“I’m looking to place a bet on a gladiator,” she informed him, splitting into an adventurous smile.
Rufus grunted his disapproval and shook his head, dragging his hand over the back of his neck.
“Vorenus runs the shadiest business in the city,” the man said.
She frowned, and uncertainty crept into her. “Is betting on gladiators shady business?”
“Lady, betting on anything in this city is shady business.” The man gave a polite bow of his head and wandered off down the street.
Valeria hesitated outside the door, suddenly having second thoughts, then decided she’d better hurry up and go in before someone else came flying out at her.
The interior of the tavern was one large room and had a high ceiling. Wooden walkways on the second floor circled all around. Long wooden tables were filled with a variety of people, mostly men drinking and playing dice. The women were either serving maids or prostitutes, for no real lady would dare enter a place like this.
The loud shouts of an argument lifted over the maelstrom of racket and two men started fighting each other. When the stronger man punched his opponent out, knocking him to the ground, Rufus grabbed her arm.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Not yet.” Valeria snatched her arm back. “I want to find this Vorenus person.”
“You’re looking for Vorenus?” A woman with frayed brown hair and a tawdry dress hanging off one shoulder hastened by from behind them.
“Yes, I am,” Valeria answered, taking in the woman’s rumpled appearance with curiosity. She’d never seen a woman of the streets up close. “Where could I find him?”
“That’s him over there.” She pointed to the winner of the fight.
Valeria stared at him in shock. Was she really so surprised that man was Vorenus? It was just her luck.
The man was about the same age as Rufus, with a dark beard covering his face, and he wore a tunic open at the neck and leather breeches. Determined to do this, Valeria walked up behind him just as he was sitting back down at the table.
“That’ll teach him to load the dice.” Vorenus picked up a mug of ale and guzzled it down before slamming it back on the table. “No one tries to stick a cock in my ass and gets away with it.”
The men sitting with him all laughed, so Valeria had to speak up to be heard. “Excuse me, could I have a word?”
Vorenus pivoted around to look up at her. “A pretty little thing like you doesn’t need any words.” His gaze travelled over her with appreciation. “But I’m not hiring at the moment.”
She tried to hide her shock, but her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I do not seek employment. I’d like to place a wager.”
He narrowed his eyes in speculation, studying her more closely. “What kind of a wager?”
The other men at the table had gained a sudden interest in their conversation and grew quiet as they watched them.
“I’d like to place a bet on a gladiator.”
Vorenus broke into a wide grin and laughed gruffly. “You want to bet on a gladiator?”
“Yes.” She gave a firm nod of her head.
“Which one?”
“The Gaul,” she replied. “The one called Decimus.”
He contemplated her seriously, then indicated the empty bench next to him. “Please, join me, lady.”
Valeria accepted his invitation and sat perched on the end of the bench.
“You know the odds are against that one,” Vorenus divulged, speaking to her like she was a silly little girl who had no idea what she was playing at. “Atilla is a safe bet.”
“I didn’t come here looking for a safe bet.” She leveled her humorless gaze on him. “If you don’t want to take my bet, I’ll find someone else who will.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t take it,” he argued. “But I don’t want you coming back and causing trouble when you lose.” He gave Rufus a quick, uneasy perusal.
“I know how the rules work. Win or lose, it’s up to the Gods.”
Vorenus smiled with curious amusement. “How much did you want to wager?”
Valeria opened her purse and emptied a pile of coins on the table. “Looks like about a thousand denarii to me.”
The other men made shocked noises, and Vorenus frowned as he stared at the money. She guessed he wasn’t used to taking such large wagers, especially from a woman. If he knew who she was he’d understand why she had so much coin, but she didn’t want anyone to find out she’d been here or that she’d bet on Tristan.
A serving maid brought another round of full mugs for the men and Vorenus kept his eyes on the coins while he took a swallow.
He set the mug down and grinned at her. “Lady, that’s going to raise the stakes considerably.”
Valeria smiled back at him. “I’m betting on it.”
“Most are laying the bet, you know, counting on him and Angus to lose because they’re still new to the arena.”
“That’s their problem.”
“I’ll be damned.” Vorenus slapped his hand on the table and looked at her with a new-found respect. “The Gods finally send me a player with balls, and she’s a woman.”
Valeria sighed with relief. She’d made her bet and it had turned out to be easier than she’d thought. It wouldn’t guarantee Tristan victory or freedom, but swaying the odds in his favor couldn’t hurt.
Vorenus motioned with his hand to the serving maid at the bar and she came over and placed a full mug of ale in front of Valeria.
“Have a drink with me now that our business is out of the way.”
She hesitated and looked to Rufus. He actually appeared pleased, like he might be coaxed to smile if she tried hard enough. “Only if I can have one for my friend, too.”
“Of course, of course.” Vorenus motioned for Rufus to sit down. “We’re all friends here.”
Rufus sat beside her on the bench. “You never cease to amaze me,” he spoke quietly so only she could hear.
Valeria picked up the heavy mug in front of her and took a long swallow of the honeyed ale. “That’s good,” she said, licking the frothy foam her lips.
