‘Good.’ Claudia checked her curls in the mirror then ferreted around in her jewel casket until she found a silver brooch in the shape of an owl. Can you imagine a more perfect offering for my very own protectress? Claudia kissed the pin. For you, Fortune. May you continue to smile upon me.
‘There’s been a bit of a stir among the master’s relatives this morning.’
Claudia threaded a purple ribbon in her hair and selected a matching wrap from her chest. ‘Hmm?’ Apricot and purple. Very elegant.
‘Mistress Fannia couldn’t sleep last night.’
Probably that chicken-feather bolster. Claudia fastened the owl to her gown and stood back.
‘Neither could Fortunata or Miss Eppia.’
Silver wasn’t right. It needed gold. Ah, that little filigree dolphin! Just the ticket. ‘One more night’—hoo-bloody-ray—‘and they’ll be back in their own beds.’
‘But they said…’ Cypassis gulped. ‘It was
ghosts
walking Master Gaius’s bedroom.’
‘Cypassis, you organize the wild flower raid, let me deal with the spirit world, all right?’
Gaius checking out his aunts and cousins? I don’t think so. More likely Larentia seeking arteries to sink her fangs into.
Downstairs, all the old hens were gathered in the atrium, a convoy of litters was lined up outside. However, for the sake of impact, Claudia had protracted the departure. Being the Kalends, the hearth was garlanded with marigolds, the calendulas from which the day took its name, and Claudia felt sure some prayers and a couple of rituals would go far to impress the old bats. She held out her arms, palms upwards and with every appearance of solemnity, intoned, ‘Mighty Juno, on this, your holy…’ She got no further. A fair-haired young man clad in a snowy white toga breezed in. ‘I’m so sorry, am I interrupting?’
‘Porsenna!’
Credit where it’s due, thought Claudia, Larentia had the decency to feign surprise.
As the other women fluttered their greetings, Claudia turned her own attention to the stranger in her hall. Why the shock? What had she imagined the mouse man to look like? Why should he have a face like a pancake? ‘Aunt Larentia, you’re looking absolutely wonderful!’ Young. Handsome. Well dressed. Can’t expect his eyesight to be perfect as well.
‘And you must be Claudia. Larentia, you naughty girl. You omitted to tell me how stunning the young widow was.’ The prospective bridegroom picked up Claudia’s hand and kissed it, and perhaps that was just as well.
Otherwise she’d have balled it into a fist and slammed it straight into Larentia’s teeth.
*
High, up on the Capitol, in the shadow of the mighty temples of Jupiter and Juno and behind the portico that links them, you will see, on the left, two wooden gates. This is the entrance to the deceptively spacious home of the aedile in charge of the forthcoming games. Long and narrow, it abuts the libraries, school and assembly hall that are an integral part of the temple complex and on most days the chant of monies, weights and measures from the classrooms and all the comings and goings that these establishments entailed tended to override the gentle hum of industry from within the aedile’s house. But not today. The Megalesian Games kicked off in less than three days and the run-up was proving a nightmare.
The aedile, had he hair left to pull out, would literally have had his hands full. ‘What do you mean, the sponsors won’t stretch to another two grand?’ he shrieked to his cowering minions. ‘How can five charioteers all go down with the fever at once? Where are my lions? By the gods, man, I ordered tubas, not cymbals!’
His reaction to the news that only half the scenery had been painted drowned even the honking from Juno’s sacred geese, so if you were a slave in this household and you had a quadran’s worth of sense, you’d steer clear of the master for a while. Zygia planned to do just that.
‘You’re still in bed,’ Severina shrieked, returning to the box of a room that they shared. ‘Zigs, he’ll go spare.’ Instead of throwing the covers aside, Zygia stretched lazily. ‘He won’t notice with that lot going on. It’ll be like three days holiday for us.’
‘For you, you mean.’ Severina wagged a long slim finger. ‘One of these times, you’ll push it too far, and don’t say you weren’t warned.’
Propped up on one elbow, the swarthy slave girl watched Severina run a comb through her hair. Such long, fair hair. When it caught the light, it was like a waterfall of molten gold cascading down her back. And such beautiful blue eyes, shining with life, and a complexion translucent with health. Zygia sighed. She sure was a stunner, was Sevvi.
