Calvinius paused and eyed Taurus for a brief moment. “Unless you suggest a more equitable solution, I suggest you thoroughly deliberate the matter.”
Taurus was taken aback by the offer. The last thing he had expected was an opportunity to align with a power that could easily trample them after a few years of organized restructuring.
“An escort is waiting for my return. If you agree to the terms, then send a messenger to the border by sunset tomorrow.” Calvinius paused and turned to Lady Virga, who waited breathlessly nearby.
Taurus spoke. “Your master will be disappointed with your work here, Calvinius.”
“I’ll wager him more than satisfied.” He laughed lightly. “It has been my greatest pleasure to be your guest this afternoon, Lady Virga.” He took his leave.
Taurus stepped onto the terrace overlooking the city and gazed into the distance. Virga joined him and they stood together, silently waiting until they spied Calvinius on his dark horse, riding to meet his escort party.
“Well?” He waited for his sister’s reaction to a possible union with Rome.
“I will do as you wish, Brother. I am unafraid,” Virga replied, not taking her eyes off the rider far below, a fine sight to behold on a huge horse with plain trappings.
“Calvinius. An odd choice, don’t you think?” Taurus remarked.
“Extremely,” Virga agreed, her eyes avoided his.
“I must go to Lady Gregorian.”
“May I come too?”
He nodded, and Virga followed as he hurried to his suite.
****
Kallie lay in the governor’s huge bed, awake and alert as he entered the room. “Has my silver-tongued brother convinced you to return me into his loathsome care?”
Taurus sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed her hair.
“Calvinius laid out terms on your brother’s behalf.” His arm slid around her and he pressed his lips to her cheek.
“Calvinius?”
“Yes,” Taurus said patiently. “You swooned before meeting the man.”
Kallie shook her head. “I only remember seeing him and then it becomes dark and unclear.”
“You dislike him. Why did he cause you distress today?”
“I did not expect the emperor to be in the room. For a moment I thought Panua captured, and the tides turned.”
Taurus glanced at Virga as she moved closer to the bed, staring as though in a dream. “The emperor…in the room?” Virga asked, her voice high and light.
Taurus shook his head. “You are confused, Kallie. You saw Calvinius.”
Kallie thought he had gone mad. “I know the emperor. He is my brother, and I saw him today.” She moved her hand onto Taurus’ arm. “Did he secure a promise from you? Will I be returned?”
Taurus’ face turned into a furious mask of frustration. “Damn that Caius Gregorian. He walks into Panua pretending he is Calvinius, using smooth words to gain his way, and leaves with an ultimatum. How dare he?” Taurus growled. “Masquerading as a scholar!”
“Ultimatum?” Kallie sat upright. “Be careful, Governor. He is shrewd.”
“He is Calvinius.” Virga exclaimed. Kallie tried to disagree, but Virga continued. “He is both Calvinius and Caius. It makes sense. He prepares Rome to face the coming years of change, planting a message in the minds of the greatest philosophers of our time. They adopt his ideals as though they thought of them. He has naught to do but wait for the right moment and agree to the demands of his people.” She laughed. “I admire the simplicity of his plan. Caius. Calvinius. He is one and the same.”
Taurus absorbed the information Virga imparted. He glared possessively at Kallie. “You will not be returned. His claim on you was forfeited to me when you entered Panua.”
Kallie breathed a sigh of relief, the tension flowing out of her body.
“I’ll be damned if I will negotiate with a man who sneaks into my home in disguise,” he hissed.
****
Virga watched as Kallie and her brother exchanged smiles. She marveled at his tenderness with the girl, and she imagined Calvinius stroking her and worrying over their future. An idea occurred to her, born out of watching Kallie and her unconventional way of doing whatever she wanted. Virga silently left the room while Taurus recounted the emperor’s visit.
Taurus had failed to notice their connection earlier when Calvinius held out his hand to her in farewell. Her palm had slid against his, and their eyes held fast, a hidden message in their shimmering depths.
