By one o’clock my stomach was rumbling and I was dying of thirst; my legs and knees had almost locked up. When he went out for a meeting, for an hour, he said, I fled downstairs where Drusilla gave me some soup. The damned buzzer went as I was gulping down the last of it. Just as I reached the atrium door, I found my way barred by Phobius.
‘In a hurry, darlin’?’ He reached out for my breast, but I smacked his hand away. He pushed me against the wall, his arm across my throat, and fumbled for the hem of my tunic. I brought my leg up and kneed him hard in the groin. ‘You cow,’ he croaked, bent over and panting hard. He clicked his fingers at the two nats guards. ‘Take her to the punishment cell and chain her up. I’ll flog her myself.’
I opened my mouth, but words wouldn’t form. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Flog? The nearest guard went to grab my arm, but out of sheer instinct, I feinted and brought my arm up and chopped the edge of my hand right across the jugular in his neck. He staggered back, right against my outstretched leg that I bent up at the knee just as he went over. He fell like a dead weight into an unconscious heap. The second one ran for me, but I spun round and dodged at the last minute. He hit the double doors. When he came back, I chopped the bridge of his nose, hard. As he crouched over, my elbow hit the soft spot in front of his ear and he collapsed screaming in pain. Phobius had recovered enough to snarl at me.
‘You cow, I’ll tear your limbs off one by one.’
I flexed my legs, shifting my weight on the balls of my feet, ready to lunge at him. I beckoned him with my four fingers in parallel.
‘Come on, then. You wanted to touch me. Here’s your invitation.’
He hesitated.
‘No? Not so brave now, little man, are you?’
‘Don’t call me little. You’ll find that out when I fuck you.’
I burst out laughing. ‘Wrong, Phobius. You haven’t got a tenth of the strength to satisfy a real woman.’
He went red, the vein on his forehead throbbed and a feral look shone from his eyes. He charged me, but I sidestepped and punched him in the ear. Grabbing his wrist, I yanked it hard, causing him to shriek and collapse onto his knees.
‘My reply is no,’ I said.
The door opened. Caius.
Merda.
I swallowed hard. The elation of winning fled and cold washed over me. I had just condemned Calavia, Atrius and my whole family.
‘This is the second time you have been late when I summoned you,’ he said, looking at me.
I stared at him. What world was he living in? He looked briefly at the three figures struggling to their feet, then back to my face. ‘Inside,’ he commanded. He shut the door behind me. I crossed to the drinks side table and grabbed a glass of water. In between gulps, I caught my breath. My right hand was starting to throb so I plunged it into the ice bucket.
After five minutes, Caius came back into the atrium. He stood by the doors, hands behind him and studied the floor.
‘Having been on the receiving end of your, er, talents several years ago, I have a great deal of sympathy for Phobius and his men at this moment.’
‘He threatened to flog me for defending myself!’
He looked up.
‘Harsh, of course, but one of Phobius’s responsibilities is maintaining discipline.’
He walked over to me. I went to speak, but he held his hand up.
‘I will let this pass this time. You will not attack any more of my staff or colleagues for any reason. If you do, regrettably, I will hand you over to him.’
‘But—’
He slapped my face, not hard, but stinging.
‘Do not interrupt me, Aurelia, I dislike it intensely.’ His agate eyes burned. ‘But you can be reassured that Phobius will not touch you in the future.’
*
I stood by the service table that evening and occupied myself with pouring drinks for two other women to take round on trays. My hand was bandaged so nobody could see the bruising from earlier. Neither woman had said a word to me. Had I offended them somehow? Or were they just as nervous as I was? If Phobius was prowling round terrorising the staff, no wonder they kept their eyes down and said nothing. And it was only women who carried out domestic tasks now. The only men were clerks, two grumpy maintenance men, the boorish cook, nationalists everywhere, and armed male military. It was so unnatural.