“Let’s have a toast.” Vorenus held out his mug.
Valeria and Rufus lifted their mugs, and the other men around the table followed suit.
“To the Gaul!” Vorenus bellowed. “May he have many victories and weight our pockets with coin!”
They crashed their mugs together and ale sloshed all over the table and down Valeria’s arm. She laughed and took another long swallow from her mug. That was a toast she could happily drink to.
Back in his cell, a wooden cot with a rough woolen blanket folded over it lined the wall. A small table beside it held a burning oil lamp, and a bucket of fresh water sat on the ground in the corner. Tristan wondered for a moment if he’d been brought to another’s cell by mistake.
“Your wins in the arena will earn you many things.” The lanista entered his cell and looked about as if to make certain everything was in its place. “First come the comforts, such as a bed and fresh water, then the weapons and money.”
“There is only one thing I wish to earn,” Tristan said.
Freedom was the only thing he wanted from Rome. To return to his life, his lands, his people. Money and a fresh cot held no meaning for him. It was simply Rome’s way of distracting him from his true purpose.
“If freedom is what you want,” the lanista replied, “you’ll first have to win the crowd.”
“Angus and I have done that.”
“Do you think a few wins will earn their favor?” The lanista gave him a pointed look. “The mob is fickle. Only the really great can become champions.”
Hadn’t he and Angus proven themselves? How much more would it take? “Are you saying I’m not great?”
The lanista walked over and stared down at him. “Not yet.”
Tristan felt a small defeat at his words. He thought he’d been good enough. The crowd had cheered so loudly, had called for him and Angus to live. They had
the crowd’s favor for now, and they had to keep it.
“How do I become a champion?”
The lanista’s mouth turned up in a half smile. “Never lose.”
Tristan sat on his cot as the lanista’s footsteps faded away. There was much hard work ahead of him. He had to get stronger, faster, smarter. He had to become the greatest champion the arena has ever seen. Maybe then he would be worthy. Maybe then he would be granted freedom.
Or he would be dead and none of it would matter.
Alone in his cell, his thoughts turned to Valeria, as they tended to do. He imagined he could feel the softness and warmth of her body, her welcoming arms around him. In dreams he could smell her hair and taste her lips as he became one with her body. Would he ever feel her again?
“Good evening, my lord.” A woman in a white slave’s dress stepped into his cell.
The heavy door closed behind her.
“Who are you?” Tristan demanded. “Why are you here?” He wasn’t used to having so many visitors in his cell.
“Apologies, my lord.” She bowed her head. “I was sent to serve you.”
The dim light from the lamp shone off the waves of her long brown hair, and upon closer inspection her face was one of beauty. But she was a pale comparison to Valeria. With uncertainty in her brown eyes she held his gaze. Tristan could guess what service she’d been sent for, and that she did not look forward to carrying out her chore.
“Leave me.” He propped his elbows on his knees and hung his head in his hands, staring at the ground between his feet. He could take no woman with Valeria’s presence in his mind.
“Please, my lord, I would lie with you before I leave.” She walked over to him.
“Stop,” he ordered, lifting his head to look at her. “I asked you to leave.”
Surprise showed on her face. “My lord, I have been dispatched to pleasure you.”
It was a nice thought, and for a brief moment he considered it, but he wanted no gifts from the Romans. “I would not have a woman who was given no choice in coming here.”
She relaxed at his words, then came to sit next to him on the cot. “No gladiator has refused me before.”
“Now you have a story to tell,” Tristan snapped, hoping she’d leave him to the confinement of his cell and find another.
“I should like to have a story to tell,” she said, sliding over to sit closer to him.
Her bare leg brushed against his, then she rested a hand on his thigh and slowly inched it higher.
He grabbed her wrist to stop her. “I have no wish to lie with you.”
“How different you are from other men,” she said, echoing the same words he’d once heard spoken by Valeria. “It would be my pleasure to serve you this night.”
Tristan would grasp at anything to take his mind off the woman he couldn’t manage to get out of his thoughts, but succumbing to the lusts of another would only make the torment worse.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning Valeria was up before most of the household. Paula was surprised to find her already bathed and dressed when she entered her rooms and set about styling her hair in some intricate work of art.
“Too much, Paula.” Valeria pushed her hands away in irritation and continued the task herself, weaving a white ribbon through her long tresses to keep it out of her face and leaving the rest free to fall down her back. “I’m in a hurry.”
“I didn’t think you’d be so excited to see Gaius Cato today.”
“I’m not.”
She was in a hurry to get free of the palace and go to the games. Tristan and Angus were fighting again, and today she might take a chance to see them after the games since both Rufus and Lucia would be accompanying her to the arena. Knowing they couldn’t stop her from going, they’d given up the battle and insisted on attending the games with her. Lucia knew it was because she cared about Tristan, and Rufus believed it was because of her bet. They probably thought to try talking more sense into her, but Valeria was wholly invested in Tristan and she would watch him fight until he was freed, or he was killed. Whether or not he hated her, she’d made a promise, and because she’d invoked the Gods, they would hold her to it.
