by Milinda Jay
Marcus could not respond to this. He was saved by Flavius.
“But you wouldn’t kill our baby,” he said. “And now you love our mother.”
There was a tense silence. Should Marcus admit this?
But it was the truth, and he had decided at the very beginning of this conversation that he needed to tell the plain truth.
“You are right, Flavius. I would not kill your mother because I love her.”
He should never have entered into the contract with Galerius Janius.
When you play in the dirt, you get dirty. That’s what his father had told him as a young boy.
He had played in the dirt, and he had gotten dirty.
He thought he had pulled out in time to stay clean.
It turned out he had not.
Chapter Twenty-One
“You’ve found your friends,” Theodora said, looking down at Annia and the others as they made their way down the street to her house.
“Yes,” Annia said looking up at the open window from which Theodora spoke.
“Just a minute, I’ll be right down,” Theodora said, and they could hear her pounding through the upstairs hallway, down the stairs, and into the atrium.
Inside the columned portico she stopped, breathless and smiling.
Theodora held her arms out to Virginia and Lucia, greeting them as if she had known them all their lives. She shook Titus’s hand and ushered them all inside.
“I know you must be famished and longing for proper baths. But is this all of you?” she asked, looking behind the group and down the street. “Aren’t there more children?”
“Yes,” Annia said, “the boys stayed back to swim with Julius.”
“You let them swim alone?” Theodora asked.
“They are very good swimmers,” Annia said, “like fish. They’ve been swimming their entire lives.”
“And there were no adults left with them? Wasn’t there another person in your party? Marcus? Wasn’t that his name?”
Annia’s face burned a bright red.
She didn’t want to think about him. She didn’t want to see him; she certainly didn’t want to speak of him.
Virginia and Lucia exchanged glances.
Titus studied the ground.
Theodora looked confused. “You know, the man you told me about, the one who saved your life and those of your boys.”
Annia looked down at the floor mosaic with its bright picture made with thousands of tiny broken colored stones. The mosaic showed a cat having just caught a pigeon, and it seemed somehow appropriate.
“Yes,” Annia said.
Theodora waited for her to say more.
“Yes,” Annia said, “Marcus is with us. He is with the boys, swimming.” She said this as if Marcus had been worthy of no more notice than a servant or a slave.
Theodora looked as if she had no idea why Annia would want to discount the man she had praised two days earlier.
Annia could not bear to tell Theodora what she had learned about Marcus.
He was a liar of the most despicable sort.
How had she ever trusted the man?
“You were right about Marcus,” she said quietly to Virginia.
“Well, then,” Theodora said. “It looks like we shall have a feast tonight. I will tell my kitchen staff. It has been a long time since we’ve had a party.”
She bustled inside.
“Why do you say he is not your friend?” Lucia asked, her eyes wide and innocent.
Titus and Virginia waited for Annia to answer.
She felt pressed and confused. What could she say? Annia began second-guessing herself.
Maybe, it had all been a misunderstanding.
But Annia knew better. Cato and Flavius had no reason to lie about what they had heard Marcus say to their father. Flavius had innocently reported a conversation he didn’t understand. Cato had filled in with his own memory of what Marcus had said, though it obviously pained him. Neither would lie to her.
Not about something so important.
“The boys overheard him speaking with Janius,” Annia said.
“Who is Janius?” Lucia asked.
“Her former husband,” Virginia answered for her. “And a more vile man you’ve never seen. It’s not enough that he sent her away, he has to poison her name to everyone he comes in contact with. He is spreading it all over Rome that Annia is an adulteress.”
“He says these things in front of her boys?” Lucia asked. “Why?”
“To make himself appear to be the victim,” Virginia said.
Annia wondered if there was a purpose behind this painful reminder of Janius.
“Janius hates Annia more than he loves his own children,” Titus said. “He hates her because looking at her reminds him of all of his failures—how he married her for her money and then squandered it on women and chariot races. When he sees her face, he is reminded that she put up with his foolishness, loved him anyway and loved her children as a good mother should. He had no good reason to banish her and had to fabricate one. He has come to believe the story he has fabricated.”
“And what does all of this have to do with Marcus?” Lucia asked.
Virginia was silent.
“The boys said...” Annia began, but just as she started to speak, she heard Flavius’s voice followed by Cato’s laughter and the deep, gravelly response that told her Marcus was with them.
“And inside is a tiny pool,” Flavius was saying. “It isn’t big enough for swimming, just big enough for the rainwater to fall in and look pretty. I don’t know what the water is used for, but beside the pool it feels nice and cool, even though we can’t get in.”
“You’ll like Theodora. She is very kind,” Cato finished for him.
“I’m hungry,” Julius chimed in
“We are all hungry,” Marcus replied.
Annia could feel the tension growing in her belly. Hearing his voice still made her heart leap. There was something disturbing about being thrilled by the voice of the man who was paid to harm her child, and yet she couldn’t help wishing it were a week ago when she had been so happy and Marcus had been innocent. At least in her mind.