When my former ministerial colleagues – the male ones – filed in with representatives of the Twelve Families, the Senate and local businesses, I was reluctant to show myself. Pride? Possibly. Embarrassment, certainly.
Ten minutes after the appointed hour, when the men were greeting and chatting to each other, Caius made his entrance. His tall, impeccably suited figure had presence, I had to admit. He walked slowly, nodding to this one, saying a few words to that one, smiling to all. One of the serving women approached him and handed him a drink. He took a sip, then scanned the room and found me. He raised his finger and beckoned. I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t seen. I walked over slowly. One or two half turned in the way people do when they become aware of another’s presence. One by one the others stopped talking and stared. Then they all broke in at once.
‘Aurelia—’
‘Consiliaria, what—’
‘My dear Countess, are you—’
‘Senator Mitela, where—’
Caius placed his hand on my shoulder; his fingers gripped into the soft flesh by my collar bone. ‘Aurelia no longer holds any of those positions. She now serves in my household.’ He released me and tipped his chin at me. ‘Go about your duties. Replenish these gentlemen’s drinks.’
They watched us, as if mesmerised. Wide eyes, shocked expressions, some frowning, some opened their mouths, but none said anything. Warmth crept up my neck into my face which made the bruising hurt like Hades. Then one by one, they turned their eyes away and started talking to each other again.
I walked back to the side table, pressing my lips together and blinking back my public humiliation. One of the other women glanced at me, this time not unkindly. She handed me a jug of wine and picked up another for herself. She cupped her hand round my elbow as a friend would and together we walked back to the group. Furtive smiles and nods from my ex-colleagues greeted me as I circulated. One or two muttered ‘so sorry’. But nobody spoke up for me. They were like sheep, all too frightened of Caius and his bullies.
He called for their attention and they stopped talking almost as one.
‘Gentlemen, thank you for coming here this evening. This is an informal evening, so I won’t hold you up too long from your networking.’ He gave them a full teeth smile and some gave a chuckle in return. ‘I wanted to clarify the situation now and outline the future. Public notices were posted an hour ago and details will be flowing out from my office over the next few weeks, but here are the basics. The female Apulian dynasty is finished. The eldest son is, regrettably, dead and there is no trace of the daughter.’
So Caius still hadn’t found Silvia. I was so pleased I nearly smiled, but remembered just in time where I was.
‘The female heads of the Twelve Families have been dismissed as have the female senators, lecturers, judges and civil servants. All commissions previously held by women in the military, vigiles and other forces have been cancelled and women personnel of all ranks dismissed. My colleagues from the Roman National Movement auxiliaries will step into the breach in the meantime.’
‘Mars help us,’ the magister militum muttered.
Caius frowned, but continued.
‘Women who own businesses or significant shareholdings have been sent notices to sign them over to a male relative within thirty days. Inevitably, there will be some readjustments needed, but at the end of six months, I expect to have the transition fully in place. New laws are being introduced to assist this process and they will be strictly enforced. Married women and mothers
will take up their traditional roles and nurture the next generation. Single women will be permitted to work in subsidiary roles, but resign on marriage.
‘We have restored order, structure and stability to our country. These are essential to true Roman values. They powered the ancients for over a thousand years. We will restore the natural balance and make a stronger Roma Nova both at home and in the world.’
He raised his glass. ‘Vivat Roma Nova.’
Like me, they were trapped, so they duly raised their glasses and returned the toast.
We three women watched from the side as the men mixed and mingled, talking about Caius’s announcement, a few laughing here and there. For most of them it was business as usual. I despaired. Had the former ways been so difficult and oppressive? Wouldn’t they at least make an effort to counter this coup?
Despite the noise that inevitably increased with alcohol, I heard something else. It was coming from outside. I looked through the window that overlooked the front courtyard of the palace. Shouting and chanting, banners strung across groups and placards jiggled up and down. A crowd of women and men had gathered in front of the closed palace gates and more were joining from the sides. Mixed military and nationalists porting weapons faced them from the inside. Gods, somebody had better diffuse that soon or there’d be a full-scale riot with the inevitable casualties.
