XIV
I hadn’t told Marina. We were sitting in the atrium drinking our coffee after dinner when he was announced. She jumped up, then stood bolt still watching him approach. He smiled. She smiled back, then walked up to him and put her hand in his outstretched one. They said nothing. After some seconds, he broke his gaze and looked at me.
‘Countess Mitela.’ He nodded, but didn’t smile. ‘You said you needed me. How can I help?’
He stayed for six days, upgrading and reinforcing every aspect of our electronic defences and communications. On the third day, two nondescript men speaking EUS English and carrying black leather messenger bags arrived with a small crate. The three men worked silently most of the time, wrapped in their own bubble of technology. I commissioned a helicopter to take them out to Castra Lucilla for a day. In the evenings, William Brown sat quietly, his face tight with the fatigue of working fourteen-hour days, but he seemed content just to be near Marina.
*
Driving to the Monday morning imperial council, we had to go through several new checkpoints, staffed by mixed vigiles and troops, and negotiate builders, glaziers and street cleaning vans. Rubbish, burnt vehicles and abandoned loot from shops scattered over the roads and pavements gave the city a sombre look, almost like a war zone. Nobody said a word when Fabia trooped in behind me. I noticed Interior had a vigiles officer shadowing him, and the magister militum was accompanied by a senior infantry tribune trying to look nonchalant. Unlike Fabia, none of them was allowed to be armed inside the palace precincts.
Instead of milling and gossiping as usual, some of the councillors stood in a glum patch, faces dejected, glancing across the room at others who had already taken their places behind their chairs. Not a sign of the usual banter. Some fidgeted with their folders or papers, others changed their weight from foot to foot. No sign of Caius Tellus. That was odd, very odd. I looked at Fabia and we shifted into an alcove out of general earshot.
‘Find out where Caius Tellus is. I want him tracked. I wouldn’t put it past him to burst in here with a crowd of toga toughs and take over.’
‘Isn’t that a little extreme?’ She hadn’t used the word paranoid, but I was certain she was thinking it.
‘No. Let’s be sure. Do it.’
We’d been waiting fifteen minutes when Severina entered the council room with Plico and the praetor urbanus in tow. What was Roma Nova’s most senior magistrate doing here?
‘Please, sit,’ Severina said without any of her usual vapidity. Her mouth was tight as if she had been eating lemons. As we scuttled into our chairs, the praetor took his place to one side and behind the imperatrix. Without looking back he held up his hand and flicked his fingers. A staffer handed him a purple leather folder. To my surprise I saw it was Quintus Tellus. Of course, he’d scraped in as a deputy praetor at the last judicial elections, despite his convict brother.
‘You can hardly be unaware of recent disturbances, the parades, riots and that rally by the amphitheatre,’ Severina began. ‘The attack on Aurelia Mitela’s farm is not the only one.’ She waved her hand in my direction in a half-hearted way. ‘No others have reported deaths, though, according to the vigiles.’ She stopped and half emptied her glass of water. ‘I don’t understand what’s happening,’ she continued. ‘Why are these men so discontented?’ She looked around the room for a few seconds. Nobody answered.
‘I have been persuaded—’ she glanced up at Plico and the praetor ‘—to introduce a temporary control order with curfew.’ She pulled her shoulders back. ‘I am very unhappy at doing this. It seems brutal to impose such constraints on normal law-abiding people. If you as my council are equally unhappy, then I will not sign it.’ She looked at us one by one, almost pleading. Some looked away, but most returned her look with grim expressions, only one or two councillors nodding in agreement with her.
We dropped our pebble ballots into the marble jar as it passed around the table; silver for consent, obsidian for dissent. At the end, Quintus came forward to count them. He picked up the voting urn as if it was a cauldron of hot writhing snakes. As he stood by the table at Severina’s left, all our stares focused on the pile of ballots. Only three obsidian. I let out a sigh of relief, careful for it not to sound too loud.
