The Last King of Rome

by Laura Dowers

  She was in Elysium and at peace now.

  18

  Aulus Flavonius watched Servius exit the senate house. The King seemed to limp a little. Servius had certainly aged since the death of Tarquinia. It was such a shame about his wife. By all accounts, she had been a good little woman.

  ‘You look very deep in thought, Aulus,’ Gallio Burrus said, pushing his way through the crowd to stand by his friend.

  ‘Ah, salve, Gallio. I was just thinking about the King,’ Aulus said, nodding at the door through which Servius had just gone.

  ‘Ah yes,’ Gallio said, ‘not the man he was, is he?’

  ‘Not since the death of his wife, no.’

  ‘It has affected him badly.’

  There was a note of disapproval in Gallio’s voice that irked Aulus. ‘How would you be if your wife was killed?’ he rebuked.

  Gallio bristled. ‘There’s no need to take that tone with me, Aulus. It was a terrible thing that happened to the Lady Tarquinia but it doesn’t do to let grief unman one. But there’s more to my meaning than that. I’m not just talking about how he feels but how the King is in himself. You heard him talk today. He was indecisive, rambling, feeble–’

  ‘Everything, in fact,’ Aulus said, fixing Gallio with a knowing look, ‘that Prince Lucius has been saying about his father-in-law for the past six months.’

  Gallio made a face. ‘Well, he’s been right, hasn’t he? We’ve seen it today.’

  ‘I won’t deny that Servius has gone down a little of late, but he’s been a good king. I’m not ready to throw him out just yet.’

  ‘Neither am I, Aulus,’ Gallio protested, trying to laugh. ‘I’m just saying.’

  ‘There are many of our fellow senators who are just saying, my friend. I’m not embarrassed to admit that the mood in the senate worries me just a little.’

  ‘Why should it worry you?’

  Aulus pupped his lips. ‘Has it never struck you as odd the way so many of the Tarquins have died suddenly?’

  Gallio shook his head. ‘No. People die. It is the way of the world.’

  ‘But think back. The first Tarquins lost both their sons, the king murdered, the grandchildren, Arruns and Tullia, both healthy and yet both died suddenly, one after the other. And then Tarquinia, killed by bandits on a road that hadn’t seen any problems of that sort for a good few months.’

  ‘What are you getting at?’

  ‘It just seems,’ Aulus shrugged, struggling to find the words to explain his unease, ‘strange, that a family should suffer such misfortune.’

  ‘You’re forgetting, Aulus,’ Gallio lowered his voice, ‘the Tarquins are cursed.’

  ‘They certainly seem to be,’ Aulus said. He looked around the senate house and saw Lucius surrounded by at least seven senators, all hanging on his every word. ‘Is he the future, Gallio?’

  Gallio followed his gaze. ‘That seems to be the way the senate is thinking. He has his followers and I expect he’ll be the next king.’

  ‘With or without an election?’ Aulus asked wryly.

  ‘I suppose it will depend whether one is necessary,’ Gallio said unconcernedly. ‘If Prince Lucius seems to be who the majority of senators want, why bother?’

  ‘Why bother, Gallio?’ Aulus asked, shaking his head. ‘Are you serious? You would have Rome become a hereditary monarchy by default?’

  Gallio sighed, unmoved by his friend’s indignation. ‘It works for other countries, Aulus. Why not ours?’ He moved away, not waiting for an answer.

  How easy Gallio found it, Aulus mused, to accept something that is by no means inevitable. And yet was Gallio right? Did everyone in the senate think the same?

  ‘By all the gods, I hope not,’ Aulus murmured to himself, ‘for all our sakes.’

  The three cups made a dull thud as they knocked together, and a few beads of wine escaped to bedew Lolly’s skin. Cossus grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips, his thick wet tongue flicking to lick the droplets away.

  Lolly, keeping her eyes on his, slid her hand away. ‘Lucius,’ she said silkily, ‘do tell your friend to behave.’

  Lucius, who had seen what Cossus had done, laughed. ‘Get your hands off my wife, you old lecher.’

  ‘Not so much of the old,’ Cossus protested, falling back into his chair. He grinned at Lolly. ‘I’m your friend too, my lady.’