Valeria studied her reflection in the mirror, satisfied with her appearance. The lavender stola she’d bought on the road was becoming one of her favorite colors to wear because it reminded her of Tristan. Was she a fool to still feel anything for him? She’d tried to stop caring about him, but she couldn’t push the man from her thoughts, or her heart. Maybe when he was free and her vow to him fulfilled she could turn towards another and remember him only as the first man she’d loved.
Did she love him?
“Will you take the morning meal with your cousin?” Paula slipped silver earrings into her ears. “You should have something to eat before you go with Gaius.”
Valeria cringed just from the mere mention of his name.
“No, I won’t have time. I can eat at Lucia’s.” She stepped into her leather sandals and slapped Paula’s hands away when she started lacing them up for her. “I can do it. You don’t have to fuss over me so much.”
Paula stared at her with a look of pure shock. “But it’s my duty, Domina. I’m here to serve you.”
Valeria released a heavy sigh. “I don’t need to be served and bathed and dressed like I can’t take care of myself. Why don’t you find something you’d like to do today? I’m releasing you from your duties.”
“What shall I do?”
The poor girl looked lost and confused at the idea of thinking for herself. It upset Valeria that she’d surrendered to her role so completely she couldn’t come up with one thing she’d like to do.
“Why don’t you go into the city?” Valeria threw on her blue cape and opened her purse to give Paula some coins. “Take some money and buy whatever you want. If anyone questions you, tell them you are there on a private errand for me and you’re not to be interfered with.”
Paula stared with amazement at the coins in her hand. “This is for me?”
“Yes, it’s for you.” Valeria laughed, glad she had the power to give the girl a bit of freedom. Then she wondered why she’d never thought to do it before. “Today you are your own person, Paula. Make the most of it.”
She hurried from her rooms and avoided the main staircase so she wouldn’t be caught leaving. The back stairs used by the servants led directly to the kitchen where she could grab something to eat on her way out the back entrance.
The large room was warm and servants were already busy preparing the day’s meals. She passed a platter of bread and cheese and took some of the food to eat on her walk to Lucia’s.
“You’re up early this morning,” Septima said from behind her.
Valeria dropped the food back on the platter and whipped around to see the woman she was quickly beginning to hate. By her immaculate appearance it was clear she’d been up getting ready for hours. A fine gown and jewels adorned her person, her spiteful face was made up and her red hair styled in an intricate fashion Valeria hadn’t wasted time with. The woman could only be in the kitchen at this early hour for one reason.
“I see you’re dressed and ready to go with Gaius.” Septima inspected the morning meal being prepared by a servant and threw the loaf of bread on the floor at the servant’s feet. “We are to have fresh bread every morning. Do you think you can pass off yesterday’s bread? Do you think me a fool?”
“No, Domina.” The servant bowed her head in shame. “Apologies.”
Valeria resisted the urge to intervene. She knew the bread was fresh, but if she attempted to stop Septima from berating the servant she’d only make it worse on the girl.
Septima turned her attention back to Valeria. “Gaius should be here any moment. Why aren’t you waiting in the atrium?”
Gods be damned, the woman was going to ruin her escape. She wouldn’t make it down the avenue before Septima alerted the entire palace of her departure. She looked longingly at the back door,
watching the servants come and go. It would have been so easy for her to slip out and disappear.
“I’ll walk with you.” Septima laced her arm through Valeria’s and began leading her back to the main part of the palace.
The pictures and wall hangings they passed by became a blur as they got closer to the atrium. Valeria’s stomach tensed up in nervous knots and her throat closed, making it difficult to swallow. She felt like she was being led to her execution rather than delivered to her future husband for a casual outing.
“You must be so excited about this day.” Septima patted her arm as if to calm her, but the woman’s every move was designed to intimidate. “I know many young women who will be wild with jealousy to learn Gaius has settled on a wife. You’re quite lucky to have him.”
“You can drop the act,” Valeria snapped, trying to pull her arm free of Septima’s grasp. “We both know you’ve laid this trap. What else have you and Gaius arranged?”
“I do admit that planning your demise with Gaius while he had his cock deep inside me was very stimulating.” Her smile was as cold as her heart. “I found my pleasure more than once.”
Disgusted, Valeria fought to escape her and finally succeeded in slithering out of her grasp.
“You depraved bitch.” She glared at Septima in absolute awe. “Is there no limit to the lengths you’ll go in order to have your way?”
Septima threw her head back and let out a shrill, evil laugh. “Fucking Gaius hardly took effort. He’s very experienced. In fact, I shall be sad to give him up.” She plucked casually at the sleeves of her yellow stola.
Unable to listen to another spiteful word, Valeria rushed ahead of her into the atrium. Stopping at the edge of one of the shallow pools to catch her breath, she heard loud voices in the entryway. Gaius was here.
When Septima walked into the room with an air full of superiority, wearing an arrogant grin, Valeria continued into the entryway. She didn’t know who she feared more in this moment, Septima or Gaius.
Gaius stood just inside the open double doors, dressed immaculately in his white toga with the curls of his blonde hair falling over his forehead. He broke into a wide, cheerful grin when he spotted her.
Gladiator Heart Page 17