Marcus had been standing by, as if impatient of all this talk of trade. ‘Well, that concludes our business in this household, I suppose,’ he said testily. ‘I have seen your pavement — it is very nicely done, and I’ll say so to Genialis when I see him next. I shall want a word with him in any case.’
‘To chide him for dereliction of his duty, I suppose. Leaving his ward to travel all alone and failing to prepare her house for her?’ I said.
Marcus shook his head and, seeing that Lucius and Silvia were making their farewells, he leant across and murmured in my ear. ‘It’s about this shipping business. If this Alfredus deal falls through, I’ve half a mind to see if I can buy Silvia’s share myself.’
I said nothing. I could not believe my ears. My patron was not the sort of man to sink his gold in trade.
Marcus saw my look of disbelief. ‘It would oblige the lady!’ he murmured softly, so that only I could hear. ‘Besides, if Alfredus Allius thinks there is a profit in the deal …’ Then he raised his voice. ‘Now if everyone is ready, I think we’ve finished here. Libertus, would you like to lead the way outside?’
SIX
Once we were outside in the frosty air again, Lucius took his leave — looking a little discomfited, I thought. Perhaps it was because his servant had set off for Dorn and he was now obliged to walk the streets unattended, but I suspected it was more to do with disappointment over Silvia. Marcus, though, seemed oblivious of any discontent and was happily issuing orders to the various slaves: sending his own pages off to find a pair of carrying chairs and despatching the Syrian to find Bernadus.
‘If you can’t find him in Glevum before the sacrifice, you’ll have to go and find him at his country house. At least, I suppose, you know the way by now,’ my patron said. He turned towards the doorkeeper. ‘I shall leave the other horse in your care meanwhile.’
The man did not seem happy with the task, judging by the doubtful look he gave the beast and the timid way in which he took the reins, but he was trained in obedience. ‘As you say, Excellence!’
‘When Adonisius comes back, and we hear from Bernadus what he wants done with the horse, you can send and let me know — since I am now responsible on Silvia’s behalf,’ Marcus said with a pretence at innocence, though of course was certain what the reply would be.
Bernadus would offer my patron use of it till he returned to town — that is, if he didn’t make an outright gift of it — otherwise he might seem to be discourteous and could never hope to make further progress in the town.
Marcus knew it, too, which was doubtless why he was smiling as he said, ‘I shall be at the garrison praetorium till noon — I’m invited to have a little refreshment with the commander there, to look over the animals for potential sacrifice this afternoon. After the rites, you may enquire for me at home. In the meantime you can tether this creature somewhere here.’
The doorman nodded gloomily, and plodded off with it, obviously hoping to find a hitching point in the alleyway nearby.
That left my little party standing in the street alone with Marcus and the Lady Silvia. My patron turned to me. ‘Shall I see you at the temple later on?’
It would be expected of me, but I glanced up at the sky. The chilly wind had blown away the clouds and a pale sun glittered wanly from an expanse of palest blue. I made a swift decision. ‘I don’t think so, Excellence. With this clear sky, it promises to freeze again tonight, and if we two hope to reach our wives and houses today we should set off soon, before the roads become impassable again. We are — after all — on foot.’
I feared I would offend him, but he simply waved a hand. ‘Then I will say farewell for now. But be good enough to call in at the villa on your way and tell my wife that I shall be detained in town tonight. My duty keeps me here …’ He frowned. ‘On second thoughts, perhaps I’ll ask the commander of garrison if he can spare a horseman to act as messenger. It will be almost dark before you get there, walking, I suppose.’
I bowed. I was relieved to have been spared the need to call myself. For one thing, the villa was not really ‘on my way’ — in fact it was almost a Roman mile further down the lane — and for another I have never been good at hiding things from Julia, his wife. If she had asked me what the nature of this ‘duty’ was, she would soon have deduced that Silvia had undoubted charms. However there was no need to tell my patron this.
I murmured meekly, ‘I would have been honoured to be of service to you, Excellence, of course.’
He gave me a brisk nod. ‘Of course. And later on I shall have need of you. I’ll be home tomorrow and I want to talk to you. I’ll send a slave for you as soon as I arrive.’ He gestured towards Silvia and shook his head, as if to indicate that he did not wish to spell things out while she was listening. I must have looked surprised because he added, with a smile, ‘That little venture that I spoke to you about — I think that I would value your advice.’
I understood his meaning all too clearly now. No doubt he’d want me to look into Lucius’s affairs, to find out what the prospects of a profit were and what kind of men were his associates! I gave an inward groan.
I’d encountered Ulpius’s contacts when he was alive and I was laying that previous floor for him. He’d brought them to admire it: traders and foreign merchants to a man, for many of whom their only home in Glevum was a ship. I could see that this affair of Marcus’s was likely to entail a visit to the docks, and that I would have to go aboard these vessels for myself. It was not a prospect that delighted me. When I was first kidnapped by the pirates in the south and they dragged me from my home, they had forced me to their ship and flung me in the hold, where I’d spent days of terror chained up in the pitching, stinking dark before I was hauled out and sold to slavery. I have hated boats and water ever since.
However, Marcus was my patron and I could only say, ‘At your command, as ever, Excellence.’
‘Very well. I’ll send for you tomorrow,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Now, I see, my pages have summoned me a chair.’ He gestured towards a pair of litters which had just arrived. He turned away and climbed nimbly into the nearest one, with the assistance of his scarlet-suited slaves. ‘The other chair’s for Silvia, of course!’ he called, pulling the curtains closed, and before I could ask him who was to pay for this, the bearers were already trotting off with him, with his attendants scampering along on either side.
I turned around. Silvia was already being assisted up into the second chair by Minimus and Maximus. There was nothing for it! I gave instructions to the litter bearers: ‘To the wine shop opposite the baths. Payment on arrival!’ I winked at Junio and he winked back at me.
‘Very prudent, Father — but we’d better follow them!’ He pointed to the bearers who had already started off and were almost disappearing round the corner of the street. Of course they were strong lads, accustomed to the task, and they moved very fast, so I left Junio to hurry after them, while I — accompanied by my slave boys — puffed along behind.
Perhaps it was fortunate for me that just around the corner, the street was shadowy. The wintry sun had not yet done its work and the pavements were still slippery with slush and heaps of piled-up snow — to the joy of groups of urchins who were using them as slides. More sober pedestrians had therefore taken to the road, and nearer the forum there was still a pressing crowd so I soon caught up with Juno and the litter in the crush. But the litter bearers were happily adept at jostling, using their elbows and their poles to clear a path, so that by following as close behind them as we could, we soon reached the building where the apartment was.