Second Chances

by Carol Ashby

  “But the joy that belief gave him…I started to wonder. I was almost ready to ask when he died. When Publius was gone, I thought I would never know another person who could tell me if Publius spoke the truth.

  “But God wasn’t through with me. First Hector, then Claudia and Philip…they knew the same joy, and they answered all the questions I would have asked my friend. And today, before you all, I declare that I know Jesus did everything Publius said. He is the Son of God, His death paid for all my sins, His resurrection proved it, and I want to love and serve Him for the rest of my life.”

  The air around him pulsated with light and love, and his heart soared heavenward as he spoke words he’d never heard before. And when he finished, Calamus strummed the lyre. The voices of men, women, and children blended into a harmony ringing with joy and peace.

  Hector looked down at Drusilla when she poked his arm and whispered.

  “I believe in Jesus, and I pray to Him, just like Vania.”

  He beamed at her. “You can’t know how happy that makes me. It means that no matter what happens, we’ll be together in heaven with Jesus. You’ll meet my Charissa there, and I know you’ll love each other like sisters.”

  Drusilla wrapped her arm around his and snuggled in. He breathed a contented sigh. It would be pure joy to have her with him through eternity.

  If only Cornelia would make that same decision.

  Chapter 35: Too Great a Risk?

  The silence of the house wrapped around Cornelia as she walked from her room to Drusilla’s closed door. She tapped three times before pushing it open.

  “Time to get up, dear. Breakfast is waiting for us.”

  The sunlight streaming through the window lit the room, revealing two empty beds with the covers piled up at the foot of each. Drusilla must have already gone down to eat.

  At the foot of the stairs, Cornelia veered into the kitchen. A plate of cheese, fruit, and bread sat on the table. But no sign of Drusilla.

  She stepped back into the courtyard. “Drusilla! Where are you?” No answer.

  She turned to Anthusa, who’d come down behind her. “Check all the rooms. I’ll check outside. She must be here somewhere.”

  Anthusa nodded and hurried back upstairs.

  Cornelia searched the garden and the stables, calling Drusilla’s name repeatedly.

  Anthusa ran out the kitchen door. “She isn’t in the house, mistress, and her trunk is open. She got a clean tunic out.”

  Cornelia’s eyebrows dipped as she bit her lip. “Maybe she went to Philip’s. But I told Miriam I didn’t want us to go in case one of the Romans might tell Lucius. Why would she go against what I’d told her? It’s not her place to decide to take Drusilla without my permission.” Her lips pressed tight as her anger grew.

  “I don’t think Miriam would, mistress. Maybe Drusilla followed without her knowing.”

  Cornelia drew a sharp breath. “She just might do that. We must go up there right now to be sure.” She gripped Anthusa’s hand. “But what if someone came from Lucius and took her?” Her breath came faster at that thought. “Come. There’s no time to waste.”

  The key for the small door by the carriage gate hung in the storeroom, and Anthusa dashed back into the house to fetch it.

  Cornelia started up the road at a brisk pace while her maid locked the door behind them. She fought against the panic surging within. What if Drusilla wasn’t at Philip’s? Where else could she possibly be?

  It was only a quarter mile, but it seemed like ten. When they reached Philip’s pedestrian gate, it was locked. No one answered her pounding. She hurried on to the carriage gate. When she knocked, a small window opened to reveal the gatekeeper’s face. It closed instantly, and the gate swung open to admit them.

  The gatekeeper bowed. “Welcome, Mistress Cornelia.”

  She gripped his arm. “Have you seen Drusilla?”

  “Yes, mistress. She ran up right after I admitted Titus and his family. She’s at worship in the garden now. Do you want me to take you there?”

  Cornelia closed her eyes, and her shoulders slumped as relief flooded through her.

  “No. Now that I know she’s here and safe, I’ll take care of the problem later.”

  “Did you want to join them yourself?”

  “No, I don’t want to disturb the worship. When it’s over, tell Miriam what Drusilla has done so she’ll bring her home with her family.”

