Graveyard of the Hesperides

  I handed another coin to Tiberius as an emblem of my supposed dowry. I was almost afraid to touch him in case he crackled.

  I laid the third coin as an offering to his Lares, which appeared to be the crooked ones from my parents’ house; someone must have whizzed them up here. I tried to kindle the hearth with the sodden marriage torch; male cousins got a flint to spark, then lit the hearth for me. I tossed the dead torch among the guests, who fought for it as a lucky charm—more fool them.

  We exchanged gifts. Uncle Tullius spoke for Tiberius, saying that his gift to me was our new house, though he also gave me pearl earrings, from which I shall never be parted. I had bought him Pliny’s Natural History—but only one scroll.

  “I have to explain, love. This first scroll is an enormous table of contents—from which you will discover, I am sad to say, that the book you want most, on precious stones and marbles, is the last but one. My plan is: I give you the first book now at our wedding, then every year on our anniversary, you shall have one more scroll. When we have been happy together for thirty-seven years, your collection will be complete. You can either choose another book, or you can leave me.”

  Tiberius was smiling as he managed to croak, “If we divorce, can I keep the library?”

  “Argue when we get that far.”

  He would own the entire encyclopedia one day. I was sure of it.

  *

  Our ordeal was almost over. I recited a prayer—“Heaven help me!”—and was led by my matron of honor to the wedding chamber. Our bed, our comfortable bed from Fountain Court, would be waiting for us.

  I let Claudia Rufina come only as far as the bedroom door, which I closed very firmly. Only then could I take charge of my stricken lad. I put him to bed, trying not to weep over him too much. So many brides have to cope with new husbands who are too drunk to move. Half-paralyzed, mine could barely groan, but he was blameless. “Tiberius Manlius, you are favored of the gods. Jupiter Best and Greatest struck you with his thunderbolt, yet allowed you to live.”

  I undid the damned Hercules knot myself, but afterward he always said that was only what he would have expected of me in any case.

  *

  We lay still and quiet together, listening as our guests, drenched and exhausted, prepared to depart. Tomorrow they would all be back and we must give a dinner (Julia and Favonia had booked Genius again); on following nights, other festivities. Being married is no holiday. But the point was to make a big public statement and our wedding had surpassed all hopes. Aedile bridegroom struck by lightning would even make it to the Daily Gazette.

  I heard the last guests milling about. There were tired women’s voices as they collected up young children. Men sounded less in evidence. I had glimpsed Father and Uncle Petro, heads together, dumping their women while the women deplored them. If I knew them, it was prearranged, though I had lip-read the classic mutter of, “Let’s get to a bar; I need a drink!”

  The bar crawl would be decorous, because they were taking my young brother Postumus and Marius, who was very refined, a philosopher. They excluded the loathsome Antistius, though as a gesture to new unity, Uncle Tullius was discreetly invited.

  Some landlord would do well tonight. It would probably be at the Stargazer. But wherever they went, I knew it would be a better bar than the Garden of the Hesperides.

  Also by Lindsey Davis

  THE FLAVIA ALBIA NOVELS

  The Ides of April

  Enemies at Home

  Deadly Election

  The Graveyard of the Hesperides

  THE FALCO SERIES

  The Silver Pigs

  Shadows in Bronze

  Venus in Copper

  The Iron Hand of Mars

  Poseidon’s Gold

  Last Act in Palmyra

  Time to Depart

  A Dying Light in Corduba

  Three Hands in the Fountain

  Two for the Lions

  One Virgin Too Many

  Ode to a Banker

  A Body in the Bathhouse

  The Jupiter Myth

  The Accusers

  Scandal Takes a Holiday

  See Delphi and Die

  Saturnalia

  Alexandria

  Nemesis

  The Course of Honour

  Rebels and Traitors

  Master and God

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  LINDSEY DAVIS is the author of the New York Times bestselling series of historical mysteries featuring Marcus Didius Falco, which started with The Silver Pigs, and the mysteries featuring Falco’s daughter, Flavia Albia, which started with The Ides of April. She has also authored some acclaimed historical novels, including The Course of Honour. She lives in Birmingham, England.

  Visit the author’s Web site at www.lindseydavis.co.uk or sign up for email updates here.

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Map

  Character List

  Rome, 25 August AD 89

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  26 August

  X

  XI

  XII

  XIII

  XIV

  XV

  XVI

  XVII

  XVIII

  XIX

  XX

  27 August

  XXI

  XXII

  XXIII

  XXIV

  XXV

  XXVI

  XXVII

  XXVIII

  XXIX

  XXX

  XXXI

  28 August

  XXXII

  XXXIII

  XXXIV

  XXXV

  XXXVI

  XXXVII

  XXXVIII

  XXXIX

  XL

  XLI

  XLII

  29 August

  XLIII

  XLIV

  XLV

  XLVI

  XLVII

  XLVIII

  XLIX

  L

  LI

  LII

  LIII

  LIV

  LV

  LVI

  30 August

  LVII

  LVIII

  31 August

  LIX

  LX

  LXI

  LXII

  Also by Lindsey Davis

  About the Author

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  THE GRAVEYARD OF THE HESPERIDES. Copyright © 2016 by Lindsey Davis. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.minotaurbooks.com

  Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein

  Cover photographs by © Stephen Mulcahey/Arcangel

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

  Names: Davis, Lindsey, author.

  Title: The graveyard of the Hesperides / Lindsey Davis.

  Description: First Edition. | New York: Minotaur Books, 2016. | Series: Flavia Albia series; 4

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016001457 | ISBN 978-1-250-07890-2 (hardback) | ISBN 978-1-46689144-9 (e-book)

  Subjects: LCSH: Women private investigators—Rome—Fiction. | Murder—investigation—Fiction. | Rome—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Mystery & Detective Historical. | FICTION Mystery & Dete
ctive /

  Women Sleuths. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction.

  Classification: LCC PR6054.A8925 G73 2016 | DDC 823/ .914—dc23

  LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016001457

  eISBN 9781466891449

  Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].

  First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.

  First U.S. Edition: July 2016