  ‘I suppose you are,’ Lolly raised her cup to him, ‘after what you’ve done for us.’

  ‘Not entirely selflessly,’ Cossus said. ‘I shall expect great things from you when you’re king, Lucius.’

  ‘I know, and you’ll get them,’ Lucius said, shifting along on the couch to make room for Lolly.

  He wished Cossus wasn’t with them in the domus. He wanted to tell Lolly about his morning in the senate house, about the progress he was making with the senators. They had listened intently to him that morning after Servius had left. He’d heard them express their concerns that Servius was making himself ill by working too hard, and he had done what he could to fan those concerns. He’d had an eager audience and not a few had taken him aside and said they looked forward to the time when he would be king. He’d had to bite his tongue then, knowing those admissions were enough for now. Their words were something to build on. But how much longer would he have to wait?

  ‘When will I get them?’ Cossus asked and Lucius heard the steel in his voice that told the question wasn’t an idle one.

  ‘Soon enough, Cossus,’ Lolly said, glancing at Lucius. ‘We’re not going to rush and risk ruining everything we’ve worked for.’

  ‘Take too long and people will forget everything you’ve told them,’ Cossus said. ‘People have short memories. And Servius’s health may improve. He may even marry again, have you considered that? And what if he does marry and has a son? Baby or not, it might be enough to convince the senate that son should be king.’

  Lolly put out a hand to stop Lucius answering. ‘Even if that were to happen, which it won’t, a baby would need a regent to rule for it until it came of age. Lucius would be the obvious choice for regent.’

  ‘Unless the senate ruled in place of a regent,’ Cossus pointed out. ‘It could happen.’

  ‘Lolly!’ Lucius said urgently.

  She patted his hand to calm him. ‘It could happen,’ she said stiffly, subduing her anger at Cossus. ‘It won’t.’

  ‘But if—’ Lucius began.

  ‘Have you forgotten your horoscope, Lucius?’ Lolly said, twisting on the couch to face him. ‘It said you would be king. King, not regent.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Lucius gasped, grabbing her hand and kissing it in his relief. ‘Thank the gods I have you, Lolly.’

  Lolly turned her head towards Cossus, enjoying the sour look on his face. She understood Cossus much better than he realised. She knew his friendship towards Lucius was only partly sincere. He and Lucius were friends, yes, but Cossus was the type of man who always looked out for himself. His campaigning on Lucius’s behalf was so he could reap the rewards when Lucius was made king. Cossus wanted to be Lucius’s right hand when he sat on the throne. Well, he could forget that. Lolly would be the person Lucius turned to, not Cossus.

  ‘That horoscope said you would begin your reign in blood,’ Cossus said after a moment.

  ‘How do you know that?’ Lolly demanded.

  ‘I swore that astrologer to secrecy,’ Lucius cried.

  Cossus threw back his head and laughed. ‘You think that would stop me? I made that little runt tell me as soon as you’d left my house, Lucius.’

  ‘How dare you!’ Lolly declared.

  Cossus’s smile died. ‘I dare do lots of things, lady. I dare to say treasonous things to senators, I give senators gold for favours, and I kill women who get in the way, all for your husband.’

  Lolly swallowed down the lump in her throat. She felt herself trembling. She wanted to say something harsh, to admonish Cossus for his impertinence, but the words would not come.

  ‘So, if I want to
know the future,’ Cossus continued, ‘I ask.’

  Lucius took hold of Lolly’s hand and squeezed it. ‘It doesn’t matter, Lolly,’ he said in a low voice. ‘We can trust Cossus. Can’t we, Cossus?’

  Cossus took a mouthful of wine before answering. ‘Course you can, old friend.’

  ‘We can trust him to look after his own interests,’ Lolly said, emboldened by Lucius’s touch.

  ‘We all serve our own interests, lady,’ Cossus sneered. ‘I do, Lucius does. So do you. So, let’s not have any more of you two being on your high horse over what I know, shall we?’

  Lolly and Cossus held each other’s gaze for a long moment. Then Lolly said, ‘Yes.’ She glanced at Lucius, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

  ‘So,’ Cossus said loudly as if the quarrel had never happened, ‘your reign begins in blood, Lucius. When shall we start the bloodletting?’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Lucius said hesitantly.