Surely he had spoken of his desire to take her away. Is that what he meant? My purpose will be clear soon, and it is an honest one, be sure of it. His exact words blurred in the memory of his blinding smile. To think clearly after he suggested marriage to the Emperor of Rome required concentration. Calvinius was the emperor! He had come to meet her under the guise of negotiating for his sister’s release. His words rang in her head. Unparalleled beauty. Unblemished character.
Sunset tomorrow.
Chapter Nine
Caius sat in the large command tent of his makeshift camp. Men patrolled the borders, watching Panua with keen eyes. The order had been issued to bring any messengers directly to the emperor. Captain Ovidius suggested the emperor sat in grave danger by waiting for word from the governor until sunset the next day.
Caius gave the appearance of listening, but his thoughts were on today’s events. His conclusions regarding the Lady Virga had far exceeded his hopes. The writings he’d collected over the years had given him an insight to her intelligence and wit, but he had been completely astonished at the woman’s grace and beauty. Word had circulated for years about the sister of the governor: reputed to be a cool beauty, her face resembling carved marble, her figure lithe and trim, and her aloof and calculating manner similar to her adoptive grandmother’s. Caius had been intrigued when he read her first scroll to Rome, which had landed in his hands by accident. Virga had written to request permission to view documents pertaining to Panua and Rome, from decades-old treaties to political appointments of bygone days. Caius personally answered those letters under the name of Calvinius, a convenient way to disguise his identity, and as the years passed he looked forward to her responses. In his mind she became a faceless friend who offered encouragement as he followed his path to enlightenment. When the opportunity arose to meet her, Caius jumped at the chance, cloaking himself in the identity of Calvinius and riding into Panua as an envoy of Rome. He had craved seeing her, to discover if his personal fantasy woven around the mysterious woman proved accurate.
Tonight he sat in his tent berating himself for leaving without one word of assurance she considered him a suitable husband. After their initial conversation, as he kissed her hand, one of the guards had arrived as a chaperone. Caius knew the proper etiquette, but it irked him to have no further time alone to cement a bond with Virga. Careful and cautious in his daily duties as Emperor of Rome, in this matter of the heart he found his usual logic lacking, and his mind drifted to the moments spent with the blonde beauty.
A soldier called a challenge outside the command tent. The tent flap pushed back, and a familiar soldier entered.
“Any word from Panua?” Caius’ brows drew together.
“We have discovered two men who carry a message for your ears only.” The soldier’s tone was tinged with skepticism, unconvinced his emperor should meet the messengers without the usual interrogation from a subordinate. Caution must be adhered to when spies and assassins were common tools used by the enemy.
“See them in.” Caius stood, his body tense, his mind burning brightly. The governor would reject his terms without consideration, but perhaps he tabled a new proposal.
The soldier hesitated.
“Yes?” Caius inquired impatiently.
“They don’t seem typical messengers.” The soldier shrugged as Caius signaled to admit the men from Panua. The first man, large and portly, looked more like a wine steward than a messenger. He held a leather case containing a scroll. A
short and nondescript boy accompanied him. They were dressed in rough tunics, with caps covering their heads. The big man doffed his cap and bowed low to Caius.
He fixed his gaze on the man. “What news?”
The soldier took the scroll and handed it to Caius.
“Out,” he ordered. Caius unfurled the scroll while Captain Ovidius watched the two guests for sudden moves.
Caius lowered the scroll and gazed at the big man. “What is the meaning of this?” He narrowed his gaze in suspicion. The scroll dropped to the floor, blank, without one blemish on its pristine paper.
“The message is for you alone. It comes from the Lady Virga and must be delivered by my companion.”