  “Of course, mistress. I won’t let your daughter leave alone.”

  “I’m going back to Titus’s now. How long will it be before they return?”

  “Probably two or three hours, mistress.”

  The gatekeeper reopened the gate, and the two women returned to the street.

  As they trudged back to the house, Cornelia’s mouth drifted from frown to scowl. “I can’t believe she did that. How could she be so foolish to run off alone? Anything might have happened to her.”

  “Perhaps she thought the captain would be there.”

  Cornelia’s face relaxed as she took a deep breath. “You’re probably right. Of course he would be. But that’s still no excuse for her going without asking me.”

  “No, mistress. I’m sure she’ll never do that again after you talk with her.”

  “She most definitely will not.”

  They walked on in silence.

  With tightened lips, Cornelia shook her head. To be with the captain, Drusilla would take any risk without thinking. Her lips relaxed. It was hard to stay mad about that. She would almost be willing to do such a thing herself.

  No real harm had come this time, and maybe it was a good thing she had gone. It would be a chance to impress on her daring daughter that she shouldn’t do such things in the future. By now, Lucius was surely looking for them. Finding them was the one thing that must never happen.

  When Cornelia finally heard voices in the courtyard, she left her loom in the women’s room and leaned over the balcony railing. Drusilla stood below with Miriam holding her hand.

  “Drusilla. You get up here right now.” The edge on her voice matched the frown on her lips.

  Drusilla looked up at her and swallowed hard. “Coming, Mother.”

  Miriam tipped her head back. “I’m very sorry, Cornelia. We didn’t realize she was coming until we saw her with Hector. I would never have taken her without asking you.”

  “I know. The gatekeeper told me she ran up after you were already there.”

  Drusilla now stood before her mother, head lowered. Cornelia gripped her shoulder and pushed her into the women’s room ahead of her.

  “I have something to tell you, Claudia Drusilla.” Cornelia lowered her voice. “And I don’t want your cousins to hear me.” Cornelia gripped both her shoulders and turned Drusilla to face her.

  “You left this house without telling anyone and without my permission. You are never, ever to do such a thing again. Do you have any idea why?”

  Drusilla shook her head.

  “Someone might recognize you and let your father know where you are. What if he sends someone to drag you back and they find you when I can’t protect you?”

  Drusilla’s eyes widened as they filled with tears. Her lip quivered. “I’m sorry, Mother. I only wanted to learn more about Jesus. I wanted to sit with Captain so I could ask him questions. Families sit together there, and Captain let me sit with him like I was his daughter. I met his son, Marcario, but he won’t tell anyone. I don’t think anyone who would tell Father learned our secret.”

  Teardrops began to escape. Cornelia rested her palm on Drusilla’s cheek and swept some away with her thumb. “There was probably no harm done today, but you should have asked first instead of just going. Never, ever do that again. You frightened me half to death when Anthusa and I couldn’t find you. I was afraid someone your father had sent might have come and taken you.”

  She pulled Drusilla close and wrapped her tightly in her arms. “I love you, dear
, and I want to keep you safe. In the future, ask my permission. If I think it’s safe, I’ll let you go.”

  Drusilla hugged her back. “I will, Mother. I promise, and I’ll always keep my word, just like Captain.” She tipped her head back to smile into her mother’s eyes. “I think it was safe today. Captain would never let anything happen to me.”

  Cornelia pushed some loose hair behind Drusilla’s ear. “I know the captain would protect you if he could, but we still don’t want to take any chances.”

  “I promise I won’t take chances.”

  Cornelia released her. “Good. Now you can go find Vania.”

  Drusilla wrapped her arms around her mother in one quick hug before darting out of the room.

  Cornelia sighed as she turned to Anthusa. “I don’t think she’ll do something like that again. I can’t blame her for wanting to be with Hector, and I know he would do anything he could to protect her.”

  “He would, mistress. He loves her like a daughter.”

