The Furies of Rome (37 page)

Seneca paused and looked at him. ‘Guarantee my life? How? How can anyone guarantee their life in this court? We’re dying every day.’

Seneca moved on as Piso, Rufus and the rest of the senators began to come forward with their gifts and then to receive, or not, the boon they asked. Piso and Rufus soon returned to their places, their dislike of the situation becoming evident as their backs were turned to the Emperor. After Gaius had just promised a brace of his Germanic slaves, it was Vespasian’s turn.

Epaphroditus looked at him with loathing as he approached the Emperor and then whispered something in Nero’s ear.

‘Princeps,’ Vespasian said, ‘I have one thing worthy of you.’

‘I know it and you have chosen well, Vespasian; your Arab team will make a fine gift. I was anticipating no less from you. As you have fulfilled my expectations you shall have what I’m informed that you want: you shall have Africa next year.’

‘My thanks, Princeps; I shall serve you and Rome to the best of my ability as governor.’

Turning and trying not to smirk as he caught an outraged-looking Corvinus’ eye, Vespasian took his place next to Flavia who pointedly refused to congratulate him.

‘Well done, dear boy,’ Gaius said as the last few senators began to go forward. ‘Governor of Africa and Urban prefect; things are looking good for our family – if we can survive in this fear.’

‘I shall be hundreds of miles away across the sea, Uncle; I won’t feel the fear for all of next year.’

‘But we shall live with it constantly,’ Sabinus said, ‘and it will intensify as he gets worse. His brother, his mother, the prefect of the Praetorian Guard, countless senators and equestrians and now his former tutor and chief advisor just waiting for the letter demanding his suicide; who next? No one is safe.’

‘Not us if we give him what he wants.’

‘He wants everything.’

‘Then, dear boys,’ Gaius said as Tigellinus entered the room, ‘I suggest we let him have it.’

‘Is he here?’ Nero asked, a look of excitement on his face.

With his snarl-of-a-rabid-dog smile, Tigellinus nodded.

‘Then bring him in!’ As Tigellinus did his Emperor’s bidding, Nero took Poppaea’s hand. ‘My dearest, your present has arrived.’

‘What is it, husband?’ Poppaea purred. ‘What more can you give me? What more than this child and to make me your wife?’

‘A present born out of love,’ Nero replied as Tigellinus escorted Anicetus into the room; he carried a wooden box. ‘Bring it here, Anicetus.’

Nero took the box, beaming with delight, and, holding it in one hand, pulled open the lid. ‘I give you your security, my dearest.’

Poppaea looked inside and then smiled, cold and cruel; she stuck her hand in and pulled out her wedding gift by the hair. With a howl of triumph, shriller than that of any Fury, and with one hand pressed on the new life growing within her, Poppaea spat in the lifeless face of Claudia Octavia.

All who witnessed it felt a chill; a chill so deep that it froze the heart. Vespasian looked in horror at the Golden Emperor, the man with ultimate power over all, the man who thought nothing of murdering a third member of his family merely as a gift and, along with everyone else in the room, he, Vespasian, shuddered under the weight of the fear.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

THIS BOOK IS
based on the works of Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio. Unfortunately, however, none of them tell us what Vespasian was doing during the timespan of the story; so, once again, I have had to insert him into the events of the time.

Suetonius and Tacitus both tell us of Nero’s rampages through Rome at night disguised in a wig, raping and murdering for amusement. Tacitus mentions the unfortunate case of Gaius Julius Montanus who was forced to commit suicide after putting up resistance to one of Nero’s assaults.

Nero did study music under Terpnus who was considered the greatest lyre-player of the age; during the timespan of this book he kept his ‘talent’ a secret, singing only to a privileged few. My take on his voice comes from Suetonius telling us that, despite his lying with weights on his chest and using enemas and emetics as well as refraining from eating apples, his voice was ‘feeble and husky’.

Venutius was captured by Nasica and the VIIII Hispana in
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58 after rebelling first against his wife, Cartimandua of the Brigantes – who had replaced him with his armour-bearer, Vellocatus – and then carrying the rebellion against Rome; his being sent to Rome is my fiction but not entirely impossible.

Sabinus was the Urban prefect at this time and, conveniently so that I could get him to Britannia, was replaced by Pedanius for a year in
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61.

It is my fiction that Seneca and Pallas conspired together in Nero’s murder of his mother, Agrippina. The matricide would have taken a long time to prepare as Anicetus did build a collapsible ship – it being fashioned like a swan is my fiction. I have taken a combination of both Suetonius’ and Tacitus’ accounts of the shameful incident and, apart from inserting Vespasian and Magnus into the action, have not embellished it that much. It was the feast of Minerva; Nero did make a show of reconciliation with his mother even – as Suetonius mentions – going so far as to kiss her breasts as she embarked onto the doomed ship. She escaped just as Magnus described and Nero was paralysed by fear of retribution. Seneca and Burrus advised him to act first so Nero did then throw a sword at the feet of her freedman, Agermus, and accused him of being sent by Agrippina to assassinate him and then despatched Anicetus, Herculeius and Obartius to kill her. She died inviting her murderers to stab her in the womb that bore Nero. Both Suetonius and Tacitus tell us that Nero examined the dead body of his mother remarking on her beauty; you do not need to make this stuff up!

