The ribbon yielded, the wax-seal broke away and Marcus was able to extract the document.
‘Fresh vellum, written on one side only, and not crossed,’ he said, raising his eyebrows expressively at me – meaning that this was a very expensive document indeed. (Parchment is so costly it is commonly reused, either by writing on the back of an earlier message, or sideways across it as a palimpsest.) ‘The writer wants to signal he’s a man of consequence. Well, let us learn the worst!’
He passed the empty scroll-case to the waiting slave then, holding the letter in his right hand, he unrolled it with his left and began to read aloud. ‘To his most esteemed Excellence Marcus Septimus Aurelius, chief magistrate of Glevum, from Hortius Lollius Valens, Senator of Rome. Greetings in the name of the glorious Emperor. I trust that this epistle finds you in good health …’
There were several more paragraphs in a similar vein.
This letter was everything the other one was not. Carefully courteous and beautifully phrased. Hortius Valens was indeed in Glevum, staying at the fortress as he wrote but, claiming acquaintance with my patron’s family, he craved accommodation for the remainder of what he planned to be a slightly longer visit to the town.
‘Immortal Jupiter!’ Marcus had been mumbling through this up to now, but suddenly he raised his voice again. ‘He’s in Britannia, he says, to show support for his kinsman, now that Clodius Albinus has been named Imperial heir, and – just listen to this – “as a known supporter of the immortal Pertinax, I am sure that you would wish me to convey your own congratulations to the Governor as well”.’ He let the vellum snap back into a roll. ‘Now what am I to do? It could be fatal to send messages like that – everybody knows that Severus will not keep his word! That reference to Pertinax is practically a threat. And just look at that final paragraph!’ He thrust the scroll at me.
I unrolled it and read the words aloud, as he clearly meant me to. ‘“I also have private business in this area, a delicate affair, which I have reason to believe may affect your family. It involves a lady, as you may already know. As a fellow magistrate I am hopeful that you can assist me to resolve it speedily. So greetings and farewell”.’ I paused, ‘At least that sounds quite courteous – to my unRoman ears, at least!’
My patron snatched the roll from me. ‘Courteous? This is outright blackmail or very nearly so! Libertus, I wanted your counsel earlier. Now I am even more in need of it.’
For a moment I thought that Marcus wanted me to offer him the use of ‘my’ town apartment for this guest – as I had done (with unfortunate results) during a recent visit of his cousin, an avowed Imperial spy. I would have to volunteer it, though – since, naturally, as he had gifted it to me, it would be unthinkable for him to ask for it outright. I obediently mumbled, ‘There is my apartment, Excellence …’
He waved the thought away. ‘Thank you, but that would hardly be appropriate this time. For one thing bad omens now surround your flat, since several deaths occurred there – a fact which he would be certain to hear of very soon, and which he is likely to take exception to. One cannot offer a senator a residence of evil augury. Especially with the present Empress in authority. She is descended from the priesthood of an Eastern cult, so the court has to be more than usually alert, lest they take back perceived potential for ill-luck.’
‘But, Excellence, the place was purified—’
He shook his head to interrupt. ‘There are rumours of swingeing penalties, these days, for those accused of carelessness in this. Besides, this is no ordinary man. This is a kinsman of the Governor, no less – and he invites himself specifically to me.’
‘And most men in Glevum would be flattered, I suppose, by his condescension in suggesting such a thing.’ I raised my brows at him. ‘As you yourself would be at any other time? But as it is, this woman’s coming here, and you are obliged to have him, too?’
Marcus nodded glumly. ‘In practice, that’s the case. Hortius has already weighted all the dice. He claims acquaintance with my family in Rome, and makes it clear he’s here on private business, too, so it would be quite extraordinary for me to refuse – an insult of a calculated kind.’ He sighed. ‘He’s holding me between two spears, as well – support for Clodius suggests potential disloyalty to Rome, while anything else is failure to support the rightful Governor. It’s blackmail, as I say. As things stand, I cannot even ask them to keep him at the fort – though generally a military inn might seem a fitting place for him to stay. Hortius would clearly be a dangerous man to thwart. And he’ll have lictors – or at least armed guards – to accommodate as well. Do you think that he likes demonstrating power, or do you think he simply plans to ruin me?’
‘Perhaps not so much to ruin you, as to make certain that you cannot keep this girl from him,’ I said. ‘Since he seems to know, somehow, that she’s appealed to you for help. Perhaps he hopes his presence will prevent you sheltering her. Though …’
I must have sounded hopeful, for he pounced on it at once. ‘You have some idea?’ He brightened. ‘She could use that apartment that you were offering, perhaps?’
‘That hardly offers the protection that she seeks,’ I said, privately glad of the excuse. If there was trouble with a senator, I did not want her in my flat. ‘It would be too easy for him to seize her there, and she could not claim your aegis – while mine would not suffice. My thoughts were running on a different route – what you said about the need for him to take account of evil auguries.’
My patron was frowning at the scroll again. ‘But what has that to do with anything?’