But he was not innocent.
The door stood open to the street, and the three boys and Marcus walked in. Julius peeked from behind him and saw the pool. He went running for the impluvium to make it his own personal swimming pool, in spite of what he had heard Flavius say just moments before.
Marcus caught Julius by his tunic and yanked him back. “That is a water supply,” Marcus said, “not your personal swimming pool. We passed the baths a block back, remember?”
“Yes, I remember,” Julius said, solemnly. “But I really like swimming.”
Marcus ruffled his head, “I know you do, little friend. I know. And we will swim again. Just not in this pool.”
Julius nodded solemnly.
When Julius looked up and saw his mother, his smile filled his face. “Mother,” he said, and catapulted himself into her arms as if he hadn’t seen her for days. She covered him with kisses and hugged him tight.
“We swam and then we pretended to be dogs,” Julius said.
“Dogs?” Lucia asked, and looked up at Marcus for an explanation.
“We were drying off,” Flavius explained, “and pretending we were dogs shaking the water off our coats.”
“Oh,” Lucia said. “What fun. Thank you, Marcus, for watching after them.” She shot an apprehensive look at Annia.
It was clear that Lucia was nervous for Marcus. Annia looked away.
“Mother,” Flavius said. “Guess what?”
“What?” Annia asked, smiling at her sweet boy.
“Marcus found something, somethin
g that will make you very happy.”
“Oh?” Annia said.
“You have to guess what it is,” Flavius said, jumping up and down in his excitement.
“It is something very important to you, Mother,” Cato said, as if to reassure her that this was not some silly joke. “Something very important to you and equally important to Maelia.”
Annia thought hard. What could it be? Maelia’s blanket? But there was no special significance to the blue silk blanket.
“Would you like a hint?” Flavius asked.
Annia had to laugh at his enthusiasm.
“Yes,” she said, “go ahead, give me a hint.”
“It’s the same color as this.” He pointed to his own tunic with its embroidered purple band.
On Flavius’s band, Annia had embroidered the sun and palm branches, symbols of hope and victory. She remembered the joy with which she had made the band for his toga praetexta.
“I think I know what it is,” Annia said, her eyes wide.
“Say it, Mother,” Flavius said. “Say it, and then Marcus can give it to you.”
At the mention of Marcus’s name, Annia’s face fell.
“It’s the purple band for Maelia’s toga,” she said, working hard at keeping her voice cheerful for her son’s sake.
“Yes,” Flavius said. He searched her face. “You are happy about it, aren’t you, Mother?”
“Very happy, sweet child,” Annia said, and forced herself to smile and accept the soggy offering with grace.
She was happy to have it, there was no doubt. The band, with its intricately embroidered series of leaves intertwined with birds and flowers, finally completed on the merchant ship, had taken hundreds of hours of careful work. She just wished that one of the boys could have found it rather than Marcus.
After handing it to her as quickly as he could, Marcus addressed Lucia and Annia. “Well,” he said, “I just wanted to see the boys home.”
“Are you leaving?” Titus asked.
“Yes, I’ve arranged for a room at the garrison for the night. Then I will look tomorrow for passage to Londinium.”
“I’ve already found passage,” Annia said curtly, “so you needn’t worry about me and the boys.”
“That’s good, Annia. I’m glad for you,” Marcus said evenly.
“I’m sure you are ‘glad for me.’ Good day,” she said as imperiously as an empress dismissing a disloyal subject.
Marcus turned to leave, but before he could get out of the door, Theodora returned.
“Well,” she said, overjoyed to see the boys, “Flavius, Cato. I see you are back and brown as berries. Did you have fun swimming?”
“Yes,” they said together.
“Marcus was the sea monster, and gobbled us up,” Flavius added.
“And, Mother, he took us to the garrison, and we met some real soldiers. They showed us how they set up their tents for camp, and then they showed us how they made the concrete they are using to build the tower.” Cato’s face was flushed with excitement.
“And,” said Flavius, “Marcus helped them plan how to have their own fire patrol.”
“That sounds like fun. Would you like to introduce me to your sea monster and your other little friend?” Theodora said, indicating Julius.
“I’m not little,” Julius said, leaping from his mother’s lap and standing, his brow furrowed and his hands on his hips.
“Oh, yes, now that you are standing, I see you are quite right. You are not little. You are big. Nearly as big as Flavius here.” Theodora knelt down and offered Julius her hand. “It is very nice to meet you, Julius.”
Julius, having recovered his dignity, could afford to be gracious. “Nice to meet you,” he said, taking her hand and giving Theodora a little bow.
Theodora turned to Marcus and held out both hands, taking his in hers. She looked up at him, and gave him a smiling assessment. “I’ve heard so much about you already,” she said, beaming at Annia. “She told me you saved her and her children’s lives with your quick thinking. A hero in our midst,” she said.