Nero did steal Otho’s wife, Poppaea Sabina, and banish his one-time friend to Lusitania to be governor. Corvinus being replaced in the post is my fiction; however, he was awarded a stipend by Nero to help him out of his poverty.

Tacitus tells us that Nero used to practise chariot racing in a circus at the foot of the Vatican that had originally been commissioned by Caligula. The obelisk that still stands in St Peter’s Square is a remnant of that construction. Suetonius mentions Vespasian taking a drive as his morning exercise once he had become emperor so I feel justified in having Vespasian race in this story.

Corbulo was conducting the war against Parthia in Armenia at the time and his despatch is taken from Tacitus’ report of events that year.

Seneca, like a lot of wealthy men of the time, did invest heavily in Britannia, charging exorbitant rates of interest. If you fancy a great read on Seneca then I recommend
Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero
by James Romm. Cassius Dio says that he had as much as forty million sesterces lent out in Britannia alone. Cassius Dio also tells us that Seneca calling in all his loans in Britannia was one reason for the uprising; the other was Decianus claiming that money lent by Claudius at the beginning of the occupation had to be paid back. Suetonius tells us that Nero considered withdrawing from Britannia, and Tacitus says that Boudicca was flogged and her daughters raped after Prasutagus’ will was rejected and his kingdom seized by Rome. I’ve combined all three sources by making Nero’s intent to pull out the catalyst that forces Seneca to call in his loans. Decianus insisting the Iceni pay back Claudius’ gift and then being responsible for the flogging of Boudicca and the rape of her daughters is the final factor that pushes Boudicca into rebellion. The course of the revolt happened much as described and, again, I’ve not embellished that much: Camulodunum, Londinium and Verulamium were all destroyed; Cassius Dio tells us of women having their breasts cut off and being impaled on stakes. Eighty thousand Roman citizens were butchered as well as Cerialis – Vespasian’s son-in-law – losing most of his legion. Suetonius tells us that Titus served in Britannia and it’s possible that he did come as part of the reinforcements from Germania where he also served; his arrival in time for the Battle of Watling Street is my fiction.

The battle itself was a masterpiece by Suetonius Paulinus. Tacitus tells us that he negated Boudicca’s far superior numbers by positioning his army between two hills – the location is still unknown – and formed it into wedges as Boudicca’s men closed. He also mentions the families in their wagons hindering the Britannic retreat and leading to many of the eighty thousand deaths that he reports with the loss of only four hundred Romans.

Cogidubnus’ presence is my fiction – I needed someone to translate Boudicca’s speech for us! Both Boudicca’s and Paulinus’ speeches are a mixture of the versions reported by Tacitus and Cassius Dio.

Tigellinus and Faenius Rufus did replace Burrus who, Tacitus tells us, was poisoned by Nero. Rufus did have the reputation for honesty after his tenure of the prefect of the grain supply over ten years.

Tacitus tells us about the murder of Pedanius by one of his slaves. There was much sympathy for the plight of the four hundred slaves in his household who, according to Roman law, would all be executed. Gaius Cassius’ speech is abridged from Tacitus and this won the day; all four hundred were crucified.

Tacitus reports Pallas’ enforced suicide in
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62 and the fact that he died having amassed a fortune of four hundred million sesterces. He must have left children as a descendant of his became consul in the second century.

Nero did divorce Claudia Octavia on the grounds of being barren and then married Poppaea once she became pregnant. Claudia’s head was sent to Poppaea to gloat over; it being a wedding present is my fiction but I would not put it past Nero!

My thanks again go to my agent, Ian Drury, at Sheil Land Associates, along with Gaia Banks and Melissa Mahi in the foreign rights department. A big thank you to my editor, Sara O’Keeffe at Corvus/Atlantic, for her great input that considerably sped up the narrative and for making me realise, once again, that a story cannot just be in my head if others are to enjoy it too! Thanks also to all the people at Corvus/Atlantic who work so hard on my behalf and to Will Atkinson for encouraging them to such great efforts. And thank you for all the posters! Thanks also to Tamsin Shelton for her incredible eye for mistakes and disastrous sentences during the copy-edit.

To my shame I’ve never acknowledged Tim Byrne for his atmospheric cover designs that add so much to the story; thanks, Tim, I love every one.

Finally, my thanks and love to the two people who always join me for the story: my wife, Anja, and you, dear reader.

Vespasian’s story will continue in
Rome’s Sacred Flame
.

Also by Robert Fabbri

THE VESPASIAN SERIES

TRIBUNE OF ROME

ROME’S EXECUTIONER

FALSE GOD OF ROME

ROME’S FALLEN EAGLE

MASTERS OF ROME

ROME’S LOST SON

Coming soon
…

ROME’S SACRED FLAME

SHORT STORIES

THE CROSSROADS BROTHERHOOD

THE RACING FACTIONS

THE DREAMS OF MORPHEUS

THE ALEXANDRIAN EMBASSY

Coming soon
…

THE IMPERIAL TRIUMPH

First published in hardback in Great Britain in 2016 by Corvus, an imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd.

Copyright © Robert Fabbri, 2016

The moral right of Robert Fabbri to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

Map designed by Jeff Edwards

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities, is entirely coincidental.

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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardback ISBN: 978 0 85789 970 5

Trade paperback ISBN: 978 0 85789 971 2

E-book ISBN: 978 0 85789 972 9

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