Caius bid his captain leave. A message from Virga could prove either welcome or unwelcome. Ovidius raised the tent flap and held it open as he and the large man stepped outside. Caius turned to face the boy, curious over the message and its possible contents. He assumed word had leaked out that he was Caius and not Calvinius. Perhaps the thought of a life with an emperor disagreed with her temperament. After all, Lidia—a woman who hated Gregorian with the deepest core of her being—had raised her.
The boy moved forward and stood directly in front of him, looking up at Caius with pale blue eyes. Caius reached forward and instinctively removed the boy’s cap. Long blonde hair tumbled out from underneath. “Lady Virga! What in the name of the gods are you doing here, alone?”
With an impish smile on her face and dirt smudges on her nose and cheeks, she gazed up at him.
“I am borrowing your sister’s ways.” Virga’s face flushed with excitement, her icy blue eyes shone in defiance.
“The governor refused to consider my offer?”
“He will not release your sister, although she has no wish to leave, so it can hardly be called captivity.” Virga explained Kallie and Taurus lived as man and wife, and Caius nodded, preoccupied with other thoughts.
“And what of you? Has he given permission for you to marry?”
“Will you send me back to Panua if I come without consent? My brother will never agree to Rome and Panua joining forces through our union.” Virga sighed. “You came to me as Calvinius, but as the emperor perhaps you feel differently after revealing your true persona.”
Caius grinned. His mind lit in wonder at her presence. “I acted foolishly back in Panua. I put you at risk. The moment I laid my eyes on you I longed to take you with me.”
Virga’s eyes opened wide.
Caius reached for her hand. “If I were to lose you now, after finally meeting and realizing we two are perfect together, I would be mad with frustration.” He pulled her nearer. “I want you as my wife. Did you understand my purpose?”
“I hurried away before the governor had time to block any chance of an escape. What does all this mean?”
“I am Caius Gregorian, Emperor of Rome. My father rescued my mother from your grandmother’s tyranny, and they have been fierce enemies ever since. Calvinius is the name I use to voice ideas too new and untried for the old guard in Rome to consider. As Emperor I must provide stability and security for my people, but over time my ideas will take root and grow throughout the empire—Virga, my empire and yours!”
Caius looked deeply into her eyes, assured this woman was the right one for him. “If you choose to be my wife, we will leave this place bound together as one.”
He burned with a passionate desire to change the world and a passionate desire to share his life with her. He offered her something no other man would or could give her—the choice to become his wife. It was hers to make, right here, right now.
“Caius or Calvinius, whoever you choose to be, I will be your wife.” Virga smiled up at him as he watched her in fascination.
“As soon as we reach Rome we will be married. Afterward, a huge celebration will be arranged for the people of Rome to welcome you into their hearts.”
He took her to sit by the warm coals sizzling in the metal brazier and passed her a small cup filled with the best wine. She sipped from the cup and then he took a sip. They passed it back and forth, sharing the delicious drink, symbolizing their unity of purpose. He placed his arm around her, and she tucked her head in under his chin.
“My escort must return soon. His absence will be noted if he is gone too long,” Virga murmured.
Caius called to Ovidius, who guarded the doorway of the tent. His confident voice resonated with authority. He instructed a few men to accompany Virga’s companion to Panua.
“Is there anything you need or want to make this parting from Panua easier on you?”
“I have everything I need,” she said, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
“I drew up our marriage contract, even though I knew it would likely be rejected by your brother.” Caius grinned boyishly at her.
“Were you confident I would accept your offer?”
“Hopeful,” Caius said. “But doubtful you would be agreeable once my true identity came out, given our family’s history.”
“Your sister told us who you were after she recovered from her swoon, afraid you had taken Panua and had come to fetch her in person.”
“Hmm,” Caius mused. “She is free to do as she pleases.”
Virga slid her hand into his. “Taurus has no plans to free your sister. He will not mention your edict decreeing her freedom from the satrap.”
Caius shifted slightly. “Kallie is able to handle her situation and will leave when ready. She has a way of achieving her wants.”
“Is that a Gregorian family trait?”
