‘At that point I could only guess at her real motives but I knew that she would not insist on her brother being put unnecessarily in harm’s way without a very good reason; I therefore began to counter her. I immediately began placing my people into as many positions in the other three legions as possible. Vespasian, you had already been appointed to the Second Augusta, which suited my purpose; but to strengthen my position I decided to overlook your part, Sabinus, in my patron’s elevation and, due to your experience as legate of the Ninth Hispana, which I felt might be helpful in the future, give you the Fourteenth. But then, a couple of months ago, my nomination for the legate of the Twentieth was recalled by the Emperor and replaced by Geta, ostensibly as a reward for his part in the campaign in Mauretania and its annexation. That move confirmed my suspicion: Messalina was hijacking the invasion for her own purposes.’
Vespasian looked at Sabinus and then back to Narcissus, frowning. ‘How come we’re still here? Surely she would have persuaded Claudius to replace us as well.’
‘Oh, she tried; she tried very hard, in fact, but one factor confounded her: the Nineteenth’s Capricorn. By this time I had been forced to confide in my two colleagues my fears of what would happen should she get her nominations in all four legions. Pallas showed me the Capricorn that you’d sent him.’ Narcissus paused and let his gaze pass between the brothers. ‘That you’d sent him, not me; but I shall put that bit of disloyalty aside. Anyway, it was just what we needed. We presented it to Claudius saying that it was a gift from you two. He was thrilled and made a big public spectacle and propaganda coup as he returned it to the Temple of Mars. After that you were safe; Claudius will hear nothing against you. Not even Messalina can get him to replace his “two loyal Flavians”, as he’s taken to calling you.’
Sabinus ran his fingers through his hair. ‘Why was the Capricorn so important to him when he already has the Seventeenth’s Eagle?’
Vespasian took one look at Narcissus and understood. ‘Because he doesn’t know about the Eagle yet, brother; does he, imperial secretary?’
‘The Eagle will be found at the appropriate moment.’ Narcissus’ tone showed that discussion of that subject was over. ‘So, I knew that I still had two of the four legions going to Britannia under my control and not hers. I also managed to ensure that Asiaticus commanded the reinforcements; as you both know well, he’s been of great use to the emperor before.’
Vespasian remembered the part that Asiaticus, whilst consul, had played when he and Corbulo had murdered Poppaeus, at the behest of Claudius’ mother, the Lady Antonia, eight years previously. The murder had been planned by Pallas and Narcissus and had left Claudius fabulously wealthy. He blanched at the thought; it was not a deed to be proud of. ‘I imagine that their shared past ensures his loyalty.’
Narcissus’ hand gesture dismissed the notion. ‘It’s more the fact that Asiaticus helped Claudius to invest his windfall from the Poppaeus incident and has done very well out of it; in fact, he’s recently purchased the Gardens of Lucullus. He’s very grateful and I can rely on him as I can on you two. If all four legions and the reinforcements were commanded by Messalina’s men, Claudius would not get his victory.’
‘She would sabotage it?’ Vespasian looked incredulous. ‘But that would be madness; she needs Claudius to secure his position in order to safeguard hers.’
‘Not if you look at the bigger picture. When Aulus Plautius was appointed to the command there was a debate about who would take over if he were to be killed. The obvious choice would be that fat pig Sentius but even Claudius recognised that that would be a disaster, and I wasn’t foolish enough to try and persuade him otherwise. It would take too long to get a suitable candidate from Rome or one of the provinces, which is why I chose Asiaticus to command the reinforcements; he would only be a couple of days away. But to counter me, Messalina suggested, whilst no doubt working her feminine charms on her husband, that her brother should be nominated as the commander designate as he would be closer to the action, and Claudius agreed and cannot be argued out of it. Corvinus has an imperial mandate to that effect and I believe that he intended to make use of it.’
‘He’s going to murder Plautius?’
