by Simon Rumney
Then re-enacting his wave Gavius added, “Greetings I shouted and at that stage the smile was still on my face.”
“Down the gangplank walked an authoritative man who asked in a heavy Greek accent. ‘Are you the fat man from Rome?’ He did not bother with any of the niceties. Can you imagine? I tried to give him my name but he shut me up with: ‘I am the Captain?’“
“I decided to leave it at that,” said Gavius. “I really didn’t need to know this man’s name but one thing was clear, my holiday was well and truly over.”
“Just tell me what happened without all the irrelevant nonsense!” snapped Julia unable to feign patience any longer.
Clearly hurt Gavius continued his tale in the pouting voice of a chastised child. “ ‘How many ships are coming?’ I asked the Captain as he was joined by a rather dignified-looking Roman lady.”
“‘Ten,’ was all he said.”
“The woman with him began to speak in perfect patrician Latin and asked me, ‘Who sent you?’ Can you believe it Julia? I had no idea how to answer her so I tried to gain the upper hand by saying,‘I believe it is I who should ask you that question Madam,’ but that was clearly a very big mistake. Within seconds I was being held by two very violent-looking brutes and she repeated ‘Who sent you?’ “
“I was in terrible trouble,” said Gavius earnestly to Julia. “In fact I’ve been in more trouble in the years since meeting you than all of my previous years put together.”
“Go on!” Julia barked realizing the gravity of what was unfolding.
“ ‘I don’t understand,’ was all I could think of saying and the blow to my stomach took me completely by surprise. Had it not been for the strength of the men holding me I would have collapsed to the ground.”
Pleased by the look of total shock on Julia’s face he continued with more confidence. “ ‘Why are you here?’ ‘Who sent you?’ repeated the big woman.”
“What did you tell them? Did you tell them about me?” Julia had a hint of panic in her voice.
“No I didn’t think they would believe me if I told them about being controlled by a housemaid. I had to think quickly. I didn’t want the Captain to hit me again and I believed that if I told them about you they would probably kill me for making up a ridiculous story, but if I told them the other side of the story, Bromidus would kill me without a shadow of doubt.”
“Who then?” asked Julia relaxing a little.
“I work for the estate of Gaius Marius,” I said. “These warehouses contain his cargo.”
Relaxing her tense shoulders Julia sighed, “Oh, well done, very clever a half truth they have no way of verifying that, well done, go on.”
Reveling in the only praise she had ever given him Gavius continued, “Unmoved by the name of Marius, the woman went on by asking: ‘How is it to get to Rome?’ I thought that you were the first of the ships was my honest response. All I know is that I am supposed to stay here until the ships arrive then I travel back to Rome with the cargo. My answer seemed to ring true because they simply left me and walked over to the warehouses. A little later the Captain walked back and said, ’Too much for ten galleys.’ He is a man of very few words.”
Gavius became immediately suspicious when Julia replied, “He always says very little.”
Of course, Julia denied knowing who these people were when Gavius asked with indignation. She merely waved away any further questions. Gavius could not have known that this was the pirate captain with whom Bromidus served and the woman was the Proconsul’s wife but Julia grasped it all immediately.
She surmised that they must have been given Gavius’s description by the man who Bromidus sent to recruit ships to bring the cargo back to Rome. The pirates must have become suspicious when the ship returned from Rome many weeks overdue and Julia had no doubt that during his torture the unlucky villain would have confessed everything. They would have found out that he was trying to hire other galleys which must be why they gathered a fleet of their own to pick up the cargo for themselves but did they know about the involvement of Bromidus? If they did, what would become of the arrangement between their control of the ocean and his control of Rome? If things degenerated into a war between them and Bromidus, she would be unable to guarantee safe passage for her produce and her “lions” would be lost forever. Julia pondered this eventuality with great trepidation and the need for strong wine overwhelmed her.
