Varus was shouting. ‘That infernal woman!’
I groggily opened my eyes, hold my thumping head, and wondered what was going on.
The shouting was coming from Varus’ open courtyard. He bellowed, ‘What trouble has she brought to my door this time?’
I swung out of my bed and decided I’d better find out what all this was about. I quickly donned a tunic and laced my sandals, before cautiously making my way down the corridor. I bumped into Marcus near the entrance to the courtyard. ‘What’s all the shouting about?’
Marcus looked puzzled. ‘I’m not sure. A slave came in and said that he was needed in the courthouse, said there was some sort of disturbance going on.’
I shook my head a little to clear it; the cloud of sleep was making it hard to think. ‘Who was the woman he was shouting about?’
Marcus went a little red with embarrassment. ‘The slave mentioned the name of Lady Numeria.’
My stomach clenched. ‘Oh, by the gods, what trouble has she got herself into now? Come on, you better come with me.’
We swiftly crossed over from Varus’ house into the camp headquarters and the large court where Varus could normally be found on any given day dispensing justice and fulfilling what he described as his ‘governorly duties’. A large crowd was gathered both inside and around the doorway, made up of both Germans and Romans, all eager to find out what this latest disturbance was all about.
‘Make way.’ I pushed myself and Marcus through the throng, a task not made easier by the fact that I was only wearing a simple tunic and therefore nothing to signify my rank. ‘Make way,’ I demanded of one particularly stubborn legionary, who was intent on getting the best view possible, gripping onto the door frame with two white-knuckled hands.
Fortunately, as Marcus and I were both large men, we managed to force our way through and into the courthouse. Varus was on his large wooden chair where he was accustomed to listening to pleas from supplicants. He was flanked by his senior legate, Avitus, and a centurion from Avitus’ XVII legion. Numeria stood before him alongside a German warrior, both looking as angry as titans, whilst an excited buzz surrounded them from the watching throngs of people.
Numeria demanded of Varus, ‘Where is Roman justice for this man and his sister?’
Varus held his head in his hands, and said in a tone that suggested his patience was wearing thin, ‘Before we talk of justice, I need to know what the facts of this case are.’
She responded in a voice full of scorn. ‘The facts are very simple, my lord Governor. Legionaries from your army raped this man’s sister.’
Oh dear, this didn’t sound good. No wonder Varus was in a temper.
‘She was bathing in the river near her village, when three legionaries came upon her and forced themselves on her. She was brutalised by them and raped. Surely Roman law cannot permit this gross act of barbarity,’
Varus held up a hand to quieten her. ‘Have the men in question been identified.’
The centurion by his side answered him. ‘Three men were in the area, sir. They were returning from an errand in that village. We have the men in custody now.’
Varus let out a long sigh. ‘Then all it requires is for the young girl to identify them, then we can be done with this sorry affair. Don’t worry, justice will be done. Where is the girl in question?’
Numeria reluctantly admitted, ‘She won’t come to the military camp. I have come in her stead with her brother, who saw the men in the village just before the deed was committed.’
Varus looked up in surprise. ‘How can I discipline these men when she won’t even come to identify them?’
Numeria snapped in anger. ‘You can hardly expect her to walk into an armed camp of soldiers, all of whom she is now terrified of. She described the men to her brother and he says it was the same three who came to the village.’
Varus sat himself straighter in his chair. ‘Roman law, however, requires that she identify her assailants. I can hardly condemn the three men if she won’t even identify them personally.’
‘Well then, go to the village and speak to her there. We tried to persuade her to come, but she is too scared to venture near this place, and who can blame her?’ Numeria looked around the throng of people, some of whom were nodding in agreement.
Varus was having none of it. ‘Go to her village? Don’t be ridiculous. She can come here like everyone else. You can assure her that her safety will be guaranteed. Then we will have the men flogged in front of their entire legion,’
Numeria seethed in frustration. ‘We can’t persuade her to come, I’ve told you.’
Varus opened his hands. ‘Well that’s hardly my fault, is it?’
‘So you’ll let these men off, without any punishment, after they brutally raped a young girl?’
The German warrior sensed things were not going his way and shouted out an angry stream of words in his own language. Numeria listened and translated. ‘He says that after this violation, she will be soiled in the eyes of the tribe. The dishonour to her will mean no man will ever take her to wife. Her life is ruined, and those men deserve death.’
Varus said more softly, ‘Look, I’m not completely unsympathetic to your situation. You will be compensated.’ He whispered in the centurion’s ear, who then marched over to the man and offered him a small leather pouch. Varus explained, ‘In there you have thirty silver denarii – more than an ample amount to offset any financial burden this matter might impose – due to the loss of any marriage prospects for the young girl.’
Both the warrior and Numeria looked confused. ‘But what of the men who perpetrated this crime, will they go unpunished?’
Varus explained. ‘If she won’t identify them, what can I do? The law is the law.’