Severina’s face looked like thunder. ‘Very well.’ She flicked her hand as if batting a wasp away. But the praetor dodged her fingers and dutifully slipped the control order on to the table. She scribbled her signature in half a second and threw the pen down like a child in a tantrum. ‘I hope it works as you want it to.’
‘Whatever the reason behind this unrest, it must be stopped,’ ventured the magister militum. ‘I have neither resources nor manpower to field enough military to do the vigiles’ job in keeping order.’ The interior minister started to rise to his feet at that, but Severina waved him back. The magister continued, ‘Despite standing orders, Colonel Volusenia took the initiative. She performed magnificently. I’m proud to have troops like her at my disposal.’ He sent a belligerent look at the interior minister, then leaned back and crossed his arms with apparently no more to say.
‘Imperatrix, I must contest the magister’s remarks.’ The interior minister flapped two sheets of paper he was holding. ‘The vigiles are understaffed in most areas and have suffered a high level of sickness and injury in the past twelve months.’
‘Then why didn’t you ask for extra budget and recruit more as soon as you had three months’ trends?’ Quirinia shot at him. She was the deputy quaestor and knew the government budget inside out. ‘You know we have a reserve allocation for law and order.’
‘My people thought it was a temporary blip.’ He glanced at her. ‘We’ve tried to contain it, but we don’t seem to be getting anywhere.’
This was insane. Vigiles enjoyed many privileges apart from good pay and a government pension – they were housed free, paid nothing for transport and enjoyed free passes to all games. Recruiters were always turning people away.
‘Show me the figures.’ I stretched out my hand. I felt rather than saw Plico peer over my shoulder.
‘Jupiter! What’s this?’ The column for recruitment showed a twenty-nine per cent decline in the past six months. Sickness and injury had risen by seventeen per cent and the resignations rate for personal reasons was an astounding twenty-one per cent.
As I recited the figures, shocked faces stared back at me. Silence was their only reaction. The praetor urbanus beckoned Plico back to his side and whispered something to him. Plico stood up to his full height, bowed to the imperatrix, who nodded. He looked the interior minister straight in the face.
‘Your police force is being eaten up from the inside, consiliarius. And it’s been going on right under your nose. You either have totally incompetent direction or a significant proportion of the vigiles has been corrupted. The praetor urbanus has instructed me to carry out a full investigation. All proactive policing is suspended. Your role is containment and all vigiles will return to barrack quarters whether they live outside with their families or not.’
He looked at the head of the armed forces. ‘I’m sorry, Magister, but your troops are going to have to be deployed in a central role while this investigation is carried out.’
*
Fabia was waiting for me outside.
‘Nothing,’ she said.
‘What do you mean, “nothing”?’
‘We can’t find him. He’s not at home, or the Tella office in the financial quarter. I’m sorry, consiliaria, I couldn’t go further.’
Unreasonable of me to expect anything else. The Praetorians were military. They were forbidden to cross the line and deal with civilians. Even with their extended authority, the PGSF couldn’t trespass on vigiles’ turf. Gods, it was so frustrating. We had work to do, and urgently. We had trained and competent people to do it. But everything was locked up in rigid, jealously guarded institutional territories.
‘Odd, that,’ he commented on Caius Tellus’s absence. ‘I don’t like it, but I haven’t any spare capacity with all this unrest.’
‘Can’t you draft some others in? Use the PGSF?’
‘Oh, that would go down well, wouldn’t it?’ He gave me a ‘don’t be an idiot’ look. ‘We’re dealing with egos and bruised sensibilities and you’re suggesting we use the do-or-die brigade to do intelligence work? Oh, spare me, do.’
‘Come on, Plico, use the brain you’ve got underneath all that attitude. They’re tough, persistent and motivated. And they’re not stupid. You don’t know how bloody hard it is to pass the entrance tests. You know I came from the PGSF.’
‘Yes, and look at the trouble you’ve caused me,’ he grumped.
‘Oh, please! Look, I know you’re in the arena with lions on every side, but think about it. If you hand-pick them, form them into a small self-contained squad and give them some intelligence basics, they’d be invaluable.’