In an attempt to regain control Julia wondered about the influence of the Proconsul’s wife. The stories she had heard whilst interrogating the black-marketeers were obviously true, she had grown to love the Captain.
Julia realized that after fifteen years of living with the waffle of a Roman politician it must have been a breath of fresh air to meet someone as succinct as the Captain and she wondered how this extremely intelligent woman was going to affect her future.
While Gavius recounted the rest of his story Julia sifted through what she knew about the Proconsul’s wife. As luck would have it she had picked the brain of Marcus to find out about this woman because for some reason it had seemed important. Almost like a premonition their paths seemed destined to cross.
Delving into her extensive knowledge base Julia remembered that Clitumna Livia Drusus came from a very aristocratic Roman family. She guessed that Clitumna would be a well-educated woman who had never been given a chance to exercise her excellent brain. Not a bad guess as most Roman women are expected to run the household nothing more. Contributing in any other way was frowned upon and women of her intelligence often found life in Rome boring in the extreme.
Attempting to get deeper into Clitumna’s mind, Julia remembered being told how Clitumna abhorred the wasteful practice of burning galleys after taking only the treasure. Good strong ships full of cargo were being sent to the bottom just because the pirates had no interest in them.
It was Clitumna who invented the tactic of surrounding unsuspecting cargo galleys with a number of her pirate ships. It was then simply a matter of inviting them to surrender; most did not want to die and accepted the invitation. Clitumna then offered them safe passage if they followed her instructions. The ownership of the cargo on board would move by conquest to the pirates and therefore when the galley sailed on it was technically carrying Clitumna’s cargo.
As a means of insuring that her newly acquired goods made their way to Rome and the price they fetched back to her, Clitumna had the most valuable members of the crew removed and replaced with a similar number of her men. Any relatives of the Captain were always the first to be removed this gave them a strong incentive to deliver their cargo and return as soon as possible. When the ships arrived in Rome, the men of Bromidus would make sure that no tales were told to the authorities. The ship’s cargo was unloaded and Bromidus paid the pirates on board who completed the circle by paying Clitumna upon their return. It was the perfect arrangement.
It was very clear that Clitumna had used her exceptional intelligence and the Captain’s authority to build a very successful business. It was also very clear that Gavius was lucky to be alive let alone back in Rome telling the story.
“Bring the fat man to me,” were the words which brought Julia’s attention back to Gavius who was still telling his tale.
Slightly confused Julia asked, “I’m sorry, who said those words?”
Incredulous at her loss of concentration at the very moment of his impending death Gavius replied in a huff, “These were the woman’s first words after returning from the warehouses; my hands were bound behind me you know!”
“I am sorry, please, go on,” said Julia aware that Gavius was very annoyed at her lack of empathy.
“I don’t feel like talking now,” said Gavius with his childlike pout
“Please do?” said Julia in a tone that she thought might bring him around.
Looking up from his sandals Gavius repeated, “My hands were bound behind me, I could have been killed!” Then, calming himself, continued where he had left off. “All Clitumna asked
was, ‘Why did your man only want to recruit ten ships? There is enough cargo here for more than twice that number’. ”
“One look and she can estimate the volume of cargo! So she is as astute as they say,” said Julia without thinking.
“Do you know this pirate queen?” asked Gavius becoming even more disgruntled.
“No of course not, I am making assumptions as you speak nothing more. Please go on.” Julia was mentally kicking herself for her lapses in concentration.
“I told them that Gaius Marius, none other than the Father of Rome, paid me a fee for shipping cargo. How much, he did not know. I elaborated the name of Marius in the hope that it would instill fear in these strange people.”
“Well done, Gavius that was indeed a clever ploy.” Julia was not well versed in the art of flattery but the fat man seemed to need her support at that moment.
