Suetonius and Clarus were astonished at the young girl's sudden appearance at the Companions' compound, while Julianus enjoyed their visible surprise. Suetonius continued questioning.
"Tell us, Thais of Cyrene. You are saying to us your mother Lais was of the slave class?"
"Indeed I do, sir. Prior to my birth my mother had been a dancer at the Canopus entertainment district on the coast of the Delta beyond Alexandria. She was acquired by the Proconsul Legate at Cyrene as a concubine during a recreational visit to Canopus. She travelled to join his household at Cyrene on the Legate's return. I was born only months later," she added breezily. "My mother Lais was perceived to be a great beauty. Her purchase from her masters was at great price."
Suetonius glanced across to Surisca, who was near the same age and had experienced a similar style of life, but who kept her eyes lowered during the young girl's testimony.
"Um, ah.." Suetonius burbled with a self-conscious degree of prurience, "did you too follow in your mother's profession as an entertainer, my dear?"
"No, sir, no. I was secluded in the traditional way to protect my virginity for marriage. I was raised in the Legate's household as a daughter of the family and educated accordingly. The Legate's wife, my Roman mistress, had borne four children to her husband of which only one son had survived childhood. He was named Aulus. I think I may have been welcomed as a daughter to the family in the light of their other losses.
Also, though my birth-mother taught me dancing and musical skills, I was specially trained in the administration of a noble household by my owner's wife. I was taught to read and write in Latin, common Greek, and Aramaic under tutors in the company of the Legate's son Aulus. Aulus was two years older than I, but it transpired I was a better student than the Legate's son."
"What happened then?" Suetonius enquired, entranced by this history.
"I remained in service with the Legate's wife at Cyrene until my fourteenth year, when she resolved I should find a master or mistress elsewhere. My mother Lais had died of a canker of the bosom in my tenth year despite the very best medical attention from the Legate's personal physician. This left me as an orphan who remained the property of the Legate.
My mistress, through her husband, arranged for my transfer to the slave emporium at Delos Island in the Aegean where the better class of bonded people are traded. My price was to be subsidized to ensure I located a superior quality of master or mistress, and not a dealer in virgins or entertainers," she revealed with some pride.
"You were still a virgin you say?" Suetonius enquired, perhaps with a little too much interest.
"Indeed, sir," Thais declared. "Perhaps this was an issue, I suspect, because my mistress was concerned either her husband the Legate, or more likely her son Aulus, had become too fond of me."
Thais's responses were without any evident conceit.
"In truth, sirs, Aulus and I had become very close at the time. Very close. He was a very beautiful young man of great quality," she murmured wistfully.
"Why didn't the Legate simply give you to Aulus as his body servant and companion?" Clarus proposed. "He was entitled to do so."
"There were impediments to such an arrangement," Thais offered hesitantly. "One was Aulus wished me to be married to him. His mother, my mistress, would not permit this."
"Then we must assume from what you say, Thais of Cyrene, that the Proconsul Legate of the province would have been your father and his son Aulus was likely to be your half-brother?" Suetonius put to her plainly. "Inter-marriage between such closely related may not be wise."
"Why didn't the Legate — if I'm not mistaken it was Calpurnius Flaccus, the senator and son of the renown rhetorician, yes?" Clarus interjected speculatively, "simply give you your freedom, as is his right as your owner?"
Thais was thoughtful for a moment without commenting upon the Flaccus speculation.
"I think the household was concerned I would then have no protector, no paterfamilias, if I was freed, being utterly orphaned," she responded. "Yet they did not wish me married either, despite already being a year or two beyond the accepted age for betrothal."
"So instead they resolved to send you away to a household of quality?" Suetonius contributed. "I imagine your Aulus was distressed? Even heartbroken?"
Thais appeared distracted for a few moments before moving on without responding to the question.
"At Delos I was acquired by an agent of the Imperial Household due to my education and language skills," the dainty young lady continued solemnly. "Then on Great Caesar's instruction the Household steward supplied me to Antinous as his teacher of conversational Latin and instructor in Palatine comportment. This was over four years ago at Nicomedia during Caesar's tour of the provinces."
"I see, you were to be his sleep-in language teacher?" Clarus implied teasingly. Clarus was not one to miss a wry, if vulgar, observation.
"But what now that this patron, Antinous, too has died?" Clarus searched.
"Antinous has made suitable provision for this," Julianus offered enigmatically.
Suetonius looked to Thais to see how she responded to these queries, only to perceive tears had formed almost imperceptibly at the corners of her eyes. Slowly, gradually, her eyes were welling. The group was silenced by this visible human sentiment. Surisca drew to Thais's side and gently took her hands in her own. Thais did not resist.
"Suitable provision? What sort of provision?" Suetonius continued.
"My patron and good friend Antinous has endowed me with sufficient resources to be independent of his patronage," the Cyrene offered as she wiped her eyes. She fell silent.
Julianus spoke up to confirm this enigmatic statement.
"On the day before his death Antinous furnished Thais with sufficient gold coins, precious objects, and the ownership deed to a residence at Athens to support her in her future life. This endowment was of considerable substance, and very adequate to her needs. Her trove is secured against theft or misadventure under my personal seal, and duly recorded by documents drawn by Antinous on the day," the quaestor stated. "But we had no idea at the time that Antinous would be dead within that very same day."
"So in the months before the Bithynian's death," Clarus legalistically clarified, "he gave this woman, Thais, her freedom by manumission, and followed this with a large endowment to ensure her financial independence? And he finalized these legalities the very day prior to his own death?"
"Indeed," Julianus agreed.
"What's going on here? I find this very suspicious, or at least unlikely?" Clarus labored the obvious. "Surely we see cui bono in operation here! Who has benefited from Antinous's death? We begin to see, perhaps."
Suetonius interrupted him.
"Senator, remember Arrian's report to us of the boy's withdrawal of his personal wealth from safekeeping. Recall too the report of the lad's reputed liaison in an earlier interview…," Suetonius murmured, casting a raised eyebrow at the young Cyrene.
"Reputed liaison?" the senator responded. "Oh. I see. Tell us Thais of Cyrene, is it true you have been an intimate companion of the deceased, Antinous of Bithynia?" Clarus asked forthrightly. "In fact you have been his secret paramour?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Thais.
"Intimate companion? Paramour?" she uttered with some dismay. "Fine sirs, despite my own feelings about my wonderful master, and despite the many occasions when such sentiments could easily have arisen, not once in five years did Antinous impose upon my person in an intimate or amorous manner.
While all those around us at Court shared affairs of the heart and licentious behavior, Antinous and I remained entirely chaste. He was devoted solely to his erastes. It was their compact. Even in the two years since my manumission, we have maintained sober relations. That is, well, until very recently," she said, her voice trailing away to a whisper.