* * *
Capitoline Hill was busier than she remembered it, noisier, dirtier, more crowded. She kept her kerchief over her mouth, trying not to breathe in the cold mist that had curled between the hills of Rome all day.
Ruth drew alongside her. ‘Not far to go now, mistress. Senator Felix Seneca lives around the next corner.’
Aurelia hid a smile. She knew exactly where the senator lived, but she wasn’t about to relate information of that nature to her slave. She removed the kerchief from her mouth. ‘You might as well go to the market for that material I wanted, Ruth. There’s no sense in you waiting around for me. Besides, I’ve arrived a lot earlier than expected so I may take a short walk.’
With a slight bow of the head that made her plait slide over her shoulder Ruth murmured, ‘Yes, mistress,’ before heading down Capitoline Hill, with not even the cobbles underfoot diverting the smoothness of her walk.
Aurelia waited until she was out of sight, then, with her heart giving a pleasurable flutter she sauntered the last few yards to Senator Felix Seneca’s town house.
Standing behind a leafy shrub across the road, she examined the house and was surprised to find it had hardly changed since her last visit. It was old but well cared for with newly oiled doors and shutters, red and pink geraniums under the windows, neatly trimmed bushes and recently swept steps.
Her fingers played nervously with the cord on her cloak, conscious that although her cloak had been expensive in its day, it was not as fashionable as those worn by the senators’ wives and mistresses now. As for her favourite pale blue dress, Aurelia pulled the dark blue ribbon over the tiny hole Ruth had made during the last minute tucks.
She grazed her tongue across her teeth, surprised to find her mouth had turned dry. ‘It’s months since I’ve seen him. What if he’s shocked by how dreary I’ve become, in my dress, in my speech, in my company? What if he’s not interested in my problems? What if…? What if…?’
The front door opened.
It was an automatic gesture that caused Aurelia to slide behind the shrub. She didn’t quite know why she did. Partly, she knew it was because she didn’t want to be caught in this momentary lapse of insecurity and partly, to her surprise, an elegantly dressed woman in a fusion of pink and grey had stepped outside. Felix was holding her hand and he looked serious; he was nodding as the woman talked.
Aurelia peered through the branches, trying to make out the woman’s face, but she had her back turned. What Aurelia did make out was that her elegance stretched far beyond her attire. She was tall and held her head high, giving her a regal air. Her hair was coiled, neatly styled in the fashion of the day, and adorned with combs. Releasing Felix’s hands she pulled up her hood to protect her hair from the dampness, the slow graceful movements of a woman of high breeding. Then with barely a rise of her hand as a gesture of farewell she turned, her cloak billowing out as she sailed across the courtyard.
Felix closed the door.
Aurelia bit her lip, uneasy to find herself in the position of spying, but curiosity urged her to inch forward to see the woman’s face. There was something familiar about her, something…Aurelia breathed in sharply as she recalled a gentle woman stroking the horses in the Suranus stables. Apicata! Apicata was the woman Sejanus divorced in the hope of winning a woman of even higher breeding; and it didn’t get much higher than the wife of Drusus, heir to the Imperial throne.
Aurelia waited until Apicata was well down Capitoline Hill before discarding her shelter and making her way nervously to Felix’s house. She did so conscious of her lack of elegance in dress and manners.
There was no need for her to knock. Felix Seneca wandered easily down the steps to greet her. She noticed there was a broad grin spread across his handsome face and wondered if he had spotted her hiding behind a shrub watching him and Apicata and was amused by the idea. She hesitated halfway across his courtyard but then he held out his arms in greeting.
‘My dear Aurelia, what a pleasure to see you.’
She grasped his hands, they were firm, warm and steady. ‘Forgive me for being early, Felix, but thank you for agreeing to see me.’ She smiled briefly, suddenly unsure of him.
‘I was surprised hear from you,’ Felix said closing the door behind them. ‘And curious; your note sounded urgent?’ He gestured towards a long and elegant couch in his living quarters. Aurelia sat down.