The smell of baking filtered through from the kitchens below. Freshly baked rolls, pancakes and spicy, plump sausages. Pans clanked on the gridirons, there was stirring and scraping and chopping. She glanced round the tiny room. No artists, they’d made the most of it by sneaking in paint and covering the plaster in blues and purples and lavender and splashing out on a portrait or two. It was as close to home as either of them would ever get.
‘Relax, Sevvi, and come back to bed.’ Zygia snuggled lower under the covers.
Severina giggled then laid down her comb. ‘Are you sure we won’t get into trouble? He has a spiteful temper.’
‘All bark and no bite. You leave the master to me.’
‘Well, bunking off we might be, but…’ When Severina smiled, it was like the sun bursting through the rainclouds. ‘You’ve still got to get up, you lazy piglet.’
As she lunged for the counterpane, Zygia’s hand clamped over her wrist. ‘Excuse me. Did you say
piglet?’
The blonde girl whipped away the sheets with her free hand. ‘Lazy
fat
piglet, if you prefer.’
‘Sevvi, that does it!’ Zygia jumped out of bed. ‘I’ll get you for that!’
She dived towards Severina, who squealed in delight. ‘Piglet, Ziglet, can’t catch me.’
Round and round the tiny room they darted and chased, over the bed, under it, screeching at the tops of their voices until finally Zygia brought down her quarry on the couch.
‘Gotcha.’
Severina lay on her back, panting. ‘Told you were lazy,’ she puffed. ‘I thought you’d never catch me.’
Zygia’s mouth closed over the blonde’s. ‘Liar,’ she whispered hoarsely, unhooking the drawstring on Severina’s tunic and exposing a pretty, pert breast. ‘Beautiful, sexy, wonderful liar.’ She blew lightly on the skin and watched it flutter. ‘Have I told you lately.’ Her nightgown slid to the floor. ‘Just how much I love you?’
Severina gasped as Zygia’s tongue flicked over her nipple. ‘I love you, too. So much, sometimes it hurts.’ Zygia felt her stiffen, and when she looked up, Severina’s eyes were filled with tears. ‘You won’t leave me, will you, Zigs? Not…not without telling me first?’
The older girl jerked back sharply. ‘What on earth made you say that?’
Severina sniffed back her tears. ‘The way you’ve been behaving lately. Secretive. Biting my head off. Little things which…add up.’
‘Oh.’ Zygia sat back, tucked one foot under her thigh and spiked her fingers through her short dark curls.
Severina gulped nervously. ‘Is there someone else?’ The look of horror on her lover’s face answered for her. ‘So, what then?’ She leaned forward impatiently. ‘Zigs, if you’re in trouble…’ The blood drained from her beautiful face. ‘Sweet Janus, it’s this, isn’t it?’
She ran her finger round the outline of the dragon tattooed on Zygia’s arm and felt a chill of pure terror when the dark girl nodded.
‘Yes.’ Zygia’s hand closed over Severina’s. ‘I’ve thought long and hard about this, love, but provided I stay indoors next Friday’—she could not bring herself to say ‘market day’ ‘—and we say I’ve got the fever,’ she kissed Severina’s palm, ‘there’s no problem.’
Although even under the aedile’s roof it was impossible to be a hundred per cent certain. Too many entrances, exits, visitors bringing retinues of their own as preparations for the forthcoming games were stepped up. Which is why she’d taken to sleeping with a small stabbing knife slipped between the mattress and the webbing. Although she saw no need to worry Sevvi with the knowledge.
Severina chewed her lower lip. ‘Are you holding out on me?’
Zygia shrugged and avoided all eye contact.
Sevvi yanked her hand away. ‘All right, if you won’t tell me, I’ll work it out for myself.’ A heather broom began to scrape along the corridor outside their room. The sweeper was humming. ‘Let’s think. You shared a dormitory with those other girls, didn’t you?’
She looked at Zygia, chewing the edge of the sheet. So much they had shared, her and Zigs. Suddenly Severina felt a millstone collide with her stomach. So much they had gone through, concealment of feelings was out of the question.
‘Oh, no.’ Sevvi sank down on the bed, the colour leached from her face. ‘Holy shit, you know who the killer is, don’t you?’
Her friend’s tortured face needed no answer.
‘Mars almighty, you can’t keep this to yourself, your life’ll be worth zero. You must go to the authorities—’
Zygia ruffled the blonde girl’s hair. ‘The Empire’s in crisis, Sevvi, everything else is shelved—’
‘Even a butcher on the loose?’
