“There is nothing wrong, Metellus,” Verenus replied cordially, before Livia could say anything. “We were having a healthy discussion on politics. My outdated views, are not Livia's I fear. Your wife is quite charming.”
Livia just managed to contain her gasp of astonishment. Verenus had become the perfect gentleman within a heartbeat, and she realised that as well as being a liar, he was a consummate actor as well. Her intuition had been proved right. She needed to be wary of Verenus. Very wary indeed…
“Now, I will leave you two young people to your own devices. I need to speak to a few people before we eat. I intend to leave Rome in the morning, as I am overseeing the building of a new villa outside Herculaneum. My villa is yours for as long as you need it,” then he bowed to them both, before walking away.
As Livia stared after the older man, she couldn’t help but be pleased that he was not going to be staying at his villa whilst they were in occupation. She didn’t think she could bare his anger, and suspicions, about her family-
“I don't think it was politics’ you were discussing with Verenus was it?”
Livia stiffened at the mocking tone of his voice, but not wanting to inflame the tension any further, she shrugged slightly, “It was nothing of any major concern.”
She was spared any further questions when the doors to the triclinium opened, heralding the commencement of the evening meal, and before Metellus could question her further she asked, “Shall we follow the others in?”
Thankfully, Metellus didn’t probe any further, and he offered his arm for her to take as they made their way into the dining room. But when they reached the couches they were to lie on, Metellus leaned in and whispered, “This conversation is not finished, Livia.”
It was only when they were lying on the couches, after the evening meal had finished, that Livia was able to relax. Verenus had laid on some entertainment, jugglers and dancers, but in order to accommodate them in the room, the couches had been moved so they were now up against the walls of the room. It also meant Verenus and Antonia were on the other side of the room, seated together, and for the first time that evening she wasn’t subject to his hooded stare. It was also during the show that Livia made one startling discovery…
Verenus seemed to be totally besotted with Antonia.
As she watched him from under her long lashes, she saw he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He seemed to hold onto every word Antonia said, seemed to drink in the beauty of the older woman as she conversed with him, and several other people around her.
The longer she observed them she realised that Antonia seemed oblivious of Verenus's infatuation with her, and as she looked around the room she wondered if she was the only one to see it. Again, call it a woman's intuition, but Livia was convinced Verenus was in love with his sister-in-law-
“You left very quickly this afternoon. I trust you had no ill effects?”
Livia snapped out of her reverie, glancing sideways to see Metellus propped up on one elbow watching her, a goblet of wine in his hand. Livia blushed, as she was once again reminded of the wanton way she’d behaved earlier.
Striving for calm, and trying to control the sudden thudding of her heart, she smiled up at him and said flippantly, “No ill effects. And you?”
Metellus threw back his head and laughed, and Livia saw several people turn to watch them. It was obvious they were the couple of the moment, and Livia knew that everything they said, and did tonight, would be recalled in minute detail, and talked about on the morrow.
“No, Livia. No ill effects whatsoever. Quite the opposite in fact. It was the best sex I've ever had.”
“Metellus!” Livia gasped, unable to stop the flush of colour staining her cheeks, and again Metellus laughed at the shocked expression on her face.
“I like to tease you, Livia. You are so easy to tease.” He leaned forward and whispered, “And I like it when you laugh and smile. But best of all, I like the little noises you make in the back of your throat when we make love,” he lifted a shoulder, “It was such a shame I had important business to attend to this afternoon, otherwise…”
The huskiness of his voice, and the way he was looking at her with undisguised longing, was nearly Livia's undoing. She had to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss him. But she didn't of course. This was hardly the place to do so – not with so many prying eyes watching them – Verenus included - if the dark looks he was shooting over at them was anything to go by. Instead, she leaned forward and picked up her wine goblet, looking at Metellus from under her lashes.
He looked very handsome this evening, and she would have had to be blind not to notice the covert looks the other women were giving him, as he lounged on the couch next to her. Dressed in a dark blue tunic of the finest silk, the fabric moulded his strong muscular physique, and she had to stop herself from reaching out and running her hands over his chest-
“If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be responsible for my actions, Livia. And, I think your embarrassment will be far greater than mine, if I were to carry you away right now, and take up where we left off this afternoon.”
His words were whispered close to her ear. Unconsciously, her tongue wet her suddenly parched lips at the thought of him carrying out his threat. She watched, as his eyes lowered to her mouth and for a moment a long, heavy silence hung between the two of them.
It was Livia who looked away first, to stare across the room to where the dancers were performing, forcing her mind away from the thrill of his words. It was only when the dancers had finished, and had left the room that Livia risked glancing around the room watching the assorted guest’s converse with each other. There was definitely a relaxed atmosphere in the room, everyone seeming to have enjoyed the food, and entertainment, which had been laid on.
All except the host, she realised with a start, when she met Verenus’s dark brooding gaze once more.
Her eyes widened when she saw the hostile look he shot at her. Why did he hate her so? It didn't make sense. Surely, he must know she wasn't a threat to him – or to Metellus and Antonia? The only logical reason must be that he hated her family, as much as Metellus did. It seemed that only Antonia was prepared to accept her, and welcome her into their lives. Refusing to succumb to his dark looks any longer, she turned away, breaking eye contact with him, and pretended an interest in the conversation Metellus was having with another guest who sat on the other side of him.