‘He was going to murder Plautius; now he’s not so sure. That worried look that you may have noticed pass between him and Geta was not concern for the success of the invasion, it was because their plans have been disrupted. Corvinus and Messalina’s original idea was for him to seize command once victory was assured. He would claim the glory, which, as the brother of the Empress, Claudius would not be able to deny him; Claudius’ position would therefore be weakened by the invasion, not strengthened. So to counter that, I decided that Claudius should be present at the final victory and lead the army in person, even though I knew that it would mean bringing the timetable forward considerably and put a great strain on the logistics of the whole enterprise. Having never had the chance of personal military glory, he jumped at the idea and Messalina couldn’t be seen to argue with it, although I’m sure that she’ll express many a false concern for his welfare from beneath the sheets. So now if Corvinus was to decide to murder Plautius he knows that the Emperor will be coming to claim all the glory anyway, so what’s the point?’
‘None at all.’
‘Yet he still may try, and then he and Geta will ignore the order to wait at the Tamesis and press on to a victory before Claudius arrives. So this is what I need you two for: keep Plautius alive and don’t let Corvinus and Geta go too far before the Emperor arrives.’
‘We should warn Plautius,’ Sabinus suggested. ‘He’ll be easier to keep alive if he’s watching out for himself.’
Vespasian shook his head. ‘No, brother; I imagine that is something that the imperial secretary has already discounted for security reasons.’
Narcissus twitched an eyebrow appreciatively. ‘Indeed, legate; Plautius must know nothing of this and I want your oaths that whatever happens, and I mean whatever happens, you will not go to him.’ He turned back to Sabinus. ‘If he were warned of this impending treachery he would do one or both of two things. He would write to the Emperor demanding that Corvinus and Geta are replaced and, with me not in Rome to filter Claudius’ mail, that letter would get through. He would also perhaps confront them with their plan. Either way, Messalina would be alerted to the fact that I am on to her and that must never happen; my life would be in great danger and Messalina would be more careful in any future conspiracies. To get rid of this harpy I have to keep her feeling secure so that she becomes arrogant to the point of carelessness.’ Narcissus’ lips flickered in a mirthless smile. ‘It may surprise you to learn that to add to her sense of security I’ve even been helping the vengeful bitch to prosecute old enemies of her family.’
Vespasian sighed. ‘Nothing surprises me in imperial politics any more.’
Caenis wrapped her arms around Vespasian’s neck and kissed him, pressing the length of her body hard against his. ‘I’ve missed you, my love.’
Vespasian responded with equal fervour whilst Sabinus and Magnus looked around his tent as if the plain furnishings and sparse decoration were suddenly worthy of closer scrutiny.
‘What are you doing here?’ Vespasian asked, disengaging himself.
‘Exactly what it looks like: I’m the secretary’s secretary, and would you believe back in Rome I have my own secretary!’
Vespasian laughed. ‘The secretary’s secretary’s secretary? That is surely taking bureaucracy to an extreme level.’
‘Perhaps, but Narcissus, Pallas and Callistus love it; the more functionaries that they can cram into the palace and the more protocols that they put in place the harder it is for anyone but them to understand how things work.’
‘But why are you working for Narcissus, rather than Pallas?’
‘Claudius ordered me to and I can’t disobey my patron and Emperor, can I? I think that it was Narcissus’ idea with Pallas’ connivance. They use me to communicate with each other without Cal
listus’ knowledge.’
‘Loathsome little shit tried to have us killed,’ Sabinus spat.
‘Yes, Pallas was as furious as I’ve ever seen him when he found out; he very nearly raised his voice. It shattered any little trust that he and Narcissus had for Callistus. Now they’re trying to find or fabricate evidence that Callistus is working with Messalina so that he’ll go down with her. Rome’s not a good place to be at the moment.’
‘How’s our uncle coping with it?’ Vespasian asked.
‘He’s keeping out of the way as much as possible, although his new domestic arrangements mean that he has to get out of the house more than he would like.’
‘Mother’s finally arrived?’
‘Yes, two months ago, Artebudz escorted her; she and Flavia have differing views on how to look after children.’
Vespasian grimaced. ‘I can imagine. I don’t suppose they keep them to themselves either, do they?’
‘I’m afraid not. I’ve got letters for you from both of them and one from your uncle, all no doubt complaining about each other.’