“Hardly,” Annia muttered under her breath.
Virginia’s fierce look silenced her.
“Well,” Theodora said, her enthusiasm contagious, “since we are all here, and I’m certain you are all hungry, come join me at the dinner table, and we will eat a quick supper. Then to the baths.”
They all followed her except Marcus.
Theodora noticed him standing back. “You are joining us, aren’t you, Marcus?”
“I have already arranged for a room at the garrison,” he said, “and I feel certain they will be serving dinner there.”
“Oh?” Theodora said. “I suppose that means you haven’t heard about the food at the garrison. I hear it’s not fit for human consumption.” She laughed.
“Marcus,” Flavius and Julius said, “eat with us.”
“Yes,” Theodora said. “I insist.”
Did no one understand? This man they were all fawning over had taken money from her former husband to expose her baby to the slave traders.
“I must go feed Maelia. She’s hungry,” Annia said. Turning on her heel, she headed for the safety of the stairs and her upstairs room.
Away from Marcus seemed the safest place to be.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Annia left the inner garden and went upstairs, everyone was silent.
“Such a good mother,” Theodora said. “Do you know some mothers hire wet nurses because they can’t be bothered nursing their own infants? Not our Annia.” A look of worry crossed her brow. “I hope she doesn’t fall asleep while she is feeding little Maelia. I would hate for her to miss our party.”
“I’m sure she is very tired,” Virginia said. “Shepherding an infant and two boys through a raging storm would exhaust anyone, even two days later. I’m sure she hasn’t completely recovered. After she rests she will be right back down with us.” But the brightness in her voice went down two pitches when she added the last sentence. Virginia knew Annia would not be back.
As did Marcus.
“I don’t think so,” Marcus said.
“It might do her good to sleep, as much as I would love to talk with her. Having a child of three is exhausting, too. I understand how she feels,” Lucia said.
Titus stood, walked over to Virginia and put his arm around her. “Theodora has invited us to eat. We should go in and eat. It would be rude to allow the flies to eat the food.” He patted Virginia’s shoulder. Virginia looked up at him, gave him an apologetic half smile and followed him into the dining room.
The silent exchange between the couple pained Marcus more than he could have imagined. The way Virginia looked up at Titus, trusting him, and then following him was the way Annia used to look at him.
How would he ever regain her trust?
Lucia and the boys followed Titus and Virginia.
Julius stopped and held his hand out for Marcus.
The little boy had no idea how much that extended hand meant to him in that moment. Marcus took it with gladness and walked in.
* * *
The food was beyond Marcus’s imagining. The glossy red Samian pottery held grapes, olives garnished with a sprig of rosemary and a large platter of bread. A plate of cheeses of many textures and varieties finished off the course.
The next course was a round platter filled with a dozen or more quail arranged in a circle. Between the roasted quail were asparagus tips, and in the middle of the arrangement were several quails’ eggs.
The delicious scent took him back to Rome and feasts given by friends of his father’s.
Theodora must be wealthy, and she must have a constant supply of goods from Rome.
“My husband is stationed in Rome,” Theod
ora said. “He sends me delicacies as often as he can. It is not often I have a group of people to share them with.”
“Thank you so much,” Marcus said. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve had such good food. Your servants must keep the oven hot all day long to be able to produce such food on such short notice.”
“No, not always. Just today. I was expecting Annia and her children back at any moment. I hoped that she might bring more survivors with her, but I wasn’t certain.”
“We are all very thankful for your high hopes,” Virginia said. “You are very kind.”
“It is not often than I am able to break bread with fellow believers,” Theodora said.
The others at the table smiled their gratitude.
Marcus wanted to enjoy the bounty but found himself watching the door throughout the entire meal. He was nervous, worried that Annia would come in and equally worried that she would not.
What could he do to make her understand that he had made a mistake? And that the mistake he had made might not be as terrifying as she seemed to think. He regretted it. He would like to correct it. But how?
Virginia had told him to get Annia home to her parents. But Annia had made it clear that she could get her own self home, that Theodora was offering her own personal wagon and horses, that she could take care of herself and did not need him.
She didn’t need him. That stung.
Still, he would make certain she got home. He would see her safely to her parents’ home, even if he had to follow her without her knowledge in order to do so.
After she was safely home, he would go and visit the Vigiles in Londinium. As of yet, the fort was small, so that should not take long. However, there was no telling how long it would take him to make certain his villa was running properly.
From what he gathered, his family villa was not so far from Annia’s.
And then, after he got the affairs in order there, he would return to Rome and leave Annia alone. He would help prepare his mother and all the babies for their journey to Britain.
It was clear that Annia despised him. He would accept the prefect position and stay in Rome. It was best for all of them. He would send the letter tomorrow. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t done it already. If he could get a moment alone with her, he could explain his decision.