A servant hovered, and while Felix issued instructions for refreshments, it gave Aurelia a chance to examine the room. Nothing had changed. It was still elegantly furnished with obscure wall paintings she had never liked but with plastered borders of vine leaves and grapes that she had. Although she found both were hard to make out as the room was dim, the shutters being partially closed to keep out the mist.
Her eyes drifted from the walls and as they landed on Felix, she quivered with pleasure. He was still a winsome man, she decided; immaculate in his dress, had the bearings of a former officer of the legion and Praetorian Guard, light-brown hair, a classic nose and the high intelligent forehead of an aristocrat from the upper social class of Rome. Yet none of these things had attracted her to him in the first place. It had been his kindness and trustworthy face; a face that broke easily into laughter or a smile. She had trusted him implicitly once, but now she had seen Sejanus’s former wife in his home…? He turned, as though he sensed her watching him.
‘Refreshments are on the way,’ he said with a smile.
She flushed, dropping her gaze on to her clasped fingers. Yes, he had sensed her watching him.
He came to sit next to her, placing his hands over hers, and there was a teasing note in his voice when he said, ‘Why do I get the feeling you’re not here to resurrect our short but extremely delightful love affair, my dear Aurelia?’
She laughed, but it was more a release of tension than of amusement. ‘No, I’m not, Felix. Although I must confess I am tempted; you look extremely good today.’
He squeezed her fingers. ‘And you’re as beautiful as ever, my love.’
The elegance of his previous guest flashed through her mind. She pulled her fingers away but didn’t contradict him because no one had said that to her for a long time, which brought her thoughts back to Vivius and the reason for her visit.
The slave brought in refreshments. She waited until he had served drinks, honey cakes and sweetmeats and had left the room before saying, ‘Can I ask you something, Felix?’
He raised his eyebrows at her. ‘Of course, my love.’
‘What…what was Sejanus’s former wife doing here?’
‘Apicata?’ If he was surprised by her question he didn’t show it. He paused thoughtfully before saying, ‘She had a problem which she thought I could help her with.’
‘Then you and Apicata are not, er…’
Felix threw back his head and laughed. ‘Are you serious, Aurelia? Me and Apicata?’ But then his smile faded. ‘Of course not, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention her visit to anyone.’ He paused. ‘Now, what is this all about?’
Aurelia looked down at her fingers. ‘Seeing her here makes it more difficult for me,’ she said awkwardly. ‘It’s Sejanus I’ve come to you about.’
Felix took her hands in his. ‘Aurelia, there’s nothing you can say about Sejanus that Apicata hasn’t revealed which is ten times worse.’
Aurelia gave herself a few seconds to bolster up her courage before launching into her story. She left nothing out because she knew that if she wanted Felix’s advice she had to be honest; besides, that was the way it had always been between her and Felix, honest and open. Felix listened; he had always been a good listener, she thought, but instead of the teasing gaze which had lingered earlier, his jaw had set as her story unfolded, and she could see she had brought a somber note to her visit.
‘I remember the case against your husband well,’ he said when she had finished. ‘Julius was imprisoned for embezzlement, but the charges of treason were dropped for lack of evidence.’ Felix knitte
d his brow. ‘So Sejanus claims Vivius was withholding valuable evidence, did he?’ There was a pause. ‘Vivius is a man of integrity. Do you believe he withheld evidence?’
‘I…’ Aurelia looked Felix squarely in the face. ‘No, of course not.’ And simply saying it out loud helped to allay some of her own hidden fears.
Felix’s eyes clouded over. ‘The trouble is, Sejanus has brought far too many loyal Romans to trial with false accusations of treason. And from what you say it looks as though he’s trying to compile a case against Vivius. But why?’ Reaching over Felix handed her a plate of sweetmeats. ‘Here, have one of these. You’ve barely eaten, and I need a chance to think.’
Aurelia helped herself to a sweetmeat she didn’t particularly want but which would have been churlish to refuse, then she reclined back on the couch and watched Felix wander over to the window. His eyes wore a glazed expression that told her he wasn’t absorbing what was going on outside but concentrating on her problem. Daintily wiping the corners of her mouth, she smiled inwardly at the thought of him finding her worthy of such attention.