‘You might use that to advantage, possibly. Since Julia is in childbed – as the midwife said. It frightened off the courier. Something about the Greeks?’
Marcus glowered at me. ‘I believe the Grecians argue that any man who is not a relative, who visits a house where a birth has newly taken place, contaminates himself and cannot enter a temple for forty days – and then only after a purification ritual. But we are Romans, surely?’
I detected real panic behind this curt remark, but I genuinely believed that my idea was quite a clever one. ‘But does not high society in Rome vie to have Greek physicians in the house? And their opinions have spread throughout the Empire.’
Marcus nodded, absently. ‘No doubt of it. Especially at court. My family write that …’ He broke off and stared at me. ‘Go on, Libertus, you begin to interest me.’
‘What’s more, your wife has given birth to twins – there are those who count that as a blessing, as you do yourself, but I have heard it murmured – and by Romans, in this case – that such unusual events are some kind of warning from the gods. And that any newborn children, fresh from the other world, may trail evil spirits in their wake?’
‘You mean this house is inauspicious?’
‘That’s exactly what I mean. And for some days at least – more if you prefer the Grecian rule. So I think you might with dignity decline to have him here. You could even phrase it as concern to shield him from bad luck’
He nodded, thoughtfully. ‘Perhaps I might, indeed, though it may not stop him taking grave offence.’
I had not finished with my smug advice. ‘You might, though, put him in your town apartment for a while, especially if you stay there with him – which it might be wise to do.’
‘But I must visit Julia, and attend the naming ceremony – for the boy, at least – and be here to put his bulla on.’
‘Of course. As the father you are not yourself at risk – although you cannot be seen to trail the bad luck after you. So be sure to purify yourself before and after every visit here – a temple sacrifice would be appropriate – so that even you are technically pure. But a woman, unless she is a virgin – and Druscilla Livia was married, so she obviously is not – can’t be entirely free of contamination once her monthly courses start, not without continuous propitiatory sacrifice, like the priestesses at the Vestal shrine.’
Marcus was looking at me with a dawning comprehension in his eyes. ‘So she might stay here the villa, where a man may not?’
‘And as a relative of Julia’s she could be said to offer familial support.’
He actually smiled. ‘Of course! I should have thought of that myself. No doubt I would have, given time – but all the same I’m glad I asked for your advice.’
He passed the scroll, which he’d been holding all this time, to little Freckle-face, then – perhaps as a sign of his relief – picked up his empty goblet, frowning into it as though surprised to find no wine. The gesture was enough. The older slaves seized up the jug and empty fig-plate respectively and glided off with them.
Marcus turned to me. ‘I am glad to have this settled, Libertus my old friend. Could I keep the two parties from each other, do you think? Perhaps neither need actually know the other one was there.’
I actually laughed. ‘I hardly think that would be possible – and it would probably be dangerous to try. But if you treat this woman as a guest of Julia’s, for the first few days at least – it is not surprising that a kinswoman should come at such a time – rather than agreeing to take her into your potestas, it would give you time to work out what to do. Arranging a reconciliation would be best. Though if you do agree to offer her protection, that might endanger you, given her former husband’s history. You might have to arrange a different advantageous match.’
‘But who would be equal to a Roman senator?’ Marcus muttered bitterly. ‘I’d need the eldest son of some ancient family of enormous wealth. Preferably from Egypt, or some province such as that, as far away from here – and Rome – as possible—’ He broke off as the matching slaves returned, carrying a second plate of honeyed figs and another jug of watered wine.
Marcus signalled that the jug-bearer should fill his cup but – at the risk of seeming impolite – I respectfully declined. ‘I would love to stay and revel in your hospitality, patron, but you will remember that my own wife is unwell. So if you can spare me, now – and there is nothing else that I can do – I should get back to her.’
My patron nodded, but his mouth was full of figs so it was a moment before he was able to reply. ‘Of course. I have already delayed you far too long. And since you are still wearing your formal council-wear it will take a little while to walk. If you care to take it off, I’ll send it after you. Or, better, lend a slave to carry it – unless you would like me to provide you with the gig?’
This was an offer which I was, of course, expected to refuse, but I surprised my host. ‘I would be grateful for a slave to walk me home, but I think that you should in any case have the gig prepared and send it into town as soon as possible. The lady Druscilla may be arriving soon, and it is clear – from how her message found you – that she is likely to look for you in town. The gates should be alerted to direct her here. You also need to send a message, not only to your flat – warning them to expect a visitor – but to the garrison, to tell the Senator that you accede to his request. Though no doubt his own messenger will come back here quite soon.’
‘And I should send his master a courteous reply, inviting him to use my apartment while he’s here and saying that I’ll shortly join him there?’ Marcus acknowledged my suggestion with a smile. ‘An excellent notion. I’ll instruct the slaves at once. And I’ll have the gig prepared. Would you care to wait for it?’
I shook my head. ‘Thank you, Excellence, but I’d prefer to leave at once!’ and murmuring best wishes for Julia’s health and that of her young babes, I bowed myself away, to hurry as fast as possible back to my own poor wounded wife.