‘But surely he was poisoned? I thought. . That is, I supposed. . After Honorius. .’ She made a helpless little gesture with her hands.
Redux had been bursting to say something all along, and now he could contain himself no longer. ‘He wasn’t poisoned. He was lying dead across his desk. Somebody had stuck a knife into his back.’
‘Stabbed?’ Her voice was almost shrill with shock. ‘But who? How?’ She paused and with an obvious effort to regain her self-control, turned to the commander. ‘That’s why you asked about the knife?’
He nodded. ‘Though it is just possible the blade was poisoned, I believe. The tribune thought it was. Largely because the victim had clearly died at once.’
She got up abruptly from the stool at this. ‘So, it might yet have been dipped in that amphora?’ she began, pressing her hands against her heart again.
The commander looked at me. I shook my head. ‘I doubt that very much. The toxin would not be strong enough to kill him,’ I explained. ‘Not if it was diluted in the garum. Remember that it took your husband a little time to die — he stumbled and the servants thought at first that he was merely taken sick — and he would have swallowed quite a lot of poison in the wine. So it would be surprising if Antoninus died at once from the small amount of the same concoction that could be carried on a blade.’
‘Ah!’ She let out a little sigh and smiled tremulously at us. ‘So it was not my fault at all? You are quite sure of that? So you won’t be needing me?’ This time she did drop the veil across her face again.
‘I think it would be sensible to test the garum, though, if the commander could arrange that for us?’ I said. ‘I’m sure he could find a convicted criminal, who would be glad of a swift death — just in case there should be anything amiss.’
‘Of course. There would be several candidates — specially if I offered a pardon should the man survive.’ The commander seemed delighted that he had found a job to do. He turned to Livia, who was looking dubious. ‘Don’t worry about the fate of the criminal, my dear. He would have died in any case. And Libertus is quite right, we should do the test. Somebody poisoned your husband, after all.’
‘Perhaps we should test the other food as well,’ I said. I had been watching Redux all this while. He had lost his demeanour of effete, plump elegance and was twisting his fingers together like an impatient girl, as if he were uncertain whether to speak out. I decided for him. ‘Though I think we can ignore the wine jug on the window shelf, since Redux has already tested that for us.’
He had turned scarlet. ‘How did you know that?’
‘I wasn’t certain of it — until now — although I thought it possible. When the tribune came and was half-accusing you, you were ready to pour yourself a drink, though there were people watching and it was a very unusual thing to do. It all suggested that you turned to wine in moments of distress. When you found the corpse you were in the room alone. It must have been a shock. It seemed very likely that you would have had a drink — and when the tribune mentioned poison, you were quite alarmed. And you have just confirmed it.’
‘You can see why my master is so good at solving mysteries!’ I had forgotten Minimus who was standing behind us all this while. He and the pageboy must have heard all this. I turned to rebuke him, but the words died on my lips as the tribune reappeared with a clatter of hobnailed sandals on the stairs.
He stood at the doorway with my salver in his hand, and the soldier I had entrusted with it at his heels.
‘Your pardon for this intrusion, sir, I beg.’ The tribune looked flustered, and embarrassed, too. ‘But this soldier is wanted on parade and he refuses to part with this to anyone, until he has sight of the receipt. Says that he was half-promised a reward.’
‘This is insubordination, tribune. I shall see you later on. I made it clear that we were not to be disturbed.’ The commander sounded coldly angry, and the young man quailed. ‘But I suppose, that since you’ve brought the fellow here. .’ The commander opened the compartment on his desk and took the tablet out. ‘Is this what you require?’
I stepped forward to claim it, but it was the page who spoke. ‘But, madam, surely that’s your lost writing block?’
Nineteen
There was a moment’s startled silence. Everyone looked from me to Livia, but she didn’t say a word. She had pushed her veil back again, and was staring at the writing tablet with evident dismay. Redux, I noticed, was also eyeing it, with the same anxiety that he’d evinced before. The commander waited, but no one moved or spoke.
The stillness seemed to hang heavy in the room. We could hear the barking of orders down below as the detachment in the courtyard began to march away and some hapless laggard being singled out, and put on extra duties and penal rations for a week. At this the soldier with the salver gave a nervous little cough, and I realized that he was anxious to be allowed to leave. No doubt he feared additional fatigues and a diet of thin porridge for being late himself.
I felt rather guilty. He was here at my behest. I broke the tension by speaking suddenly. ‘Thank you, soldier, for bringing in the tray, and for taking charge of it for me,’ I said. ‘There will be a reward for you, when Marcus Septimus comes back from Rome — and these citizens are witnesses to my word on that.’ I spoke with what I hoped was confidence, but secretly I prayed that Marcus would honour my contract when he heard. ‘In the meantime you may leave the salver with the commander here. I’ll ask him to keep it in the garrison, until my patron comes. It is much safer than my carrying it home with me tonight — miles in the dark on unfrequented roads.’
‘And that document you wrote as a receipt? You’ll erase my name from it?’
I gestured towards the writing tablet in the commander’s hand. ‘There it is. You can countersign it now. These citizens will witness that you brought the salver here, and therefore you are entitled to a reward.’
The soldier took the tablet. He made a show of reading it, scrawled his initials on the wax again and gave it back. Then — with obvious relief — he put the salver on the table, saluted and withdrew. We could hear him clattering pell-mell down the stairs. The tribune, after a moment, sighed and followed him.
The commander turned to Livia and me. ‘I’m happy to take charge of His Excellence’s tray. But what am I to do about this writing block? There seems to be some question as to whose it is. Lady, your servant appears to think that it is yours.’
Livia had recovered her composure now. She gave a little laugh. ‘It looks like it certainly. But I lost mine a long, long way from here. We were on the way to visit relatives, and it was stolen from the luggage wagon when we were in an inn. Pulchra will remember.’
Pulchra did. She nodded eagerly. ‘Your husband was angry at your carelessness. He had them search the inn from floor to roof, and flogged the servants who should have been on guard, but it was never found.’
‘You see?’ Livia said sweetly. ‘How could Antoninus have got hold of it? Besides, I’m not so sure that this is so much like it, after all. May I examine it?’ She took it from the officer and undid the ties. ‘What do you think Pulchra?’
The woman examined it, and then gave it back. ‘Well, it is certainly very similar, but I don’t think it’s the same. For instance, I think this one may have been rewaxed and yours had certainly never been repaired.’
I nodded. It is not uncommon for a favourite tablet to have the wax removed and replaced with new, especially if the casing is a fine one — as this was. There is a limit to how many messages can be written and erased before the writing surface becomes too thin, and the stylus begins to scratch the wooden backing block or even cause damage to the case itself.
The pageboy refused to be deterred. ‘But surely, mistress? This fretwork near the hinge. .? It’s so unusual, there can’t be two of them.’
‘Foreign handiwork, so Redux tells me,’ I remarked. ‘It may be that he can throw some further light upon its history. Let him have a closer look at it. I have the impression that he recognizes it.’