She gave a short laugh. ‘Since when did the deaths of a few common slaves compare with the life of a middle-aged philanderer? It’s who you are that counts, Sevvi, not what you are. Remember that.’
‘Then share your secret with me.’
‘And put your life on the line, too?’ Zygia held Severina’s face between her hands. ‘No way.’ She kissed her lightly on the lips. ‘Anyway, I may be jumping to conclusions.’
Severina snorted. ‘Twelve of you billeted in that wing and three sliced to bits? You must take me for a right bloody fool.’ She jumped off the couch and began folding clothes furiously.
The other girl buried her head in her hands. ‘I didn’t mean to insult you,’ she said thickly. ‘It’s just that…’ Her voice trembled. ‘Sevvi, I am so damned scared.’
Severina ran across and cradled her. ‘So am I, Zigs, so am I. But we can’t go on hiding away. If the army won’t help, can’t
we
do something?’
‘For instance?’ For the first time in days, hope surged in Zygia’s breast.
‘Suppose,’ Severina said thoughtfully, ‘we band together with the other eight girls and kill him before he gets another one of you?’
Zygia pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. ‘I don’t know where the others live,’ she said wearily. ‘It was hardly in Arbil’s interests for us to keep in touch, in fact the only girls I’ve seen since I left have been Didia and Annia—and Didia they found in the Argiletum yesterday!’
Severina stroked her thick, dark curls. ‘Lord, you’re tense. Roll over and I’ll massage your shoulders.’ She paused in her kneading. ‘What about Arbil?’ she asked. ‘He raised you, why can’t he sort this mess out?’
‘Arbil would only step in, if it was proving detrimental to his business.’
‘I felt you tense up.’ Severina poked Zygia’s shoulder blade. ‘You always tense up when you lie.’
‘All right, so I’m worried about a cover-up,’ Zygia confessed. ‘And who gets her mouth shut permanently for blabbing? You know how ruthless these Babylonians are.’ She flipped over on to her back and stared at the lavender-painted ceiling. ‘On the other hand, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to pay Annia.a brief call’ Her mouth turned down at the corners. ‘Providing I can drum up the courage.’
‘Oh?’ Severina rubbed almond oil over her lover’s breasts in a gentle, circular motion. ‘I thought you lot got on well in the dorm?’
‘Most of us, but there’s no love lost between Annia and me.’ Zygia wrinkled her nose. ‘The trouble was, she thought herself a cut above the rest. All that crap about blue blood in her veins. I—we—rather put her in her place.’
‘Gave her all the dirty jobs, you mean? I’ll bet you jibed her rotten, too.’
‘She deserved it, sanctimonious little cow. Talk about airs and graces. I’m not proud of my behaviour, Sevvi, but we were young and that’s how it was in that place. You either mixed or…paid the price. Oh, but she was a pretty one, that Annia. You two could pass as twins from the back,
and
the same colour eyes.’
Severina shivered. ‘Suppose the killer mistakes me for her?’
A lump formed in Zygia’s throat. ‘Don’t be daft,’ she said, forcing a smile. ‘Nothing, Severina, will happen to you and that’s a promise.’ She pulled her into her arms and hugged her till the choking had subsided. ‘And I shall never, ever leave you, do you understand?’ How could she survive without Sevvi? She kissed the cascade of blonde hair and slid off the couch. ‘So maybe I’ll nip off to Annia’s. Get it over with.’
‘Now?’
‘Yes, now.’ Outside, in the yard, the aedile was screaming for his secretaries. ‘When I won’t be missed.’
‘Please be careful.’
‘Severina, my love, you worry too much.’ Zygia pulled on a fresh tunic scented with bayberries. ‘Today’s the Festival of Fortune, not market day.’ She tied a single blue ribbon round her short, dark hair and splashed a dab of scent behind her ears. ‘So one thing we can be sure of. In broad daylight, with all those crowds buzzing around, I couldn’t be safer had I an armed escort alongside.’
XIV
Despite Porsenna’s limp and limpet charm, Claudia was in a buoyant mood. The Blemish Rites had proved a rip-roaring success, the idea being that in exchange for a gift of frankincense and myrtle, Fortune renders invisible a woman’s sags and wrinkles. Believe that and you’ll believe anything, but the number of women who “just happened” to be passing with a fragrant white wreath in their hair beggared belief. The aunts had thrown themselves into the ceremonies with relish, and providing the old sourpusses were happy, Claudia was happy. One more night, just one more night, and her life would be her own again.