I searched for Caius. He was nodding his head as if taking in what the new head of the chamber of commerce was saying. He must have felt my gaze on him as he turned and raised an eyebrow at me. I flicked my eyes towards the window, casting him an urgent look. He creased his eyes and turned away, but I saw the cruel hard line of his mouth, then a little smile.
Oh, gods, he knew. He knew and wasn’t going to do anything to stop it. The noise grew louder and a few on the edge of the group of drinkers looked over. The magister militum came over to the window. He studied the crowds below, then grabbed the radio from his belt and barked orders into it. Only static answered him.
‘What the hell’s wrong with this thing?’ He shook the handset.
‘No signal. The transmitter isn’t working,’ I said as quietly as I could.
‘Why not? The relay is here at the palace. It’s normally signal strength five.’
‘Precisely.’
‘What do you mean, Aurelia?’
‘Obviously, it’s been turned off.’
‘The bastard.’ Others had clustered by the other windows and were gaping down.
‘I’m so sorry about your situation,’ the magister whispered. ‘I’ll try and buy your contract from Tellus, but I doubt he’ll sell.’
‘What do you mean, contract? I’m a detainee, a terrorist according to his sidekick.’
‘You don’t know what that steel bracelet means?’
‘It’s part of Caius’s tagging system. Look, I’ve agreed to do what he says if he spares the two Praetorians who came with me,’ I whispered. ‘Once they’re safely across the border, I’ll be out of here.’
‘No, you won’t, my dear. That steel bracelet marks you as Caius’s property. Technically stands for “state contracted worker”, but slavery by any other name.’
Before I had time to digest what he’d said, shots rang out from the courtyard below. The rest of them rushed to the windows and I was jostled out of place. I looked over at Caius, but his face was almost serene. He walked towards the windows in a measured pace, grasped my arm and pushed me forward to the glass.
‘That, my dear Aurelia, is what happens to opponents and rebels.’
I looked down in horror at the twitching and then immobile bodies on the ground, at the shattered flesh, hopes and lives.
XXX
When the last of Caius’s guests had gone, he strode over to the window and looked down to where the ambulances and funeral service vans were clearing up. He fished in his inside jacket pocket and drew out a silver case, took out a cigarette, tapped it and lit it. He took a deep draw then released it in a long, slow stream of smoke.
My companions and I finished tidying up and loaded the dumb waiter. I wanted to leave and find a window that let in fresh air, not because of the smoke; I needed to get out of the atrium away from this monstrous man.
‘Aurelia. Stay where you are. You other women, out.’
He finished his cigarette and stubbed it out in one of Severina’s crystal trinket trays. ‘You played your part well this evening.’
I said nothing.
‘Wolf bitten your tongue out, or are you just sulking?’
‘Just leave me alone, Caius.’
‘Dear me, and after the effort I made to make you part of the evening.’
‘You shamed me in front of my peers and colleagues.’
‘Your “peers and colleagues” now are the women in the domestic hall.’
‘Not in my head and my heart. I know who I am and you’ll never change that, whatever steel rings you put on me.’
‘Yes, the magister was rather busy explaining that this evening, wasn’t he? I really must replace him.’
‘Was that what was happening in the guardroom? No wonder they were terrified and crying. How can you enslave free citizens? It’s never been permitted in Roma Nova. Apulius specifically excluded it from the Twelve Tables.’
‘Times change and we need the labour of all these unemployed people.’
‘Then pay them.’
‘What a quaint idea.’
‘And slaughtering innocent demonstrators? What would you call that?’
‘That was a demonstration for my guests and for the general population. My rule will be strong, but fair.’
‘Fair?’