The warrior looked up at Varus, shouted something that didn’t sound flattering, then spat on the floor, chucking the leather purse of silver on the ground, and stormed out of the courtroom. Numeria looked up at Varus, shook her head in disgust, and followed the German warrior out.
A hushed silence hung over the room.
Varus broke it. ‘Now that really wasn’t necessary. Such rudeness shouldn’t be tolerated. Centurion, please remove all these people from my presence. I will hear no more plaintiffs today.’
Within no time, armed soldiers had ushered the crowds of chattering people from the room. A firm stare from me deterred a particularly eager legionary from including Marcus and me in the group of people ejected from the room. I walked over to Varus, who was in conversation with Avitus. ‘Do you mean to let those men off? The brother was pretty convinced they were the guilty party,’ I asked him.
‘Of course I don’t, Cassius. What do you take me for? There is no room for rapists in my army. An incident like this can set back relations between us and the German tribes months. Avitus will deal with these men. They are from his legion after all.’ He said the last bit in a heavily disapproving voice.
Avitus looked stung by the criticism, but stood straighter and said, ‘The men will be flogged and then expelled from the legion. They can make their own way back to Rome, on foot, without any coin or aid from the camp.’
I shook my head in puzzlement and asked Varus, ‘If you intend to discipline the men, why didn’t you let the warrior and Numeria know this? Not to mention the watching Germans in the crowd?’
Varus was adamant. ‘Because they have to see that Roman law is applied here. If they knew that all it took to get any Roman soldier in trouble was an uncorroborated statement, they’ll all be at it.’
I wasn’t convinced; it looked a roundabout way of dispensing justice to me. The Germans were angry that the men were going unpunished, when in fact they actually were, only the Germans were not to be told this? Insane.
Varus carried on bemoaning Numeria. ‘Why couldn’t she have come to me in person and explained the situation, rather than coming to my court with that warrior in tow, spitting on my floor and causing such a scene?’
Marcus stood up for her. ‘Maybe she thought it was the best way for you to show the benefits of Roman law.’
Avitus, Varus and I, and even the centurion, all gave Marcus a withering look, as if to tell him that was possibly the most stupid statement of the morning. Marcus went bright red, averted his eyes, and stared at the floor. ‘I was only saying,’ he mumbled.
Varus turned away from Marcus, ignoring him. ‘At least the girl in question was from the Cherusci. Julius should be able to quieten down any discontent. Thank the gods that she wasn’t from the Chatti or Bructeri, or the gods forbid it, the Angrivarii – that could have led to all-out war.’
That would have pleased Numonius Vala, I thought abstractly. He was itching for a war with the Angrivarii. ‘Will you tell Numeria in secret, the steps you have taken?’
Varus looked at me, fury in his eyes. ‘No I will not! That woman is a menace, and I don’t have to explain my actions to her. She might think she is the highest authority in this land, but she isn’t. I am! Her constant interfering and questioning of my rule here is tiresome at best, and downright seditious at worst. She needs to be reined in.’
It looked as if Varus’ patience with Numeria was finally coming to an end. I needed to avert his anger, before he did something rash. ‘I will speak to her, Governor. We were once close as children. Let me see if I can talk some sense into her.’
Varus looked slightly mollified that I had agreed that she was being unreasonable. ‘See that you do. I have the utmost respect for her father, but she pushes me too far.’
I left the others in the courthouse and started making my way to Numeria’s house. I wasn’t going to be put off this time. She would have to see me, and I would make her see the folly of her position, and persuade her to return to Rome. It was hightime she stopped playing at politics. Enough was enough.
I caught her up on the hill approaching her house. ‘Numeria,’ I called, ‘Wait!’
She turned to see who followed her, recognised me, and then carried on walking.
I swallowed a mouthful of anger and jogged after her. ‘Numeria, stop. This is foolishness, why won’t you talk to me?’
She finally stopped and turned to me. She was wearing a loose Roman pale blue gown, with a hood that covered her head, but couldn’t obscure the beauty of her sun-kissed face. ‘I am sorry, Gaius. That was rude of me. I shouldn’t blame you for the actions of that stupid officious pig.’
I guessed she was talking about Varus. ‘You put him in a difficult situation, Numeria. He doesn’t like being put on the spot like that. You’re lucky he didn’t throw you in chains.’
Numeria’s temper was rekindled. ‘Let him! At least then we could see him doing something! Instead of sitting back here in his stupid Roman town, pretending to be the master of all justice in this land.’
I frowned. ‘He is the Governor, Numeria. He does have the full authority of the imperator in Germany.’
She narrowed her eyes. ‘Then, why doesn’t he use it? He lets his men run riot in the countryside, taking women at will, no matter how much it upsets the local inhabitants. He taxes the tribes to almost breaking point, and what for? Stupid Roman buildings that none of the populace want or desire. The sooner Varus is replaced by the imperator, the better, if you ask me.’