  Cossus jerked a laugh and licked his thick lips. ‘Yes, you do, you just don’t want to admit it. Whose blood do you think the horoscope referred to?’

  ‘My father’s,’ Lolly said quietly.

  ‘No one else’s,’ Cossus agreed. ‘Servius isn’t meant to die of old age, is he?’

  ‘What are you saying?’ Lucius asked, his breath catching in his throat.

  Cossus put his cup down and leant forward, his elbows on his knees. ‘You’re not scared of taking bold moves, either of you, and you’re not sentimental about family. You’ve proved that, getting me to kill your mother. I say, why not do the same to your father? And in getting him out of the way, make sure there’s no chance for an election to be held.’

  ‘I thought all this palm-pressing I’ve been doing in the senate has been to make sure I get chosen at an election,’ Lucius said. ‘Why else have I been putting myself through all that?’

  ‘That’s insurance,’ Cossus waved Lucius’s words away. ‘You’re still going to need senators on your side once you’re king. What I’m talking about is a show of strength. None of this namby-pamby asking people to like you. You should take the throne from Servius.’

  ‘Are you so very tired of waiting, Cossus?’ Lolly asked sardonically, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘You bet I am, lady,’ he said. ‘And so is Lucius. And if you’re honest with yourself, so are you.’

  ‘Well, Lolly?’ Lucius said. ‘What do you think?’

  Lolly stared at Cossus for a long moment, then slowly turned her face towards Lucius. She nodded. ‘I think Cossus is right, Lucius. Father has to die.’

  Sweat was prickling all over Lucius’s body. It wasn’t just the heat in the forum, though he wished he could put it down to that. He was nervous. No, he was more than nervous, he was terrified. It had been exciting to talk about taking the throne with Lolly and Cossus, and not only exciting but easy. Cossus had a way of making everything seem achievable; he never saw problems, at least none that couldn’t be overcome by violence.

  Lucius would have felt stronger had Lolly been with him. But women weren’t allowed in the senate and she was forced to wait for him back at the domus. Waiting to hear the good news, he thought, bile rising in his throat. It suddenly occurred to him that he could go home, turn around, walk out of the forum and return to the domus, and no one would be any the wiser. He could do that, he thought, except that Lolly would never forgive him.

  The previous night he had gathered Lolly up in his arms, kissed the top of her head and asked her if she was sure. She had angled her face towards him and thanked him for thinking to ask. For a moment, he thought she had changed her mind, but then she smiled and said she was certain, that it was the only way they could be sure he would become king. He loved her for those words. When Lucius thought of what Lolly had done, the sacrifices she had made just to give him his heart’s desire, he could only shake his head in wonderment. Lolly was more than a wife; she was his other self.

  Cossus came up to him, checking the buckle of his sword belt. ‘Ready?’

  Lucius took a deep breath. ‘I’m ready,’ he nodded, his eyes fixed on the senate house door.

  ‘Don’t be nervous,’ Cossus ordered.

  ‘I’m not,’ Lucius snapped. ‘Don’t worry about me.’

  ‘Easy for you to say, but I do worry. If you lose your bottle, Lucius, then we’re all dead.’

  ‘I told you, I’m fine.’ Lucius looked over his shoulder at the men Cossus had assembled to act as bodyguards and a greater collection of thugs Lucius had never seen. Lucius wished he could have used the lictors, but Lolly had pointed out that they would undoubtedly prove more loyal to Servius than to him. Lucius nodded towards the men. ‘Do they know what to do?’

  ‘You needn’t worry about them,’ Cossus said. ‘They’ve been told they’re here to protect you, not to start a fight. ‘

  ‘And if a fight breaks out?’

  Cossus laughed. ‘Then they’ve got my permission to enjoy themselves. But it won’t come to that, Lucius. This is going to be a walkover. Believe me, there’s no one in Rome who’ll stand up to us.’

  Lucius set his jaw and nodded. ‘All right, let’s go then.’

  Cossus grinned and made a mock bow. ‘After you, my king.’

  Lucius started towards the senate house. He felt Cossus behind him and heard the men following, knowing they were being watched by the people. Some called out, asking Lucius what was going on. He ignored them, not wanting to be distracted.