He held his hand up. ‘Enough. You are becoming irritating.’ His eyes gleamed, the strange green-amber colour darkened. ‘And I was thinking about releasing your two friends tomorrow. Perhaps I won’t now.’
I took a deep breath. ‘I apologise for my harsh words and will retire with your permission.’
‘Much better.’ He clapped his hands slowly. ‘But don’t bottle it up to the point of imploding, Aurelia. I need you alive for a while longer.’
*
I struggled to get to sleep that night. The bed was plain but comfortable, the window brought in crisp, refreshing air and I was exhausted with the mental strain of my existence. Eventually, I suppressed the horrendous images of last night’s slaughter enough to doze off.
I woke at first light, feeling like a sack of lumpy, uncoordinated flesh. Just as I finished my quick bath, the damned bracelet buzzed and flashed. I’d tried keeping it under the water in the bath yesterday so the water would leak in and stop it working, but the bloody thing was obviously well waterproofed. I pulled on my clothes and sandals and hurried up to the atrium. I knocked and entered. A slight figure in outdoor clothing stood this side of Caius’s desk. Sitting on a chair and holding a walking stick was a tall man. My heart pounded with delight – Calavia and Atrius, dressed for travelling. He really was releasing them. The mission would be reactivated, thank the gods.
‘Ah, Aurelia, my dear, do come in.’
Caius’s tone was warm and inviting and he smiled at me as if we were lifelong buddies. Of course, he was doing it to pollute their memories of me. Bastard. Two of his nationalists, fully armed, stood at the wall behind him.
‘You summoned me, First Consul?’ I kept my voice as neutral as possible.
‘You’re very formal this morning.’ He smiled again. I wanted to smack it from his face. I ignored him and put my hands out to Calavia. She looked at my clothes, searched my face and looked at my hands, hesitating before accepting them. I pressed hers hard and willed her to believe in me. I held my hand out to Atrius. His face was pale, bruised, one eye half-closed; he looked thirty years older than he should. What in Hades had they done to him? Eventually, he took my hand, but released it as soon as he could. What had Caiu
s been saying to them?
‘Your friends are leaving for exile,’ Caius said. ‘I thought you would like to bid them farewell.’
‘Would you give us a few moments alone, First Consul?’
‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Make your farewells; they have a train to catch.’
I swallowed, trying to think of some way to convey a message. ‘Travel safely, my friends, and may Mercury speed you on your way. Give my regards to Numerus and his daughter. Tell him I’ll drink a toast to Maxima.’
Calavia shot me a strange look but Atrius said nothing.
Caius flicked his fingers and the two nationalists stepped forward. Caius stood up, came to my side and to my horror slid his arm round my waist. I tried to pull away, but his grip was more than firm. Warmth crept up my neck into my face.
Atrius cast me a look of disgust and Calavia looked away. They turned and walked to the door, Atrius leaning heavily on his stick. I wanted to run after them, to explain, but Caius held on to me like Pluto himself.
‘Steady, Aurelia, don’t spoil it now,’ he murmured. ‘They’re not over the border yet.’
As I watched them disappear through the doorway, I felt his warm breath on the skin of my neck and shivered. I made myself look into his eyes, trying to see any honesty in them. I saw nothing but an intense stare back.
‘How do I know you’ll do as you say?’ I said. ‘You could just drive them up to Truscium, dump them there and I wouldn’t know.’
He released me and gave a theatrical sigh. ‘I will ask my men to take a photograph at the border. But I don’t think your ex-comrades will be sending you a postcard when they reach Vienna.’
No, they’d think I really was a collaborator, especially after Caius’s performance just now. I’d fought so hard to ensure Calavia and Atrius would be released and they’d literally turned their backs on me.
*
Down in the domestic hall, Drusilla made me drink a cup of coffee – I couldn’t face breakfast. Caius had told me to get out of his sight. Somehow I’d ‘irritated’ him again. I didn’t care now.
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