‘And so I would have done,’ the servant said, then broke off with a gasp as Redux took her arm and twisted it behind her.
‘So you can tell us about what you did to Antoninus too.’ For an effete and overweight young man he sounded threatening.
Pulchra said nothing. He yanked the arm again.
‘You went there, Pulchra,’ I said sympathetically. ‘Livia virtually told me that you did. She said that she’d arranged to have the garum taken back — and who would she have sent on any message except you? And you had the clever notion of the sleeping draught. I thought of it last evening when I saw my slave asleep — in just the same attitude that Antoninus was. What did you do? Slip it into his drink of wine?’
Gracchus did something with his knee and Pulchra yelped again.
‘Oh, don’t hurt Pulchra!’ Livia exclaimed. ‘It was my doing as much as it was hers. I agreed that she should use the phial. It wasn’t meant to kill him — just put him to sleep, so he couldn’t talk to anyone and let my secret out. I thought he was intending to do that, naturally, when I heard that he’d asked you to call round later on, especially when Helena Domna told me what the note was written on.’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘Ironic. I thought Antoninus was making a hidden threat to me — and for different reasons, she thought just the same.’
‘Well then, Pulchra,’ Gracchus snarled at her. ‘You heard what Livia said. She was as much responsible as you. Will you make a full confession, or shall we start on her?’
Livia looked defeated, but Pulchra raised her head. ‘It was my doing, citizens. Mine and only mine. It’s true that my mistress knew about the sleeping draught, but making someone fall asleep is not against the law. I managed to slip it into his water jug — I offered to fill it at the fountain for him while he dined — and after a little while it seemed to take effect. He wandered to the study, sat down and seemed to doze. But I wasn’t certain how long the dose would last, so when he had been nodding for a little while, I took his dining knife and stuck it in his ribs. He didn’t shout or struggle, just gave a little groan and even then I wasn’t absolutely certain he was dead. He didn’t seem to bleed much, but I didn’t dare to stay. I tipped away the water, emptied out the jug and stole back down the stairs into the street again.’ She looked at me, and there was almost the faintest glimmer of a smile. ‘It must have been after the doorkeeper had been. I noticed the decoration on the clock as well.’
But I was struggling with a notion of my own. ‘His knife,’ I muttered. ‘Of course it was his own. I should have noticed that there wasn’t one on the table with the food. Who eats bread and cheese without a knife?’
‘And Honorius?’ Gracchus used his knee to good effect again. ‘Did your mistress collude with you in that?’
‘I told her to ask him to taste the wedding wine. That’s all — I swear by all the gods. She had her sickness medicine before she came downstairs, and said — as usual — that it tasted foul and she wanted something to take the taste away. So I went and got it and took it up to her. She had a little and then she went downstairs. I had the poison ready, and I put it in the jug. Then I took it to Honorius. Of course, I carried it, like I always did — he was busy greeting the wedding guests by then — and Honorius drank it like a lamb. He actually told me that it tasted fine, and I had to persuade him to go and try the new amphorae as he’d promised to. I didn’t tell the mistress what I’d done till after he was dead.’
Helena Domna gave a disbelieving sniff. ‘You ask me to believe this? That my son took a cup of drink from you, and drank it without question because you asked him to?’
I raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Just as you have just partaken of watered wine and dates. The steward brought them, and you accepted it.’
She reddened and put her drinking cup down hastily. ‘Steward! Leave the room! And fetch that doorkeeper — we’ve already waited far too long for him.’ I realized that she’d hardly noticed that the steward had been there — and must have been listening to much of what had passed. Such is the peculiar position of a slave.
A moment later, though, the man had reappeared. ‘Madam?’ His face was ashen. ‘They have found the doorkeeper. He was in the servants’ quarters. He had hanged himself.’
Helena Domna gave a bitter laugh. ‘Then he’s escaped my vengeance. How dared he act like this. Betraying our household, when he was our slave?’
‘Exactly, madam,’ I said. ‘That is what you see. A slave, a mere possession, not a man at all. No matter that he may have been on duty half the day, you sent him out on extra errands when he is relieved, with no thought of how he was to eat or when he was to rest. He was simply a tool for you to use. And your son was just the same — promising freedom which he never gave. Did it not occur to you, the fellow might have dreams? He was saving for his slave price, were you aware of that? And no doubt Antoninus paid him handsomely, at first. Even the pageboy noticed how much cash he had.’
‘At first!’ Junio had seen the force of my remark. ‘But it would only be at first. Once Antoninus had persuaded him to betray the household’s trust — of course he would threaten to tell Honorius, who would have meted out dreadful punishment or death. So Antoninus had another victim — it was a slightly different kind of blackmail, that’s all — and the doorkeeper would have been forced to carry on.’
I glanced at Livia but she was staring blankly at the wall. ‘So many deaths,’ she murmured, ‘and it is all-’
She was interrupted by a commotion at the door, and the arrival of the little page. ‘Citizen Libertus. There’s a troop of soldiers here. They’re coming to arrest you — they say that you are late. And, Citizen Redux, they’re asking for you too.’
‘Tell them we have a culprit, and she has confessed — in front of Roman witnesses, so it will stand in law. They can take her to the garrison commander under guard. We will come with them — as we are bound to do by law — and tell the story there. Gracchus — you were offering an advocate, I think?’
Gracchus looked furtive. ‘Not for just a slave. And this was hardly an honour killing, after all.’
‘It was dishonour killing!’ Helena Domna cried. ‘That woman Livia has betrayed my son. I shall disown her publicly before the magistrates. We shall see then whose house this really is.’
‘And I shall make it known that you were giving bribes, and knew about the stolen statue in the court,’ Livia retorted, with a flash of her old self. ‘You’ve admitted it, in front of witnesses. By the way, I hope you’ve got enough to pay the fine. Honorius hasn’t left you anything.’
‘Pompeia’s marriage portion is provided, all the same,’ Gracchus said, looking a little thoughtful. ‘Though I suppose I shall have to start again, and apply for approval from the guardian.’
‘But surely you are to be the guardian yourself?’ I said, surprised.
He looked at me. ‘I don’t know where you got that idea from, citizen. Honorius did approach me to do it, at one time, but in the end he nominated Antoninus in that role. I ought to know. I was witness to the will.’ He frowned. ‘I suppose it will fall now to the residuary legatee.’
Which meant Marcus, I thought wryly to myself.
Gracchus was still fretting. ‘I hope it works out smoothly, I need that dowry sum. I don’t know where I shall find the money to pay you otherwise. In the meantime, I’ll come and speak for you. Ah, here are the soldiers, come to make arrests.’ He followed Livia and the steward out into the hall, while Pulchra, Redux and myself were unceremoniously seized by burly hands.
‘How could you do it, Pulchra? To your master too?’ Helena Domna had remained in the room, and was watching as we were firmly bound with ropes, and roughly linked together by a loop around our waists.
The old slave woman gave a weary sigh. ‘I couldn’t have him kill her as he’d killed Honoria. What had her crime been, when all is said and done? Just loving somebody a bit too much — that’s all.’