Graveyard of the Hesperides
Page 32
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 MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.
First U.S. Edition: July 2016