He made a face, but said nothing. His gaze flickered around the anteroom. ‘Okay, I’ll get somebody onto Caius. It’d be stupid not to, but I haven’t time for your other idea.’
I watched, frustrated, as Plico waddled down the corridor. I knew if I made it a formal ministerial request, he’d find some way to sideline it. I beckoned Fabia to me and asked her to fix me an appointment with Volusenia.
*
When William Brown announced the next evening he’d finished his work installing the new systems and was flying back to the EUS the following morning, Marina was standing next to him. My heart was sore. I knew what was coming.
‘I’m going with William, Mama.’ A bald statement. A fact. I was losing my child.
‘Yes, I see you are. And I know he will be kind to you and protect you.’
‘It’s not that – we love each other,’ she protested.
‘I know, darling. Of course.’
I looked at him. He returned it as steadily. He understood exactly.
She had no idea of what she would be facing. She’d be protected physically and William Brown was comfortable financially. He didn’t only have contracts with the Roma Novan government, but with the EUS, the United Kingdom and many other European states. And he’d divorced his first wife a few years ago with a generous settlement – an unfortunate alliance, according to Plico. The file had said honey trap; older woman, inexperienced young man. It was the regressive society he would be taking her into that worried me – the casual sexism, the pressure to conform and their brutal crime rate. She would be crushed by it.
When she’d gone to bed, he came back down and sat with me. I poured us both a large brandy.
‘Mr Brown,’ I began.
‘William, please.’
‘Very well. You know I’m grateful to you for responding so quickly, but I think it wasn’t for me that you were here in less than twenty-four hours.’
He tilted his head and nodded.
‘Despite the dreadful attack on her, Marina is an innocent, without any instinctive sense of self-preservation. She has a tender heart but often a child’s viewpoint. I—’
‘Please, Countess, don’t disturb yourself. I know what she is and I love her even more for it.’
‘Being frank, I worry what pressure your government may bring to bear on you and ultimately her. I know through my contacts in the EUS that the administration would like to control Brown Industries. If they try to get at you through her, she has no guile to—’
He laid his hand on mine. ‘I will take every care of her and they won’t touch her.’ His face tightened and his hazel eyes became like twin agates. ‘But if I ever track down who hurt her in the riots here, I’ll kill him.’
‘No, you won’t.’
He flashed an angry look at me.
‘I will have got there first.’
*
I embraced Marina so hard at the foot of the steps to the plane that she protested.
‘It’s all right, Mama, I’m not disappearing from the world. I’ll fly back and see you soon. Or you can come and see William and me.’ She gave me a little smile. ‘Who knows? There may even be three of us.’
I stopped hearing the engine noise, feeling the wind flapping my hair on my face. I replayed her words. And I realised she was slipping from me, possibly taking my grandchild with her. Surely it was too soon.
‘Marina, are you sure?’
‘That I want to go? Of course.’
Had she deliberately misunderstood my question?
She smiled up at William Brown who kissed the top of her head. He looked at his watch.
‘We must leave now or the pilot will lose his window. Goodbye, Aurelia.’ He shook my hand briefly, caught Marina’s in his and guided her up the steps. Marina turned and gave me a last wave.
My throat sore, I could hardly swallow the hard lump in it. I lifted my hand to wave, but only managed a feeble gesture. I stayed on the tarmac, still as a column in the forum, until the plane vanished into the clouds.
PART III: ERUPTION
XV
I went straight to the Foreign Ministry where I would find so much work I’d hardly be able to breathe, let alone think. If I went home, I would see Marina everywhere.
Claudia Cornelia handed me a summary of events while I’d been absent and another sheet with the rest of the week’s work schedule. It had been just over two weeks since Marina had been raped and eight days since the murderous attack on the farm. My daughter had been traumatised and my staff terrified and forced to live under armed guard. And now I was supposed to shuffle paper and run meetings.