Thankfully, the rest of the evening went without any more mishap, as Metellus never left Livia's side for the duration of the gathering, and towards the end of the evening she found herself relaxing for the first time in his company.
Perhaps, she thought, their marriage might not be the sham she first thought it would be. With time could Metellus come to like her? To love her even? She prayed that someday he would forgive, and forget, the vendetta he held against her family.
Maybe with time…?
CHAPTER 19
The next three weeks passed without mishap, the days following a set routine of sorts.
In the mornings, Livia spent time with Elisha, and in the afternoons, she and Antonia would venture out, either to the Forum to shop, or to go to the Baths, before going to Metellus’s villa to see the building work in progress. The builders were progressing well; they had now half completed the kitchen and slave quarters. The villa still needed furnishing, as many of the rooms were still bare.
Livia enjoyed the time she spent with Antonia, both of them enjoying each other’s company, and Livia liked to think they had become firm friends.
Verenus, thankfully, was absent from his villa, having left as planned the following morning after their wedding celebration. He was working on a huge project, Antonia had told her, building a new country villa for a rich Senator whose villa in Herculaneum had been destroyed when Mount Vesuvius had erupted last year.
As for Metellus, he left early in the mornings to go to his warehouses located near the port at Ostia, and didn’t return to th
e villa until late in the evening. His businesses were varied and complex she had found out, as well as wine and papyrus paper, he had diversified into other desired commodities such as silks and spices.
This had all come about because of the trade routes which had opened up with India, now that mariners had discovered how to sail with the trade winds. It meant shipments of silk could now be done by sea all year round, rather than having to rely on the land route, which had been the only way to transport silk to Rome up until quite recently.
Livia found this all extremely interesting, and she had to fight the urge to go to the warehouses and see it all in action. She knew, as a woman, she had no role to play in the male dominated field of commerce. Being a merchant was strictly men’s business, and she found this quite frustrating. When she’d lived at her father's villa she had helped run the household, organising everything which went with keeping a villa of that size going. She had found it a useful way of occupying her time, and unlike her friend Portia, she didn't like to spend the whole day shopping, or being fitted out for the latest gowns, much preferring to use her brain for more practical purposes.
“Do you wish for more wine, mistress?”
The slave’s words jolted her out of her revere, and she shook her head. “No. No. You may retire now.”
Livia hadn’t realised how long she had been sitting there, until she noticed with a start of surprise that the moon had risen high in the night sky. Hopefully, Metellus would be home soon. She sighed, and getting up from where she had been sitting in the coolness of the atrium she wandered through the quiet villa towards their bedchamber.
As she sat on their bed a few minutes later she had to admit to being bored. The long evenings seemed to drag indeterminably. Elisha was asleep, and Antonia had retired to her rooms, or was still out with friends, and Livia often found herself growing more and more restless as she waited for Metellus to return from his work.
And as she thought of him she couldn't stop a small smile…
If the days had been predictable, then so too had the nights!
Metellus had made love to her every night so far, since they had come to stay in Verenus’s villa, and he didn't seem to be tiring of her. He had taught her how to enjoy her body – awakening desires and longings in her she never thought capable of.
They made love with an intensity which stunned them both. Time and time again she cried out her pleasure, her voice hoarse in the night’s silence, as shifting pangs of pleasure hit them both until, he too, cried out his release, flinging back his head and arching his back as he spilled his seed inside her. And then afterwards, their heart beats still thundering, he would turn onto his side and pull her into his body, his chin resting on top of her shoulder, the heat of his breath whispering across the dewy coated skin of her neck-
A knock on the door cut off her heated thoughts. “Come,” she called out and the door opened to admit a young boy slave.
The boy bowed, “Mistress, you have a visitor.”
“Who is it?” She asked, frowning slightly, as she wasn’t expecting anyone-
“The man says he is your brother, Mistress. He is waiting in the peristylium for you.”
Livia's eyebrows shot up. What on earth was Flavius doing here, and why? Absently, she nodded her thanks at the slave, and he bowed once more before he took his leave.
For a long moment she sat on her bed, wondering what to do, and also remembering the last time she had seen Flavius; and the ugly words which had been exchanged between them. It was obvious something major must have happened for him to come here to see her-
Her father! Livia stood quickly as a feeling of foreboding came over her. She ran shaking hands over the silk of her gown, composing herself before she exited the bedroom and hurried down the corridor. When she walked into the peristylium her heart sank. Instead of seeing remorse, and grief on Flavius’s face, all she saw was anger and frustration.
For a heartbeat they stood there, adversaries ready to do battle, and when she saw the look of distain cross his face, as if coming here was as loathsome as something he’d trod in as he walked along the rubbish strewn streets of Suburbia, she stiffened, her chin lifting in defiance.
“Flavius.” Livia said, her tone wary as she came further into the room, determined not to let him intimidate her.