‘It’s as bad as Claudius’ squabbling freedmen,’ Magnus commented, pouring himself a cup of wine.
‘Worse even,’ Sabinus chuckled, ‘at least they don’t all live in the same house.’
Vespasian scowled at his brother. ‘Perhaps I really should start thinking about getting my own house.’
‘Don’t come asking me for a loan, brother.’
‘I’d wait a while, sir,’ Magnus advised refilling his cup. ‘Things ain’t going to be too stable in Rome with Narcissus and his mates bringing down the Empress.’
‘If they manage to get her.’
‘Oh, I’m sure they will get her; but the trouble is when they do who’s going to take her place? That’ll be a position that will attract applications from some poisonous bitches.’
‘We’ll worry about one poisonous bitch at a time. Seeing as Narcissus seems to have involved us in this fight I see no reason for him not to involve us in the next.’ Vespasian put an arm around Caenis’ shoulder. ‘In the meantime, I’ve got things to do.’
Magnus drained his cup. ‘I thought you were going to join your lads practising for the invasion this afternoon.’
‘I’m sure they can manage on their own.’
‘Whilst you invade elsewhere, if you take my meaning?’
Caenis smiled. ‘Something like that, Magnus.’
CHAPTER XIIII
‘ARE YOU QUITE certain of this?’ Aulus Plautius demanded of two Gallic traders standing nervously before him in his briefing room, now awash with flickering oil lamps.
‘Yes, general,’ the elder of the two replied, ‘my son and I heard the news yesterday. We sailed from Britannia at first light this morning; they had begun to muster in the lands of the Cantiaci in the south-eastern corner of the island.’
‘I know where the Cantiaci live,’ Plautius snapped; his temper had not been helped by this news. ‘How many tribes?’
‘The Catuvellauni and all the tribes under their rule.’
‘Who commands them?’
‘Caradoc, or Caratacus as you Romans call him, and his brother Togodumnus of the Catuv—’
‘I know which tribe they’re from!’ Plautius tossed a chinking purse at the older man. ‘You may go.’ The traders bowed and hurried out of the room as he turned to a huge long-haired man in his early thirties, with a ruddy complexion and a long, drooping moustache. ‘How many men do you think, Adminios?’
The Briton answered immediately. ‘If both my brothers are there then that would mean the Trinovantes, the Atrebates, the Regni confederation and the Cantiaci confederation at least; and then possibly the Dobunni and Belge from further west. That’s a force of at least one hundred thousand warriors, possibly more, facing us on the beach. And I can assure you they will be waiting; it’s their best chance of defeating us.’
‘Not all the Atrebates and Regni confederation,’ an elderly Briton, with greying hair and black moustache in the same style, interposed.
Plautius ran a hand through his close-cropped hair. ‘What makes you say that, Verica?’
‘My nephew, the King of Vectis, hates Caratacus; his sub-tribe won’t be joining the army. Nor will all of my people, the Regni.’
‘Even so, that’s still going to be many more than faced Caesar and he had a hard enough time of it.’ Plautius looked over to his legates seated on his right. ‘Well, gentlemen, it seems that they have found out that we’re coming early; the question is what do we do about it?’ He could not disguise his alarm.
Vespasian glanced at his three colleagues, none of whom looked as if they were about to come up with an idea. ‘We need to delay; a force that size can’t live off the land for very long at this time of year. They’ll have to disband soon.’
‘I agree, Vespasian; that’s the obvious thing to do, but politically it’s impossible. I can see myself facing a treason charge if we leave harbour so much as an hour late. We have to go in two days’ time, which means that we start embarking the troops tomorrow.’
‘Change where we land, then,’ Sabinus suggested.