‘Enough!’ I thumped the desk so hard everything jangled. Claudia flinched. I stood up, strode to the door and wrenched it open. The Praetorian outside stood to attention as I approached her. ‘Get Major Fabia on the secure net, stat,’ I snapped.
Back inside my office, I apologised to Claudia. ‘I can’t sit here and do nothing, Claudia. I know something fundamental is threatening us and we have to find out what.’ I glanced at her. ‘I may have to ask you to do things outside your normal duties, possibly risky, even dangerous. Your career could be seriously compromised. I completely understand if you decline, but I need to know now.’
Dull red patches and a tight mouth on her grave face – she looked angry. Her whole body stiffened. Damn. I had insulted her by asking. She was a Cornelia, probably the proudest and most proper of the Twelve Families. But when she spoke, her voice was as controlled and polite as usual.
‘I am unhappy that you had to ask, Aurelia Mitela. I hope I have not given you any cause to doubt my service. If you are dissatisfied, then I will tender my resignation immediately.’
Gods. Proud was an inadequate description.
‘Claudia,’ I said gently, ‘I didn’t mean to insult you or your integrity, but while I might risk myself, my family and my name, I can’t possibly expect you to do the same without offering you the choice. It wouldn’t be honourable.’
She relaxed slightly and took a half-step towards me. ‘I will serve you until I am no longer useful.’ She looked away only when the knock on the door interrupted the silence. The guard came in and proffered me a crackling radio.
*
Volusenia hadn’t softened a whit since I’d seen her the night of the riot.
‘It’s fortunate timing you asked me now, consiliaria,’ she said. ‘You may not have had time to read the circulars, but I’ve been asked to step into the PGSF branch as deputy legate. That idiot Opsius crashed his car and has landed himself with a plaster boot and his back in traction. I move office tomorrow.’
‘Then you can authorise the formation of a small intelligence unit.’
‘Under whose authority?’ she barked at me.
‘The imperial council has issued a
ninety-day control order. The praetor urbanus has assumed emergency powers on the imperatrix’s instructions.’
‘He’s sound enough but unimaginative.’ She frowned. ‘What’s Tertullius Plico’s role in this?’
‘He’s been appointed the praetor’s executive.’ I wasn’t going to give her details.
‘Ha! His dog, you mean.’ She glanced up at me. ‘And you’re pulling Plico’s leash.’
I said nothing.
‘Very well, I’ll sort you out a few people. Fabia will head them up – you seem to have worked well with her in the past.’
‘I suggest you make it a priority,’ I replied.
*
Volusenia had a first group of twenty ready for training within days. I insisted on Plico seconding two good retired operatives, but he grumbled he could only spare one. He was too pushed to even do that.
‘Look, it’s an investment for you,’ I said. ‘Two instructors will get them through in half the time. In two weeks you’ll have them ready to go out in the field. They’re not exactly beginners. You pair each one with an experienced operative. They’ll soon learn.’
‘Are you trying to teach me my job?’
‘Somebody has to shock some sense into you.’
‘I don’t think it’ll make that much difference.’
‘What do you mean?’ I said.
He heaved himself to his feet, went off to his filing cabinet and took out a file.
‘Read that,’ he said quietly and sat down in his office chair.
The report was written in an emotionless style, but I was nearly sick when I put it back on the table.
‘When did you find out?’
‘This morning,’ he replied. ‘It took the local military camp a day to discover the bodies and another day to bring the news in here.’ He slumped, elbows on desk, his hands pushing the hair back at his hairline. ‘The border post hadn’t reported in to the local camp on the regular evening radio check but they knew was a big party going on at the camp so it seems they didn’t bother. When the camp had no answer from the border post the next morning and couldn’t raise them on the phone either, the commander sent a patrol out.’ He snorted. ‘A crowd of pissed-off troops with hangovers. He put the optio—’ he glanced down at his notes ‘—a woman called Junia who’d wanted to raise the alarm the evening before, in charge of that patrol. Apparently, they thought it would teach her a lesson. Anyway, they found all twelve border guards stone dead. I’m flying up there in forty-five minutes with the magister militum’s investigator.’
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