed. “The letter goes on to say that you also helped your son Fergus prevent the assassination of Hadrian. There is more…”
Claudia stopped speaking as Marcus held up his hand.
“What has been Nigrinus’s reaction?” he said sharply. “What does he plan to do?”
Claudia bit her lip as she gazed at Marcus. “He has a called another meeting of the inner council,” she said quietly. “They are meeting today here in Rome. I only heard about it from a friend. I am worried. I fear for your future Marcus. Nigrinus is already furious with you. He is openly questioning your loyalty to him and the party. These latest accusations against you may tip him over the edge.”
Marcus nodded and lowered his eyes to the ground.
“Claudia, how nice to see you again,” Kyna said suddenly, as she crossed the terrace towards them.
In response Claudia dipped her head gracefully and the two women quickly exchanged kisses, but there was no warmth in their exchange. Marcus closed his eyes and ran his fingers across his face. Ever since he’d told Kyna about his affair with Claudia during the siege of Luguvalium, the two women had been civil but utterly cold towards each other. But the affair had been over twenty-five years ago. Could they not just move on?
“Is my husband in trouble with you again,” Kyna asked as she gave Claudia a bright smile. “Or has Nigrinus sent you to deliver another message?”
“Your husband is in trouble, but not with me,�
�� Claudia replied smoothly. “I shall always be your friend and a friend to your son Ahern. I came here to warn you that Nigrinus is about to make a move against you. I don’t know what he is planning to do, but you need to prepare yourselves.”
“We know this,” Kyna said in an ice-cold voice. “How is Ahern, my son?”
“He is well,” Claudia replied quickly. “He is throwing his energy into creating a new steam machine. But it’s likely to take him another year to build it.”
“Claudia,” Marcus said, intervening with a grave voice. “If Nigrinus wishes to have my resignation then I shall of course give it to him. But I have never betrayed our faction. I have kept my vow. I am still loyal to the party and everything that I have done is in the service of Rome. Better times are coming. Will you tell him this? Will you impress on him that I can still be trusted?”
Claudia was silent for a moment, as she gazed fondly at Marcus. Then she nodded. “If I get the chance, I shall convey your message,” she replied.
“I shall let you two say goodbye to each other,” Kyna said sharply, as she turned and started to walk away.
When Kyna had vanished into the house, Claudia turned and gave Marcus a little wry look. “I see that you didn’t tell your wife about Ahern’s adventures with that prostitute in the Black Lady,” she said.
Marcus grunted. “I will tell her when the time is right,” he replied. “But right now, she has too many other things to worry about, as do I.”
Claudia nodded. “You are a good man Marcus,” she said at last. “I knew it from the first time we met at Luguvalium. You saved my life and that of my daughter twice, I recall.” Claudia fell silent as a sudden sadness seemed to come over her. Then lifting her head, she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.
“Goodbye Marcus,” she said, as she hurried away without looking back.
***
A day had passed since Claudia’s visit and Marcus was busy rehearsing the speech he would deliver to the senate the next day, when Indus appeared in the doorway to his bedroom. Annoyed at the intrusion, Marcus halted in mid-flow and turned to his bodyguard.
Rome and the Conquest of Mesopotamia (Book 8 of the Veteran of Rome Series) Page 16