  Cornelia massaged the back of her neck. “But sometimes love isn’t enough to keep danger away. Sometimes it can even get you into more danger than you can handle. Sometimes it can get you killed.”

  A shiver of foreboding ran through Cornelia’s body. What if Lucius figured out where they were? Drusilla would be in mortal danger again, and all the love in the world might not be enough to save her.

  Later that afternoon, Drusilla stood beside her mother in the women’s room, watching her weave the shuttle back and forth through the warp threads. She leaned her head against her mother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I went without asking. I’ll never do that again.”

  Mother turned to smile at her. “I know, dear.” She parked the shuttle on the loom and tucked a strand of Drusilla’s hair behind her ear. “So, was it like when the captain led worship on the ship?”

  Drusilla shrugged. “Mostly. Uncle Philip talks longer than Captain, and they sang more songs. Everybody looked really happy, just like Captain’s crew. Malleolus talked, too. He said he’d decided to follow Jesus, but I didn’t understand everything he said. He started using words that weren’t Latin or Greek.”

  With her head tipped, she raised questioning eyebrows. “May I go again? I’d like to.”

  “I would, too. Perhaps we can, if I can be certain no one there will let your father know we’re here.”

  “I liked sitting with Captain and meeting Marcario. That’s his son. He’s nice.”

  “I would expect a son of the captain to be a nice young man.”

  Drusilla slid her hand into her mother’s and swung them.

  “Mother...do you like Captain?”

  “Very much. He’s a fine man.”

  Drusilla kept swinging their hands. “What I mean is…do you want to marry Captain?”

  Cornelia met Drusilla’s gaze with a smile. “If the captain were to ask me, I would say yes.” Her smile broadened. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  Drusilla beamed “Oh, yes. I’d love to have Captain as my father.” Her brows lowered as her smile dimmed. “When we were eating, I heard something. Marcario and his friend were talking about marrying. His friend said he would only marry someone who believed in Jesus.”

  Cornelia’s head tipped as those words sunk in. “That’s interesting. I guess I’m not surprised. Christian men love their god enough to do anything for him. Your grandfather died rather than offer a simple sacrifice to Caesar. He thought that would be denying Jesus as his lord. I can see where a Christian man would only want a wife who worshiped the same god.”

  Drusilla’s lips straightened. “Do you think Captain feels that way?”

  “I don’t know, dear.”

  “Do you think you could follow Jesus?”

  “Maybe. I found everything Hector read and taught us on his ship very appealing. I would like to learn more. Perhaps Philip can teach us sometime when it’s just family.”

  Vania stuck her head in the door. “Want to feed the chickens?”

  Drusilla looked at her cousin over her shoulder. “I’ll be right there.”

  As Drusilla followed Vania down the stairs, she made a decision.

  She would ask Captain to ask Mother to come to worship with them. Mother said she was interested in learning more about Jesus since listening to Captain teach about him. Everyone in their family in Thracia was a Christian, just like her grandfather. Mother always said Grandfather Publius was the smartest man she knew.

  If the smartest man followed Jesus, surely Uncle Philip and Captain could convince Mother she should, too. Then Captain could marry her.

  Drusilla smiled at that thought. Mother would be happy, and she could have the best father in the world.

  Chapter 36: Horse Play

  On Monday morning, Quintus Aemilius Lepidus rode through Titus’s carriage gate. He needed a new stallion, and Titus Drusus was known as one of the best horse breeders west of Byzantium.

  Titus was talking with his steward as Quintus rode up.

  “Greetings, Drusus.”

  Titus spun at his voice. “Lepidus. What brings you here today?”

  “I was speaking with Brutus at the palace yesterday, and he told me you have a pair of two-year-old colts in your stable now. He said you planned to sell them, and I’m in the market for a young stallion.”

  Titus waved his hand toward the stable. “Brutus spoke the truth. I do have the colts here, and I am thinking about selling them. Come and see.”