‘That’s what I’m considering. Tribune Alienus, the large map.’ Plautius stood and walked to his map table; his legates joined him. A young thin-stripe tribune unrolled a map showing the south and east coasts of Britannia and the Gallic coastline closest to the island. Plautius pointed to Gesoriacum and then to a point just northeast of the nearest part of the Britannic coast. ‘I planned to land here, just as Caesar did, for three reasons: first because I didn’t want to risk a longer voyage than necessary, second because we have Caesar’s record of the landing place and these fucking tides that they’re so fond of up here, and third it’s the shortest crossing for our line of supply. From here I planned to cut up north to the Cantiaci’s main town and restore Adminios to his throne.’ He traced his finger up to a town just inland from an island on the eastern tip of Britannia. ‘At the same time the fleet would take control of the channel between this island, Tanatis, and the mainland giving it access to the Tamesis estuary and the mainland. I would also send a secondary force south to secure the small natural harbour under the white cliffs here.’ He pointed to the closest part of Britannia to Gaul. ‘With our rear secure and a pro-Roman administration in place along our supply lines, we would force-march the thirty miles from the Cantiaci town, or Cantiacum as I shall now refer to it, along the estuary, keeping to the north of this range of hills to shield our flank, to seize the only bridge over this river, the Afon Cantiacii, which flows into the Tamesis estuary here. This route has two major advantages: we can receive support and supplies from our fleet in the estuary and we can take advantage of the hills, which Adminios tells me are only partially wooded, for feeding our animals.’ Plautius traced his finger along a line almost parallel with the estuary. ‘From here I would head west until this ford on the Tamesis, here, cross into Catuvellauni lands and then push east to their capital, the Fort of Camulos, so named after their patron god of war.’
‘What happens if the Britons destroy the bridge before we get to it?’ Vespasian asked, looking at the river that seemed to be the only major obstacle before the Tamesis ford.
‘In all likelihood they would and will try to hold the river against us; in fact that’s what I expect them to do. But we’ll probably have to fight them crossing the Tamesis so it’s no bad thing to give the lads a bit of practice with this river first.’
‘And we’ve got eight infantry cohorts and one cavalry ala of Batavians; I’ve seen them cross rivers, it’s not a problem for them. We should play to our strengths, sir.’
‘Oh, we will; we’ll bring light boats in the baggage train to bridge the river, they won’t expect that. But all this is going to have to change now if we’ve got a hundred thousand hairy-arsed savages covered in that hideous blue-green clay waiting for us on the beach, with bags full of slingshot and an unwelcoming demeanour.’
‘Why not land near the Fort of Camulos
itself,’ Corvinus suggested, with a look in his eye that immediately confirmed to Vespasian that Narcissus’ theory had some foundation.
‘I can’t take that without the Emperor.’
‘Then land well to the north of it in the lands of the Parisi, with whom we have a peace treaty,’ Sabinus said, pointing to an area well to the north on the east coast, ‘and come down the coast; it all has to be conquered at some point.’
‘That would be military madness, legate, putting our forces at the end of such a long sea route supply line; only a woman would think that feasible.’
Sabinus tensed at the insult.
‘I apologise, Sabinus, that was unworthy of me; all possibilities should be discussed.’
Sabinus relaxed and raised his hand in acceptance of the apology; Corvinus, next to him, smirked.
‘What if we should land further west?’ Geta suggested, putting his finger on an island along the south coast. ‘The channel between Vectis and the mainland would protect the fleet; or there’s this natural harbour just east of it, which I believe is Verica’s capital, so we may get a friendly welcome.’
Verica inclined his head in agreement. ‘From my people, the Regni, you would, but they are just one sub-tribe of the Atrebates; you would have to fight your way north and before you did so you would have to defeat my nephew on Vectis.’
Plautius shook his head. ‘And on the way north we wouldn’t be able to receive support from the fleet. We’d have an overland supply line over seventy miles long by the time we got to the Tamesis and we would be open to attack from east and west as we went north; it’s too risky. One reverse and we could be cut off and humiliated. So, bearing in mind that only a fool would split his forces in such hostile country before a decisive victory, we have to work out a way of landing the whole force in the southeast.’
Vespasian cleared his throat and pointed at the channel between Tanatis on the extreme eastern tip of Britannia and the mainland. ‘Then do your original plan backwards, sir. Land here behind them and then come south and take them in the rear. We’re going to have to fight them at some point so if they’re going to oblige us by putting all their men in one place I think we should take advantage of it.’
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