I had expected Lucius to be cast down by this, but in fact he seemed relieved by the intelligence. ‘That’s excellent!’ he cried. ‘I was going to have to ask him to delay, until we know what is happening to Silvia’s estate, though I knew he was in a hurry to invest somewhere. But now, it seems, he’ll say the same to me. And since you two are acquainted there can be no awkwardness!’ He stroked his auburn beard. ‘And there’ll still be time for you and I to talk, or rather for me to ask for your advice. Before he comes, perhaps. Allius does not generally arrive till after dark.’
‘Then I should be delighted,’ I replied. ‘Though I’m hardly dressed to dine in such exalted company.’ I was wearing only a warm tunic and a cloak — one doesn’t choose to wear an awkward toga on a mule. ‘And I have no attendant with me, as you see. Perhaps you could spare a slave to light me home?’
‘Of course.’ Lucius gave that bluff laugh of his again. ‘And as to what you’re wearing, give no thought to that. I don’t have a toga to boast of anyway. Mine is a humble household, my friend. I’m a simple man — and the presence of two citizens at my table is an uncommon privilege, whatever they are wearing at the time.’ It was an exaggeration — he clearly had dealings with the rich and great — but it was courteous. He gestured round the forum. ‘So, if you have finished here, we can escort you to my quarters straightaway. Or do you still have business to attend to at the temple, perhaps?’
I shook my head and he signalled to his pimply slave to lead the way. ‘I hoped to call in at the temple,’ I explained, as we began to follow. ‘But they have closed the shrine today for cleansing rituals.’
‘Not because of the problems at the Agonalia, surely?’ Lucius said, taking my arm to aid me across a pile of frozen snow and making me feel like a great-grandfather. ‘I thought that had been dealt with days ago.’
‘This is more recent. There’s been an accident to one of the old priests, and they are anxious to purify the shrine. You haven’t heard the rumours?’
He shook his head. ‘I haven’t been back in Glevum long enough to talk to anyone. Except yourself, of course. What are you waiting for?’ This last was to his servant, who was hovering at the entrance to a narrow alleyway.
‘It’s quicker this way, masters, if you can manage it.’
I nodded, and we turned that way, though the ground was still treacherous with patches of black ice and the occasional heap of frozen piled-up snow.
We picked and slithered our way in silence for a little while, then Lucius said, ‘Is this what happened to this aged priest? You mentioned an accident? What did he do? Slip on the courtyard ice and kill himself?’
‘Rather worse than that. They discovered half the body in an icy pond, miles outside the temple, earlier today,’ I told him, as we paused at a corner to let a hand-cart pass.
‘Half?’ He whirled around to face me. ‘But …?’
‘You are wondering if it might be Genialis?’ I suggested.
He looked nonplussed a moment, then nodded ruefully. ‘I see you read my mind.’
‘The same thought had occurred to me, at first,’ I told him with a smile, ‘but I’ve been thinking since. The two men were of such different builds, there could hardly be confusion anyway. And the temple is obviously sure it is their missing priest, because they sent a party out to bring back the remains — and they would not have done that if there were any doubt. The mere presence of any corpse within the shrine would call for hours of purifying rituals — let alone a priest, and a half of one at that.’
He made a face. ‘A corpse would call for cleansing rites, wherever it was brought. But I suppose in a temple it requires much more.’
I grinned. ‘Fire and smoke and water and the gods know what besides, and no doubt special ceremonies and sacrifices to propitiate the various goddesses he served. I think that they were beginning all that when I was there. Not that I could see what they were doing at the shrine — they’ve posted a giant servant at the gate, who wouldn’t even let me talk to anyone.’
Lucius brayed with laughter. ‘I see. I wondered what your interest in the temple was. I had not taken you for a religious man — at least not where the Roman deities are concerned. Though you went to the Janus festival, I think? The first time I met you, you and your patron had just come from that abortive sacrifice.’
‘Only the first one, when it had to be postponed,’ I said. ‘In the afternoon I took advantage of the thaw and went back to my roundhouse, before the pathways froze. The Agonalia is not one of the obligatory rituals — not like the Imperial birthday sacrifice — and my home is quite a long way out of town. Quite near to Marcus’s in fact — the land was originally part of his estate. You would have passed it, when you were out there earlier.’
‘If I go there again, I will look out for it,’ Lucius said graciously, as we turned the corner to the docks. ‘And, speaking of your dwelling, here is mine.’ He indicated a building in the quayside area. ‘Not a fancy residence, but it suits me well enough. Office and warehouse this end and living space behind — and I’m lucky enough to share a proper kitchen in the court.’
‘You are well-provided for,’ I said and meant it too.
Many people had no formal cooking-space, and unless — like Marcus — they were very rich indeed, most apartment dwellers had no fire at all and depended on the vendors in the street, or the hot-soup kitchens, if they wanted a warm meal. No wonder Lucius was proud of his abode. And since he boasted a shared kitchen and was inviting citizens to dine, then more likely his home had several rooms — at least a dining area and a separate sleeping room — which was better provision than I had myself.
On the other hand this was clearly a poor place compared to Ulpius’s house. It was close beside the river wharves and the associated smells were already reaching us — which was perhaps the reason that his living space was situated at the back, and did not have a separate front entrance directly to the docks. If the owner hoped to marry Silvia — as my patron seemed to think — he must be relying on the house which came with her estate. Surely he could not expect to bring her here?
Yet he was quietly boastful as he said, ‘Come!’ and ushered me inside the heavy warehouse door, which the spotty servant was holding wide for us. Lucius threw his cloak back and waved a proud, expansive hand. ‘There you are, citizen. What do you think of that?’
I have been in such warehouses before, so I was prepared for the general size and layout of the place, but it was still impressive: a huge stone building sectioned into parts by waist-high wood partitions — with a different commodity stored in each area. Despite the recent weather, the warehouse seemed jam-fulclass="underline" there were few window spaces and it was dim inside, but the flickering light of torches on the wall revealed sacks and wooden crates of every shape and size, stone jars and amphorae, piles of sheepskins and heaps of metal bowls, to say nothing of a stack of rough-hewn timber near the door. How could Genialis think of forcing it to close?
Lucius was clearly expecting some response. I said what I was thinking: ‘You have a lot of wares.’
He gave me a delighted smile. ‘A varied range, it’s true, although we tend to specialize. We concentrate mainly on little household luxuries. “Sell to the moderately rich — things for their wives and daughters”, Ulpius used to say. That’s where the profit is: glass beads, horn combs and perfumes and all that sort of thing. Or fancy dining ware.’ He had seized a torch that was burning in a sconce and was enthusiastically illuminating the various products as he spoke, bouncing down the central aisle like an excited pup. ‘Of course we import the usual oils and food and wine, and I brought in that silver fir-wood over there for a carpenter who wants it for making pails and bowls. Easier to work with and it doesn’t grow round here.’ He paused and looked at me expectantly again.