I had heard enough. ‘But that’s just it, Numeria. No one is asking you. It’s not your place to question the policies of Rome’s newest province. Varus was appointed by Augustus, not you. I’m sorry to hear about the death of your husband,’ – at this I saw the hurt in her eyes, as if she had been dealt a great pain, however I wasn’t going to be put off – ‘but it is time for you to move on. Surely your husband wouldn’t have wanted this –for you to waste your days tormenting the ruler of the land and playing at diplomacy in the German villages.’
The pain in her eyes disappeared, replaced by anger once more. ‘Playing at diplomacy? Is that what you think I do? At least I visit the people Rome claims to rule. What do you, or Varus, or any of the high command do? Nothing. He sends no envoys, makes no concessions to any of their wants or desires. In fact he doesn’t even care to listen to what they are. He just sits in his camp and lets the rest of the country fall to ruin around him.’
I felt uneasy at her criticism. Since arriving at the Roman camp, I hadn’t ventured further out than the Roman town. ‘But even Julius – now King of the Cherusci – says your interference in German tribal affairs is unwanted.’
She shot me a murderous look. ‘Becoming king has changed Julius, Gaius. I was happy to see him here when Otho and I first arrived in Germany but that soon changed. He was cold to Otho, snubbing him in front of the other officers. He is no better than Varus and the others. Roman arrogance blinded them all from listening to my husband’s ideas. Otho wanted to listen to the German people, have meetings with their tribal elders, incorporating Germans in the running of their province. All his ideas hit a blank wall of silence.’
Asprenas had mentioned Otho’s habit of speaking up against Varus’ orders. Was this what she was referring to? As for my friend snubbing Otho, I suspected that Julius did this as he suspected him to be a coward. Julius could be hard on men who didn’t live up to his high expectations. I spoke softly, ‘Are you sure that your anger with Varus is not more to do with the death of your husband, rather than his ruling Germany?’
She turned her head away, tears welling up in her eyes. Pain coursed through each of her words which she said quietly. ‘Of course I am angry with Varus for the death of my husband. Otho was a good man – better than any man I ever knew – he could have done so much for Varus, if the governor had only listened to him. Instead he was expected to be a soldier. My Otho was so much more than that. Now his name is one of shame throughout the camp.’
I put my hand on her shoulder. ‘I make no judgement on him, Numeria. If you loved him, then he must have been a man worth knowing. War puts men in impossible situations, it expects too much of them. Don’t remember him how he died. Remember what he was when he lived – that was the real man you loved.’
Numeria was sobbing openly now, and I wrapped my arms around her as she leant her head against my chest, tears soaking through my tunic. My heart went out to her. ‘This defiance of Varus must end, Numeria. You know this. It is time to go home. Let Otho rest now. I am sure I can convince Varus to give you an armed escort out of Germany. You can go back to Rome. Maybe take that young girl Julia with you.’ Varus would jump at the chance. He’d provide any escort she wished provided it got rid of her. Marcus, however, would be less pleased about the prospect of the young girl Julia leaving the province, I thought, remembering his childlike infatuation on meeting her.
Numeria hung onto me. ‘It would be good for Julia to leave Germany. If she could return to Rome, maybe I could convince her family to be reconciled with her.’
At last! She was coming round. ‘Well, there you go. You see, returning to Rome is the answer, Numeria. Get away from this awful land.’
She pushed me away from her, and visibly pulled herself together, wiping the tears from her eyes. ‘It is good to see you again, Gaius. You are a good man. However, leaving my commitments here is not as simple as you may think. Whether you like it or not, I am involved with the people of this land, and I won’t desert them just because someone from my past requests it of me.’ My heart sunk. By the gods, was her stubbornness returning? She continued, ‘But I promise to at least think on your proposal.’
Well, that was better than nothing I supposed. It was more than anyone else had got from her. ‘You do that, Numeria. I am still your friend, and I only have your best interests at stake.’
She looked up at me with soft eyes. ‘I know that, Gaius. You remind me of Otho in some ways. It is a shame you never met him.’
I was more similar to Otho than I would ever dare to admit. Time to change the subject. ‘I’m to visit Julius in one of the German villages, a place named Hadufuns.’ My tongue struggled with the unfamiliar German name. ‘I’ll be away for a day or two. But when I return, we can speak again.’
She gave a slight smile, although her eyes remained downcast. ‘I’d like that, Gaius, and I will think on what you’ve said, but I make no promises.’
I watched her walk up to her house, under the shadow of the large silver birch, be greeted by her freedman, and then enter her home. I hoped she would leave this place and return to Rome and civilisation. Numeria was too good to be wasted in this backwater colony, with grief for a dead husband feeding her anger and resentment. She needed to go home, maybe remarry and get on with her life. For now, I’d done all I could. At least I could tell Varus she was considering returning. That hopefully would placate him for the time being. I gave one last wistful look at the house of my childhood sweetheart and then turned and walked back to the Roman camp.