Seeming a little happier Gavius returned to his story: “Clitumna snapped at me ‘What is your role in this?’ I couldn’t help but notice that the man who hit me, the one who called himself the Captain, was being very passive. It was almost as though he was frightened of the big lady. Anyway the questions kept coming and I told them the full extent of my responsibility is as an agent for the cargo, nothing more.” Pausing for a moment Gavius relived the fear of Saguntum as he added, “She asked me who requested the ships?”
“What did you tell her?”
“That my orders came directly from the great Gaius Marius and I know nothing more which resulted in Clitumna shouting at me. She wasn’t at all impressed with the Father of Rome nonsense. The horrible woman told me that she is the daughter of a Roman aristocrat and Gaius Marius is a friend of her father. Of all things, they sat in the Senate together.”
“What happened then?” Julia was already aware of the noble birth but surprised and disturbed by her connection to Marius.
“I was absolutely lost for words. I was being questioned by a pirate who was also an aristocrat, the daughter of a Senator of Rome, no less. Then just like an everyday business proposal the big woman said, you will be needing many more galleys. The cheek of the woman can you imagine? Setting her men on me one minute, offering me ships the next.”
“So what did you say?”
“What could I say? Yes I will need many galleys,” volunteered Gavius shrugging his shoulders
“And what did she say?”
“I can provide galleys at the right price to allow you to move this cargo on the condition that you use my cargo fleet exclusively in the future.”
“And what did you say?”
“Feeling lucky to be alive I agreed immediately and without hesitation.”
“Well that is interesting news,” mumbled Julia as she walked away without saying goodbye. Deep in apprehensive contemplation Julia’s sharp mind surmised that Clitumna was seizing this newfound opportunity in Hispania to legitimize her business. Julia also pondered the fact that she had not discussed her actions with the Captain which proved that she was in command. Her dealings with Gavius also made it clear that she had absolutely no loyalty to their exclusivity agreement with Bromidus.
Growing fear of this incredibly powerful woman drove Julia immediately to the jeweler’s shop for the sanctuary of her “lions” and a jug of un-watered wine. Clitumna was a potentially dangerous adversary and Julia wondered if she would be able to maintain her own anonymity if the pirate queen started looking for the power behind the obviously incompetent Gavius.
Money for Lions
Just a few days after the first delivery of goods Bromidus sent many bags of gold coins to Gavius at his shop. He in turn called his own couriers and dispatched four of the bags to a tavern nearby to pay the pirates as had been agreed in Hispania.
A vast amount of gold and silver sesterces now lay on his counter in piles of ten and in three separate clusters, even with the pirates share missing it was still a lot of coins.
Later that day Gavius would deliver one of the heaps to the home of Gaius Marius to pay for the produce, the second was for him to cover all of his commission and expenses. The third and by far the largest was for Julia. In less than an hour she arrived and behind a locked door he watched her handling the bright yellow discs with a look of total wonder; it was like watching a child with their first doll. After a further hour of her playing, Gavius re-bagged her share and slid them across the counter to where she sat sipping from a goblet of his best wine.
Sitting down Gavius expressed his concerns about such an early drink of un-watered wine for such a young lady. He also expressed his concerns about their current state of affairs. Bromidus had unwittingly paid the very pirates he had tried to cut out of the deal and the very same pirates believe they had bypassed Bromidus. Gavius found himself covered in floods of perspiration as he thought about his predicament. If either found out the enormity of the double-cross he was lost. He wondered how such a notorious coward could find himself in this ridiculous and dangerous situation.
Julia, on the other hand, was not entertaining such negative thoughts. Everything she had planned was now complete she had achieved her goal. All loose ends tied, only one more task had to be concluded then she would have her much longed for security.
Leaving her stool Julia unbolted the door and beckoned to a young slave boy who happened to be walking past the shop. “Pick up these bags and follow me,” she said, totally ignoring his words as he protested about being on an urgent errand for his master.
Unfortunately the boy could not do the job alone so Julia grabbed another two lads and told them the same thing. These two also protested about having other duties but their words fell on deaf ears.
