‘Under your protection! Flavia, just who are you trying to delude?’ Vespasian scoffed. ‘However, whilst we’re in a position to take advantage of your relationship with Messalina, we should try and make some money out of it.’
‘But we’re already in her debt.’
‘I’m now in a position to pay that off and retrieve the debt marker, which will release us from any obligation to her for the moment. However, it would be a shame if she was to cross the Styx and we didn’t owe her money; so when the time draws near you will ask her for another loan, twice the amount. Tell her that it’s without my knowledge so you’d appreciate it if it was just a private agreement between the two of you.’
‘So that there’s no record of it when she dies?’
‘Exactly; without the debt marker we get to keep the money and you’ll see some reward for all your hard work.’
‘Vespasian, don’t put it like that, that’s not fair.’
‘How else can I put it? You’re going to get money out of her because you have sex with her.’
‘What if she refuses?’
‘Do whatever you must to make sure that she doesn’t and you’ll find me a little better disposed towards you. If not you’ll find me extremely well disposed towards Caenis, who’s offered to lend me the full amount to pay off your original debt.’
‘Don’t start playing me off against her after I’ve been so understanding about the situation, Vespasian, I beg you.’
Vespasian paused and drew breath, contemplating his wife’s pained expression. With a conciliatory nod of the head and a half-smile he held out a hand. ‘You’re right, my dear, that was unbecoming of me. Just do your best.’
Flavia took the peace gesture and held it to her cheek. ‘I will, husband; and I’m sorry, I was weak and I didn’t think about the consequences of what I was doing.’
Vespasian cupped her face in his hand. ‘It’ll all be fine if you play your part over the next few months or however long it takes. Now I wish to see the children.’
‘Of course, husband, and whilst you do that I’ll make the arrangements to dispose of whichever of my girls drew the long straw; we can’t afford to have the slaves snooping-’
A knock at the door interrupted her.
‘Enter.’
The door opened to reveal Cleon the steward.
‘What is it?’
‘Caenis has sent a message for the master. The imperial secretary will see him at the fourth hour.’
‘I don’t suppose you had to pay for the privilege of such a quick appointment,’ Narcissus observed as Vespasian was shown into his office, ‘at least not financially.’ A rare trace of a humorous smile graced his lips and he indicated the chair on the opposite side of his desk.
‘We all use what we have to gain advantage, imperial secretary.’ Vespasian sat and adjusted his toga, conscious of Narcissus’ penetrating gaze.
‘And what advantage are you trying to gain? Be quick because I’m leaving for Ostia with the Emperor to inspect progress on the new port.’
‘I’m here to offer you a way into Messalina’s plans and thoughts.’
‘I already have access to them.’
‘Access through kin and lovers or just through the titbits picked up by spies?’
‘Only the latter, I’ll admit.’
‘Well, I can give you the former.’
Narcissus steepled his hands and tapped his forefingers against his pursed lips, studying Vespasian intently. ‘At what price?’ he asked eventually.
‘At no cost to you personally.’
‘What do you want?’
‘I’ve got three requests. The person who offers their services has come to me to broker a meeting between you both as they are naturally wary of contacting you directly for fear of Messalina’s agents. This person is prepared to give you information that’ll help you bring down Messalina in return for their life. I want you to charge them for access to you and give me half the fee of two hundred and fifty thousand denarii.’
‘That’s a lot of money.’
‘Which they will be willing to pay if it buys them their life.’
‘Granted. And if you set up the meeting and I don’t pass on my share to you?’
‘I will get the money off them in advance and give you your share before the meeting.’
‘And if I take the money but don’t bother with the meeting?’
‘Then you won’t have access to Messalina’s private pillow talk.’
‘None of her lovers is going to be foolish enough to admit sleeping with her to me, even though I have a list of some of them already. There’ll be a lot of executions when she falls.’
‘I imagine that once Claudius finally believes in his wife’s infidelity then he’ll want any man who slept with her punished.’
‘Impossible, we’d lose most of the Senate, the command structure of the Praetorian Guard and a goodly amount of the normal citizenry who frequent the brothel that she whores in when she fancies it rougher than usual. But certainly her more regular lovers will die; he won’t pardon them.’
‘But if I were Claudius I think that I might be able to pardon a woman — if she was even to come to my attention in the first place.’
Narcissus leant forward, genuinely interested. ‘A woman, you say? I know she has sessions with men and women together but I’m not aware of a female lover.’
‘A lover of two years’ standing; a regular lover to whom Messalina talks intimately.’
‘Information from that source would be priceless. Are you sure that you can deliver it and that it would be trustworthy?’
‘Yes, Narcissus, because that lover is also my wife.’
For the first time in their relationship Vespasian was aware that he had actually surprised Narcissus. He watched the freedman’s eyes widen a fraction and his steepled hands fall to the desk.
‘Now that was something that I confess I was not aware of.’
‘Well, it’s true; Flavia has just admitted it to me.’
‘And you are willing that this, er, arrangement carries on?’
‘As a favour to you, yes.’
‘And what favour would you ask in return?’
‘My second request is just as simple.’ Vespasian took a scroll from the fold of his toga. ‘Do you know the slave-trader, Theron?’
Narcissus thought for a few moments, trawling through the vast amounts of information stored in his head. ‘He has a licence to purchase captives in Britannia, doesn’t he?’
‘That’s right.’ Vespasian unrolled the scroll and placed it on the desk between them. ‘This is a contract that I had with him that gave him exclusive rights to the pick of prisoners in return for a percentage of their end sale price. He’s refusing to honour it.’
Narcissus picked up the document and perused it. ‘Because he thinks that you won’t take him to court as it shows you being, shall we say, a bit too Republican in these days of the Emperor?’
‘That’s what he’s gambling on but I didn’t get him to sign a contract so that I could take him to court; I did it for precisely a time like this. Everything was done legally; the Emperor got his purchase tax in Britannia and I would assume that Theron was not stupid enough to avoid paying the sales tax here in Italia.’
‘Very commendable. So what do you want me to do?’
‘Revoke his licence for Britannia, ban him from conducting business in Italia and make it clear to him that unless he honours his debt to me and pays a premium of another hundred per cent of the amount, he will never have the chance of favour from you again.’
Narcissus raised his eyebrows. ‘You set a high price on your wife’s virtue.’
‘I just intend to benefit from a situation that is not to my liking.’
‘Very well; I’ll have Caenis summon this Theron for a little chat as soon as I get back from Ostia.’
‘I have men following him to find out where he’s staying; I’ll give the address to her.’
‘Very good. To show my good faith in this matter, that business will be concluded by the time I meet with Messalina’s mystery relation. How will we manage that?’
‘We’ll be on the steps of the Temple of Jupiter at Plautius’ Ovation. Look out for us; the meeting will be as if by accident as he doesn’t want to risk the-’