Caius grinned, absurdly happy with the woman sitting next to him. At thirty-three years of age, never once in all his years of scholarly learning had he thought love would come to him as quickly or surely as it had now.
“When our contract is signed, then I will truly answer yes, Lady Virga.”
They kissed, innocently sweet and tender, as Caius held her in his firm embrace. His hands slid into the long blonde hair hanging freely over her shoulders.
“I love you,” Caius whispered, and Virga melted into his arms as they dreamed of the life they would share together.
Chapter Ten
Kallie sat on the huge bed she shared with Taurus, her fingers plucking at the sheets while he raged over the marriage of Caius and Virga. A month ago Virga had secretly fled the fortress in disguise and run off to meet the emperor. He was supposed to be waiting for Taurus’ decision on the matter, but apparently the Lady Virga had made up her own mind and now they were wed.
Taurus growled. “A Gregorian and a Paulinus married. This is the blackest day for my grandmother and my ancestors, who have been sorely mistreated by Rome.”
Kallie laughed with scorn. “You share a bed with me, and I am a Gregorian. I have finer blood running through my veins than you. My grandfather was an emperor, and now my brother rules. Do you not think it is a black day for Rome?”
He turned in annoyance. “My sister should have married a man from Panua. It is imperative we keep our blood pure.”
Kallie stretched her stiff back, bored by his complaints.
“That’s Lidia talking, not you. Your parents were minor nobles who sold you to Lidia for a good price.”
Taurus’ look of fury scorched her. “Who told you such a lie?”
“I made inquiries,” Kallie said imperiously. “You are a country boy brought here to fulfill the wishes of an old woman casting her net of revenge against Rome.”
“Hmm,” Taurus grunted. “I am the blood of Paulinus, even if distantly related. My mother’s cousin was connected to his family.”
“Hardly a lineage to fuss over.” Her lip twisted with scorn.
Taurus swigged his watered wine and tore off a crust of bread, chewing vigorously.
“And,” Kallie continued, “My mother and your father were supposed to be wed. Lidia thought her a fine choice at the time.”
The Governor rolled his eyes. “Until she ran off, pregnant with your father’s brat.”
&nbs
p; Kallie laughed at the outrage on his face. “You say it as if you have never seduced a maid!”
Taurus reached out and managed to catch her before she scrambled away, and she squealed with laughter as he pinched her rear end.
“Don’t you dare,” she giggled, dark hair tumbling around her shoulders.
“If your mother was half as beautiful as you, then I understand your father’s compulsion to have her.”
“My mother should have tossed my father aside for his lack of manners.” She wriggled out of his embrace and made a weak attempt to leave the bed. He gathered her in his arms and pinned her under his weight in the blink of an eye.
“I have a few compulsions of my own,” Taurus breathed hotly on her neck.
“Mmmm.” Kallie sighed as his lips pressed against her cheek. “Show me,” she murmured in a haze of delicious want.
“Is my blood good enough for you, Lady Gregorian?” Taurus took off her shift.
Kallie wasn’t listening; she was already halfway to blissful fulfillment.
****
The bed stayed warm and comfortable long after Taurus had left. Kallie stared into the center of the room, tired and hungry. A bag of herbs lay hidden in a drawer, given to her by the wise woman. She took a measure of the herbs and swilled them into weak wine while listening to the servants’ gossip about Lidia and her grand marriage plans for Taurus. His edgy and short-tempered demeanor these last few days hadn’t gone unnoticed. The old woman pressured him relentlessly.
I must leave this place.
Kallie called for the servant girl, Mira, who passed messages to young Verragius on her behalf. Any hope of Caius sending word to release her from the betrothal had died. He was too busy enjoying his new wife.
She admired Virga and hoped she made a wonderful companion for her brother. Both brilliantly educated, they liked nothing better than to study and write the day away.
Not her! Married and tied to a life of domestication seemed a sure way to lose the essence of one’s self. Freedom remained the only option for happiness.
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