  The senate seemed huge without any senators to fill it. Cossus’s hired men remained outside the doors while Cossus and Lucius entered, their footsteps echoing in the empty hall.

  Cossus looked around. ‘No one here but the heralds,’ he confirmed. ‘Now.’

  Lucius took a deep breath and turned back to the doors, to the throne that stood in their shadow. It was a large wooden chair, straight-backed with the seat forming a semicircle, curving up to become its arms. The wood shone for it was polished daily with beeswax. An immaculate fleece, kept white through washing and swiftly replaced when it started to deteriorate, lay across the seat. Lucius put his hand reverently on the back of the chair and stroked the wood.

  ‘What are you waiting for?’ Cossus asked, frowning.

  Lucius’s jaw tightened, annoyed at Cossus for trying to rush him.

  But Cossus had never been good at being patient. ‘Get on with it,’ he growled, spying one of the heralds who stood guard in the senate heading for them. ‘You’ve got an audience.’ He jerked his head at the doorway. People in the forum were craning their necks to see what was happening in the senate house.

  Lucius moved around the throne and lowered himself onto it, his body trembling. As soon as he sat, he felt enveloped by the chair, embraced by it, and it felt as if it belonged to him.

  He looked across to Cossus and laughed almost disbelievingly. He would never have admitted it, but Lucius had half-feared Jupiter would strike him dead with a thunderbolt for daring to sit on the throne. But there was no thunderbolt. Jupiter was not displeased.

  Lucius was not allowed to enjoy himself for long. Some curious folk had poked their heads around the corner of the doorway and rushed off to tell others in the forum that Lucius was sitting on the throne. Even now, Lucius could see people pointing and talking to their neighbours, the news spreading like ripples on a pond.

  ‘My lord prince?’

  Lucius turned. One of the heralds was standing by the throne, utter perplexity in his expression.

  ‘Summon the senators,’ Lucius told him, feeling Cossus move closer. ‘Inform them their king wants to see them.’

  The herald stared open-mouthed at Lucius, not comprehending.

  ‘Go,’ Cossus barked, drawing his sword a little out of its scabbard. The herald hurried out of the senate and down the steps, disappearing into the crowd.

  ‘How long do you think we’ll have to wait?’ Lucius asked Cossus.

  ‘Not long,’ Cossus said. ‘Word will have got around that we’re here. Mark my words, all
those senators who have been lounging on their couches, stuffing their faces this morning will be rushing here to find out what’s going on.’

  ‘I told the herald their king wanted to see them.’ Lucius banged his hand on the arm of the chair. ‘I should have said King Lucius. They will think it’s Servius who’s summoned them. I should have said King Lucius.’

  ‘You’re starting to panic, Lucius,’ Cossus said unsympathetically. ‘Don’t. Keep your nerve.’

  It was easy for Cossus to say but it was an anxious wait for Lucius, sitting there on the throne with a thousand eyes upon him. But he couldn’t turn back now. He could do nothing but wait.

  ‘Look there,’ Cossus said when ten minutes had passed. Lucius looked up at him and saw him jerk his chin towards the Sacra Via’s entrance into the forum. People were trying to get through but were being hindered by the press of bodies. ‘They’re coming. I told you they would.’

  Lucius watched and waited until the toga-clad senators bustled into the senate, clustering around the throne. He felt like laughing. They all looked so confused.

  ‘Senators of Rome,’ Lucius said when the crowd had quieted, expectant, ‘I have summoned you here to make a historic announcement. Servius Tullius is no longer King of Rome. I am now your king. I, who am descended from a true king, Lucius Tarquinius. You have all been defrauded by Servius Tullius, a man born of a whore and slave, a man not fit to govern noble men such as you. Servius Tullius took advantage of my grandfather’s murder to install himself on the throne of Rome without recourse to your good advice and permission. He did not stand for election. Servius Tullius usurped the throne of Rome and has kept a firm hold of it ever since. But no longer. I am ready, with your consent, and the consent of the people, to take his place and become your king. Unlike Servius Tullius, I will respect your rights as patricians. I will not steal land from you and give it away to those who have no right or claim to it. I will not tax you so unjustly that you are unable to maintain your estates. In short, I will treat you with the respect you deserve, as I hope you will treat me.’