Felix had his back to her when he asked, ‘So Sejanus questioned you about Vivius’s family and friends and his acquaintances at the Senate, did he?’
‘I told him Vivius has no family,’ she said quietly. ‘There’s only me.’ She daintily dabbed the crumbs on her upper lip with her napkin. ‘There’s Phaedo, the Greek manager of his olive grove; he trusts him. And I suppose I could include my brother Dorio in the list, although he and Vivius tend to annoy each other more than anything.’
The silence from the window was so prolonged that Aurelia wondered uneasily if she had over-burdened Felix, but then he murmured, ‘There’s a growing number of people who would like to see Sejanus’s tyranny brought to an end, Aurelia.’ He clasped his hands behind his back and Aurelia got the impression that he wasn’t really talking to her but voicing his thoughts aloud.
‘The equestrian order, Tiberius’s family, members of the Senate, and now…Apicata.’ Felix said her name as though he had found a perfect gem.
‘But if Sejanus is brought down, how will Tiberius rule? I thought he was…ill, paranoid?’
Felix nodded. ‘He has bouts of madness, which is why the Senate and the equestrians are wary, and why Rome is rife with rumours about…’ Felix glanced at her sharply before waving his hand dismissively in the air as though she was incapable of understanding what was really going on. She curbed her annoyance. ‘Rumours and more rumours. My point is this, the political climate in Rome is changing rapidly and Sejanus…’ But then turning to Aurelia he frowned as though a thought had just occurred to him. ‘Palestine, you said? What in the name of all the gods is Vivius doing in Palestine?’
Aurelia shrugged, still slightly peeved at being dismissed for an assumed lack of understanding. That was why she spoke a little more harshly than she intended. ‘He didn’t say.’
‘Hmm.’ Felix appeared not to notice, his mind still absorbed with why Vivius was in Palestine. ‘Sejanus has been consolidating power in foreign lands over the last year or so by replacing Roman governors and army commanders with men loyal to himself. The Governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate is one of them.’
Felix moved unhurriedly towards her, his hands clasped behind his back, the furrow still on his brow. ‘But Sejanus won’t have put Pilate in that post unless he wanted something in return. What? If the emperor has sent Vivius to discovers what that is, and he returns with incriminating evidence, we may have further cause for bringing charges against Sejanus.’
Aurelia was about to ask who he meant by ‘we’ when Felix sat down beside her and picking up her hand kissed her fingers. His lips were warm, soft, slightly damp, and distracted her. She waited, she could tell his thoughts were elsewhere, perhaps even on Apicata. But all he said was, ‘I think the best thing Vivius can do is to complete his assignment and get back to Rome in one piece.’
Aurelia felt her hands breaking out into a sweat. ‘You think he’s in danger?’
Felix squeezed her fingers. ‘Don’t worry, my dear Aurelia, Vivius has spent a lifetime getting out of scrapes, political and physical.’ He paused. His face softened. ‘My main concern from now on is keeping you away from Sejanus.’
A chill prickled the back of her neck. ‘You think I’m in danger?’
‘I don’t want to alarm you, but putting pressure on you would be one way of forcing Vivius to hand over whatever incriminating evidence he may unearth in Palestine.’ He paused. ‘We’ll monitor the situation and if you think you’re in danger, my love, send me word, day or night. My summer house is but two days’ ride out of the city, you can go there.’
‘I couldn’t do that, Felix. I might put you in danger.’
Felix grinned wickedly at her. ‘The only danger I’d be in would be from Vivius when he finds out.’
Aurelia smiled shyly. ‘You’re a true friend, Felix.’ She lightly touched his cheek with her fingers but he kept his hand over hers, and it was warming to sense the attraction for her in his eyes. But then she dropped her gaze as her thoughts drifted back to Vivius, the way they had always done since they were children. ‘I must go,’ she said softly and although she hated leaving him, she knew it would be unwise to stay.