  Quintus swung his leg across his horse’s neck and slid to the ground. When the steward took his reins, Quintus fell in step beside Titus. The well-formed head of a handsome bay looked over the half-door of the first stall.

  Titus rested his hand on the door frame. “This is Tonitrui. When he runs, it’s like the sound of thunder.” He stepped to the next stall and whistled. A black colt with a long white blaze sauntered over to get his nose rubbed. “And this is Fulgur, the lightning that travels even faster than the thunder.”

  Quintus reached out to stroke Tonitrui’s nose. The colt flipped his head, snorted, and stepped back. “A pretty animal, Drusus, but jumpy. Let me see Fulgur closer.”

  Titus opened the stall door and led the colt out. Quintus stroked his neck, and the colt turned his head to contemplate the strange man who touched him. Quintus ran his hands over the colt’s back, across his flank, and down his shoulder. He felt the legs, nodding as he did so. The animal was sound and confident. He would be good for riding and breeding.

  “A decent animal. What are you asking for Fulgur?”

  Titus stopped stroking the blaze, and Fulgar bumped him with his head, demanding more attention. “He’s already faster than several of my fast four-year-olds. With his size and conformation, he’s likely to be a superb stallion. I’m in no great hurry to sell him.”

  Quintus nodded. “But if you were to sell him, what would you want?”

  Titus rubbed his chin as he considered the question. “I would consider three thousand denarii a reasonable price.”

  Quintus stopped his brows from rising. That was a lot of money. More than he was comfortable spending. His net worth had been drifting down lately. He was in no immediate danger of falling below the 100,000 denarii required to remain in the equestrian class, but he didn’t have the surplus that would make a 3000-denarii horse seem inexpensive.

  “That seems too much to me. I could see 500, maybe even 750, but not 3000.”

  Titus kept stroking Fulgur’s nose. “That’s not enough for this colt, but I have some others at the estate that would be in that price range. Perhaps you’d like to ride out some time and see the others.”

  Quintus nodded. “I’m not in a great hurry, so perhaps I will.”

  He heard the sound of women’s voices behind him and turned to see who it was. One was the pretty little Jewish slave Titus had married, but the other was a Roman woman in her late 30s. “I see you have female company. Who is she?”

  Titu
s appeared to tense, then relax. “She’s just a distant relative who’s visiting for a while.”

  The square jaw, the wide mouth, the prominent nose―Quintus knew that face, and it belonged to Cornelia Scipia, wife of Lucius Claudius Drusus, one of the wealthiest men in Rome.

  “Is she married now?”

  Titus shook his head. “No.”

  Quintus kept a straight face. Cornelia Scipia, now divorced and surely in possession of an enormous dowry. A plain woman, but it was well known how attractive a large dowry can make even an ugly one. It might be worth his while to seek out her company and flatter her into marrying him. A dowry like hers would remove all concern about the future.

  “I’m already expected somewhere else this morning, but I would like to go with you to your estate sometime soon. Or even better, perhaps you could bring what you think suitable here for me to see.”

  Titus resumed stroking Fulgur’s nose. “I have two that might particularly interest you. I’ll send word when I have them here.”

  Quintus gestured for the steward to bring his horse. He jumped and swung his leg over the horse’s rump. As he settled into the saddle, he looked down at Titus. “I look forward to receiving your message.”

  As he swung his horse toward the gate, his gaze lingered on the plain woman with Titus’s pretty wife. Divorced, plain enough to be swayed by flattery, exceedingly wealthy. The perfect woman to become his second wife. He’d married once and found deep love. No man could expect that twice. A good companion with a good dowry would be enough the second time. He would, indeed, look forward to his next visit to the Drusus house, but a rich, plain woman was much more interesting than any horse.

  Drusilla was bouncing with excitement the next morning, and Cornelia was scarcely less excited herself. Hector was coming to teach them to drive.

  It was a cool day, so they watched for Hector’s arrival from the window in the women’s room.