"That's a cheap jibe, from you and them."
Helena Justina had always been fair. She was silent for a moment, then agreed, "Albia told me the old woman was horrible."
"Right."
"Albia is very upset by what happened. I still have to tice the full story out of her."
A silence fell. Once, Helena would have checked whether I had been hurt, looking me over for blood and bruising. No chance today. "Anything else to tell me, fruit?"
She managed not to say, Don't call me that! Instead, she pretended not to notice.
"Why did you bring the children?"
"You didn't come home. We all went out to look for you."
Unsaid was her panic. Rather than mention it to anyone at the residence, she had searched the streets herself. When she met Albia and heard I was in trouble, she must have clutched the children and run.
"You're crazy, love. Next time tell your uncle and do it properly."
"They were all still busy at dinner. We had a fascinating group of visitors." I waited to hear more. "Norbanus came again, clearly to moon around Maia. I think we all expected that to happen. Maia seemed rather distracted but he took it politely. He behaves like a nice man."
"I make a distinction," I observed dryly, "between when you say someone is nice-and when you phrase it that he only seems that way."
"Norbanus appears to be genuine," Helena said.
"If he's keen on Maia, I hope he is. But it's always possible he may be the big mover that Petronius is chasing."
Helena was too intrigued to fight now. "Surely Norbanus is too obvious. 'Looking for property opportunities,' as he claims to be, just shouts that here's a man who could be an extortionist. But if so, he would disguise his interest."
"You would think so. But such types do like to show their faces at the highest functions. They hover in legitimate circles, fooling themselves that they get away with it. Well, often enough they do."
"It's there they meet people who have influence," Helena said.
"And important women! They don't all glue themselves to molls with bright hair and corn-bushels of jewelry. Some hanker for females with fortunes and grand pedigrees. The women seem to go for it. The more glorious a reputation their ancestors sweated for, the quicker it is thrown away. If the Emperor had a daughter alive, she'd be good prey."
"I'd like to see Vespasian deal with that!" Helena rather admired him. I reckoned the outlook could be dirty.
"So who else came to present themselves to Frontinus and Uncle Gaius this fine evening?"
"More importers wondering if they should be wearing togas-and a lawyer hoping for new clients."
"If Britain now attracts speculative barristers, it's all over. Civilization has come-with its misery and expense."
"He could be the criminal," Helena insisted.
"He could indeed. Did he have gold rings made of solid nuggets? Was he protected by large men with cudgels? What's his name?"
"Popillius."
"I must take a look at him."
"Should that not be a job for Petronius?"
"Why should he have all the fun? If I think this partygoer looks promising, then I'll shove Petro in the right direction."
"You know best."
"Don't be like that."
There seemed to be no more to say. I confessed that I was deeply weary and must go to bed. Though on the surface we had talked normally Helena gave no sign that she was joining me.
When I reached the door I turned back and said quietly, "I have never talked to anyone the way I do with you." Helena said nothing. I had made it worse. "I did nothing wrong. I'm sorry if you think I did."
I had known how she felt. This was when she finally started showing it. "Well, Falco. The point is, we both know what you might have done."
I could say nothing. The matter had been settled by her presence. But if Helena had not intervened-who knows?
???
Alone in bed, for hours I barely slept. Eventually, I roused groggily from light slumber and felt sure Helena had crept her way into the room. She had silently occupied a distant chair. Though it came with a footstool, a faint glimmer through the open shutters told me she was bunched up, hugging her knees. By now she must have realized how uncomfortable that was, but when my breathing changed she stopped fidgeting.
Well, she was here. But that was unavoidable. We were staying in someone else's house. There were scores of rooms to go off to if you quarreled with your husband, but also scores of gossipy slaves making forays everywhere. Helena would be embarrassed if anyone should know our current state.
"Come over here." It sounded more angry than I meant. No answer. Was I surprised? Next time I judged the tone better: "Come to bed, love… I'll have to come and get you then."
She would not accept that. Slowly she shuffled over and climbed in. Relieved, I fell asleep momentarily Luckily, I woke again.
"Snuggle up with me."
"No," she said, on principle.
With a grunt I rolled over and captured her, folding her in a chaste, fully clothed embrace against my heart. "This is all over nothing, love."
Men might argue, such occasions always are. Women would say that arguments over nothing are in fact over everything.
So we lay there, Helena still rigid and resisting. She was right to some extent. Even then as I nursed her through her misery, I was thinking about another woman-so in one sense I did betray her. How could I not remember, though? Chloris and I had dallied in lust and it had ended badly, all before I ever dreamed of meeting anyone like Helena. Had I not then happened to come to Britain, when Helena Justina happened to be over here, she and I never would have met.
I was a man. When I encountered an old girlfriend, I became romantically nostalgic (do women not do this?). But it was Helena I was holding in my arms tonight and I had no wish to change that.
At last I stopped reminiscing. Before I drifted off to sleep, I thought about a woman fondly for a little longer. That time if anyone was betrayed, it was not Helena.
XXVII
In the morning the fight still lay like heavy wet flock all around us. Helena rose by herself, made a brisk toilet, and ate breakfast in our room. That was to avoid prying questions at the communal buffet. She offered me nothing, but left enough on the tray if I wanted it. Sulking, I chose to go down to the dining room.
Maia had obviously heard about Chloris. She was in good form. "I always thought she was an evil little cow. And now she's in the arena- that's a disgrace. You'd let a woman like that threaten all you have nowadays? So how would you feel, Marcus, if Helena Justina divorced you?"
"Dumb question!" The tray upstairs in private became increasingly alluring; too late. I plucked a roll from a basket and sank my teeth into it.
We were hardly heading for divorce. Mind you, all Helena and I had done in order to call ourselves married was to choose to live together; to end it, she only had to leave me. Roman law is extremely reasonable on these issues. Unreasonably so, many a client of mine would say.
My sister smirked self-righteously. "I thought we were shot of that schemer years ago. Don't tell Mother that you saw her."
"Get this straight. Chloris is past history, Maia. I'll leave you to break the news to Ma about your slimy new beau, the music lover!"
"He has invited me to his villa, downriver."
"What a terrible chatting-up line."
"I may go."
"You may regret it then."
Helena entered the dining room, smart and ready for action. No glance passed between her and Maia; some women plunge into heart-searching with their girlfriends when they are distressed, but Helena shunned feminine conspiracy. That was why I liked her. She brought her problems to me: even when I was the problem. "I have been thinking, Marcus. You ought to talk to Albia about how Verovolcus died. She was always hanging around bars; she may have seen something."
"Good idea."
"I shall come too."
I knew when to accept matrimonial help. "That will be nice."