Flavius ignored her greeting, and snapped out, “Father wishes to see you. Now.”
“Father has recovered?” she gasped, “B…but I thought-”
“He has started to speak,” Flavius said, interrupting her, before he shrugged, “It is sometimes hard to understand him, but if you listen carefully you can just make out most of what he is trying to say.”
“But why does he want to see me now? For years he has ignored me, denied my very existence. What does he want with me now?” Her voice, she noticed, was hoarse with anguish, but if she expected any sympathy from Flavius, she was very much mistaken.
Dark colour suffused Flavius's face, and she saw his hands fist with anger as he tried to hold onto his temper, “I do not know, Livia,” he bit out. “And in truth, I do not care. He asked me to come here to pass his message to you in person, and I have done as he asked. Now come, the hour grows late.”
Of course! Livia thought, anger replacing anguish. Flavius wouldn’t have come here of his own free will! It had only been because their father has requested it, that he’d deigned to step foot in this villa.
Resolve hardened her, before she said flatly, “I will come tomorrow when-”
“Now, Livia,” Flavius interjected, cutting off her words with a slash of his hand.
“But…I…” Livia's words trailed off when she saw the anger flare in his eyes. Sighing, she acquiesced to his demand, and said with quiet dignity, “Yes, of course. I will come right away. Let me get my palla, and I will be right with you.” Without waiting for a response, she left the room and went in search of Antonia.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Antonia, and a slave confirmed Metellus’s mother was out visiting an acquaintance. Indecision caused her to hesitate for a moment, then she gave instructions to the slave to tell Antonia where she was going. For some reason she was reluctant to tell the slave to pass her message onto Metellus, and besides, if she were quick enough she should be back in time before Metellus finished work for the day.
The journey to her father's villa was conducted in total silence, with Flavius ignoring her all the way as they walked the short distance from Verenus’s villa to their father’s. Livia bit back a sigh of resignation. It would appear any sign of a truce between her, and her half-brother was never going to happen, and she couldn’t help but wonder what her father wanted with her. Now, for the first time in living memory, he actually wanted to speak to her. The daughter he had, for all intents and purposes abandoned at birth…
And with those dark thoughts lingering, Livia followed Flavius into her father's darkened bedchamber, once they arrived at the villa a few minutes later.
As she walked up to the side of the bed her eyes grew wide, and her heart lurched as she took in the pitiful sight of her father laying there. He was almost unrecognisable. Gone was the robust, portly man she’d known, now replaced by nothing more than flesh and bones. His face was sunken, hollow grooves where his round cheeks had once been. Looking up at Flavius she whispered, “I hadn’t realised he was so ill.”
Flavius grunted, “Of course you didn't. You never saw him as I did. He has not eaten for weeks now, he refuses to for some reason.”
Livia looked away, thankful that the darkened room hid the surprise which must have shown on her face when she’d heard the soft tone of Flavius’s voice. Never had she heard him speak so reverently. She swallowed a lump of emotion, to see this gentler side to his character was most unusual.
“Livia.” The one word, spoken with a slight lisp, broke the silence in the room, and Livia looked down at her father.
His eyes were now open, as he stared up at her, and for a moment she felt a jolt of
fear, and had to fight the strange urge to run away from him. But she didn’t. Instead she came closer to the bed. “Father, I have come, as you asked.” She wanted to say “ordered” but she didn’t. She had such mixed emotions as she stood there staring at him. Even though she had been virtually ignored by him her whole life, she still felt a hint of pity for him. Blood was certainly thicker than water when it came to familial emotions, she thought wryly.
“Your…your marriage. It isn't right.”
His words weren’t what she was expecting to hear either. Schooling her features into what she hoped was a neutral expression, she leaned forward, and whispered, “I had no choice, father.”
“I know. Flavius told me everything,” he gasped, taking short breaths, his thin chest rising and falling with exertion. Speaking was obviously taxing him, and Livia waited for him to continue, aware of the shifting of Flavius’s body as he stood on the opposite side of the bed.
She glanced across at Flavius, meeting his impassive gaze, before he shrugged, “I visit with him every day, and tell him what is happening in the Senate, as well as other news. I had not realised that even though his eyes were closed, and he couldn't speak, he was taking in everything I said. And when he finally opened his eyes this morning, and spoke for the first time, no-one was more surprised than me.”
This time Livia couldn't keep the surprise off her face, and again totally out of character, her brother smiled, “I am not such the beast as you think me to be, Livia.”
Livia blushed, when she realised Flavius seemed to have read her thoughts accurately. Even though he had showed her no kindness at all, it was obvious he held their father in great esteem. Loved him even. Breaking eye contact with him, she once again looked down at her father.
He had now managed to get his breathing under control, and lifting a thin hand he placed it on his chest he stammered, “Not…not…me who be…betrayed Lucius Quadratus Aurelius.”
It took a few moments for Livia to understand his dis-jointed words, but when she did, she felt the room spin as she took in the importance of what he was saying. Seeking clarification from Flavius, she looked across the bed at him. But when she saw a look of shock pass over his face, she was convinced that what their father had just revealed, had taken Flavius completely by surprise too.
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