Her first impulsive action was to run to the little jeweler’s shop by the temple of Jupiter because the only money she had ever earned was going to help her possess the only thing she could ever love but the weight of so much gold prevented an all-out sprint, the slaves could maintain a shuffle at best.
“Come on boys! Faster! Faster!” She was ignoring all danger. Anything could have happened to boys who carried such obvious wealth but Julia didn’t give it a passing thought, all she wanted was her “lions”.
When Julia burst into his shop with her three exhausted slaves, Calpurnius the Jeweler was completely taken aback by her new found ability to purchase his most expensive item. When he told her that the amulet had been sold he could only compare her response with that shown by his wife after losing their two-year-old son to cholera.
Julia’s heartfelt despair moved him spontaneously to tears simply because it was so reminiscent of his own tragedy. Every emotion came flooding back to him as though it had happened yesterday and both of them wept sobbing tears holding each other while the confused slaves stood uneasily by.
Eventually realizing the ridiculousness of his situation the jeweler invited Julia to sit and join him in a goblet of wine and after taking a sip he recovered his composure enough to enquire if she would like to purchase anything other than the amulet. Opening his cabinets Calpurnius withdrew his most valuable items but nothing pleased her.
It took a full hour of wiping tears and holding the distraught woman before Julia spoke again, “I will pay you more than you sold my ‘lions’ for if you get them back.”
“A tempting offer but I happen to know that I will be unable to get it back.” Calpurnius was sincerely regretting the sale which just this morning he had been boasting about.
“Double the price you sold it for!” snapped Julia spontaneously.
The jeweler knew that this was no idle boast because he had looked in the bags sitting on his counter where the departing slave boys had left them. “This is very frustrating situation indeed because I sold the amulet only moments before your arrival.” He was genuinely devastated. After so many years of just looking he believed that Julia would never be able to afford it. Calpurnius had willingly broken his promise never to sell it to anyone else because she was a simple house-slave. Where was she ever going to find that sort of money? Where indeed
had she found that kind of money?
“Who is the buyer?” asked Julia in a hollow growl which sounded more like the snarl of an animal then the voice of a young woman.
Calpurnius backed away in real fear of being hit by the heavy goblet. “I don’t know the name of the man because he would not tell me but I happen to know that the amulet has left Rome.”
“How?” Julia was becoming even angrier.
“The man was Greek and he was leaving Rome today.” His words provoked Julia to a new level of anger but he dare not give even a clue to the identity of the amulet’s new owner in case she somehow tracked them down and caused bloody mayhem.
Adopting the stance of a gladiator defending himself from a lion in the Circus Maximus, Calpurnius decided not to let the bags of gold walk out without a fight and bracing himself for her next verbal attack he made Julia a proposition. “I can have another amulet made in a few weeks. I know a craftsman who could do the job. He is old but I am sure I can convince him to work again, for the right sum of course.”
“It won’t be the same, it won’t be my ‘lions’.” Julia no longer saw her “lions” as an object and offering to replace them was as futile as offering to replace a dead loved one.
The hours went by and Calpurnius alternated between comforting her and defending himself. A vast quantity of wine was being slurped down but it did not have the calming effect he hoped for because her mood was swinging like a flag in a gale and having seen nothing like it before he used a combination of instinct cunning and commonsense in an attempt to win her gold. His heart told him to escort her home but his business sense told him that there was money in great supply if only he could land her gently.
Julia felt beaten yet again. She gave her heart to the “lions” because she was absolutely determined never to love another living thing again. She viewed each beautifully crafted character on the amulet as a member of the family she would never dare to have. Each had a name even a personality and because they would never die or use her for their own ends, Julia trusted them completely. The faced amulet was the only thing Julia allowed in and the grief of losing it was unbearable. Unable to move for the pain which filled her body and mind Julia allowed herself to sink into the goblet which Calpurnius kept constantly replenished.