CHAPTER SIX
(Jerusalem)
Vivius’s boots echoed on the stone slabs as he marched down the dimly lit corridor. The escorting sentry, half a step ahead was shorter, taking more steps and irritatingly distorting the rhythm. Vivius watched the oil lamps on the wall twist their shadows into giants as they approached. He had forgotten how gloomy Fort Antonia could be with its thick stone walls, high towers and long corridors. He tried to recall which part of the fort he had been in when he was billeted here as a young officer in the legion; it wasn’t down here, that’s for sure. So far, the only familiar features had been the steps leading down to the dungeons, and those in the central hall leading up to the dining quarters. What he did recall was his commanding officer telling him that Fort Antonia was so large an entire legion and their auxiliary personnel could be garrisoned here, which was exactly what it looked like now with all the extra soldiers drafted in for the Jewish festival.
The sentry escorting him pointed to a door at the far end of the adjoining corridor. ‘The infirmary is down there, Senator.’
Vivius covered the remaining yards to the infirmary alone. Opening the door he found himself in a long and dingy room. The only brightness came from a thin shaft of sunlight forcing its way through a high narrow window, but failing to fall on the twenty or more beds regimentally lined up like legionaries on either side of a parade ground. An overpowering smell of drugs and body odours drifted his way; he grimaced, his scan of the beds for Dorio fleeting. There was no sign of him, but then, as half the occupants were either bandaged like Egyptian mummies, or buried under their blankets he couldn’t really tell.
An army medicus stacking the shelves with phials and surgical instruments glanced up. ‘Can I help you?’
‘I’m looking for Decurion Dorio Suranus?’
The medicus pointed to the door he’d come through. ‘You’ll find him across the corridor.’
Vivius nodded curtly, left the room and closed the door behind him. He gave the stench in his nostrils time to disperse before opening the door opposite. He found this room to be barely a quarter of the size of the infirmary, and the narrow window faced north leaving the room cold and the four tightly squashed beds in the gloom. Dorio was in the corner bed, next to a small table with a basin and jug. His face was as white as the basin, and despite the cold air, his dark tousled curls and forehead were wet with sweat. It wasn’t hard for Vivius to surmise he had a fever. Like the other three occupants, he was sleeping, a single grey blanket drawn up to his chin.
Vivius narrowed his eyes as he studied the sleeping Decurion. Why in the name of all the gods did he find it so hard to relate to his future brother-in-law, he mused? They tolerated each other for the sake of the one woman they both lov
ed, Aurelia; yet despite having known each other since childhood, that was about all that could be said of their relationship.
As he stood watching him sleeping, Vivius found fleeting memories drifting to the surface. It was Dorio’s lifestyle that irritated him, he concluded. The young man enjoyed being surrounded by people, loud people who liked to drink a lot, laugh a lot, party a lot. Vivius pursed his lips. He found such people exhausting; he much preferred his own company. And yet…Vivius frowned as one particular incident surfaced; Dorio standing at the fence on the Suranus estate talking softly to his horses, caressing their silky necks, feeding them, at one with them, and the animals nodding their heads, snorting, nuzzling in response.
Dorio stirred. Vivius took a deep breath, and anxious to get this visit over and done with, reached over and touched the wounded man’s shoulder. The eyelids flickered then dragged themselves open as if they had lead weights attached. It took a while for recognition to dawn. When it did, Vivius was greeted with a frown.
‘What are you doing here?’ Dorio’s voice was barely above a whisper.
‘I’ve come to take you back to Rome.’
Dorio licked his cracked lips. ‘You’re joking, right?’
‘No, I’ve brought a physician with me. He’ll be with us in a day or so.’
‘You’ve come all this way for…?’ A rasping cough shook his whole body.
Vivius averted his head from the spittle. When the spasm had passed, Dorio’s right arm emerged from the bedcover.
‘There’s only one problem.’ His fingers grasped the edge of the blanket and threw it back.
Vivius’s expression never faltered at the sight of the missing left arm. The stump, above where the elbow should have been, was swathed in bandages and blood was seeping through, leaving a bloody red mark on the sheet. But worse was the foul smell that had emerged when the blanket was thrown back. Vivius had acquired enough medical knowledge on the battlefield to know that smell was more than blood, body odours and drugs.
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