Vespasian cast a questioning look at his brother, who, understanding, nodded his agreement. ‘I think that Narcissus has plans for her-’
Gaius’ hand moved from Vespasian’s shoulder to his mouth, clamping it shut, with surprising swiftness. ‘I don’t want to know! I want to live out the few years remaining to me in blissful ignorance of imperial politics as I intend to die in my bed and not in my bath with my blood swirling around me. The only reason that I attend the Senate any more is because of the intolerable situation at home.’
‘Flavia?’
‘Yes, she and your mother do not see eye to eye and both look to me to adjudicate their petty female squabbles; unfortunately I don’t have enough correspondence to keep me in my study all evening so I’m forced to face them for an hour or two each day.’
Sabinus laughed as they watched the last of the troops cross the bridge. ‘It looks like you’re going to have to take on the expense of a house, brother, for the sake of our uncle’s sanity.’
‘Thank you, Sabinus, but I’ll make my own decisions about where my family live.’
Gaius looked at him, his eyes suddenly hard. ‘No, Vespasian, you must get Flavia her own home; until she has her own household to terrorise she will make my life a misery.’
He was serious; deadly serious. Vespasian had never heard him use that tone before. ‘I’ll do it as soon as I get back to Rome, Uncle, I promise.’
‘No, dear boy, I’ll do it for you as soon as I get back to Rome; this situation cannot continue.’
‘But what shall I do for money?’
‘You’re commanding a legion subduing a new province: slaves and plunder, dear boy.’
‘I suppose you’re right.’
‘I am; now let’s go and watch our glorious Emperor-General show everybody how it should be done.’
‘G-g-gentlemen, that army is all that stands between us and C–C-Camulodunum,’ Claudius announced, pointing an unsteady hand at the poorly armed ragged mass of prisoners lined along the far bank of a stream. ‘How many would you say there are, Plautius?’
Plautius scanned the paltry number. ‘At least ten thousand, Princeps,’ he replied, doubling what he knew to be the truth.
Claudius twitched with excitement. ‘Excellent. I shall crush them within the hour. Plautius, what were my battle orders?’
Plautius flicked a subtle glance at the officers present. ‘I believe you wanted the Praetorian cohorts in the centre with the four cohorts of the Eighth and then the Fourteenth on the right, the Twentieth on the left and the Ninth held back in reserve.’
‘My b-b-brother-in-law’s legion in reserve? That won’t do. Corvinus must be on the right flank in the place of honour; the Fourteenth will be my reserve.’
‘Corvinus no longer commands the Ninth, Princeps, he’s awaiting trial by you for disobeying orders.’
‘Disobeying what orders? That’s the first I’ve heard of it. Why didn’t you tell me about it, Narcissus?’
Narcissus cleared his throat. ‘I didn’t know, Princeps.’
‘You’re meant to know everything and keep me informed. Plautius, why didn’t you tell him?’
Plautius shot the freedman a venomous look. ‘I er … I sent a despatch but it must have gone astray.’
‘Indeed it must have, because I’m sure that had Narcissus known about it he would have ordered my brother-in-law released, whatever he had done.’
‘But he tried to take Camulodunum without you, Princeps, and leave you nothing to conquer.’
‘That is most serious, Princeps,’ Narcissus interjected, with a rare look of exaggerated shock on his face. ‘Why would he have tried to steal your victory? Was he trying to set himself up over you?’
Claudius chuckled. ‘No, he’s not like the jealous senators who are always plotting; he’s family. He was just being impetuous like my darling wife; you can tell that they’re brother and sister. Well, no matter, he didn’t succeed and there still is an army for me to beat and a town for me to capture, otherwise I wouldn’t have been sent for, would I, Narcissus?’
Narcissus was momentarily lost for words.
Despite enjoying the slight twitch at the corner of Narcissus’ mouth as he realised that to damn Corvinus he would have to admit to Claudius that this battle was a farce and Camulodunum had already surrendered, Vespasian felt a chill. ‘The idiot’s going to let him go,’ he whispered into Sabinus’ ear.
Sabinus chewed on his lip. ‘And I don’t suppose our part in arresting Corvinus will go unnoticed.’
‘Well, Narcissus?’ Claudius pressed. ‘Has Corvinus stolen my victory?’
‘It would seem not, Princeps.’
‘Then why is a member of the imperial family being detained? Have him brought here immediately, Plautius; the Ninth will take the right flank and my Messalina’s brother will command it and share in my glory. The rest of you, get to your posts, I’m eager for battle.’
With no legion to command Vespasian sat watching the farce with Magnus, at the head of Paetus’ cavalry, which had escorted him from the coast. To the right of them the senators sat on chairs viewing the proceedings as if at a race day in the Circus Maximus.
‘It just goes to show that you can be too devious for your own good,’ Magnus commented as they watched the lead cohorts of the VIIII Hispana advance across the stream and make contact with the fraudulent army of Britons beyond, ‘and everybody else’s, for that matter.’
‘Except for Corvinus’ good,’ Vespasian reminded him as the first screams of the wounded echoed over the field. ‘He’ll come out of this as a wronged hero in Claudius’ eyes.’
‘And he’ll be after you.’
Vespasian shrugged. ‘We’ll be far apart; once Claudius leaves I’ll go back south to the Second, and the Ninth will stay here and then head north up the east coast next season.’
‘That’s if Plautius stays in command.’
‘Oh, he’ll still be in command,’ Pallas affirmed, riding up behind them and once again taking Vespasian by surprise. ‘I’m sure that Claudius would like to get rid of him at the moment but he’ll soon see sense once Narcissus and I explain to him that appointing another general would mean two men requiring public acknowledgement back in Rome; best to keep praise limited, don’t you think? After this, Claudius can return to a triumph and then when Plautius comes back, in four years or so, Claudius can show the people that he’s an inclusive emperor by magnanimously awarding an ovation to someone who’s not a member of the imperial family; for obvious reasons, that’s not something that one would want to do twice.’
Vespasian shook his head with regret. ‘Won’t you ever stop scheming, Pallas?’
‘How else can a mere freedman wield power? I’m nothing without Claudius; my fortune is bound up in him remaining emperor, and with this battle we’ve secured that for the near future.’
‘At the cost of the lives of a few thousand British prisoners,’ Magnus muttered as the Praetorian cohorts drove the centre of the British line ever back.
‘I’m told that they were given the choice between crucifixion and chancing their luck with a weapon in their hand. It’s a small price to pay for having the Senate witness the Emperor lead legions in battle; and an elderly emperor at that.’
‘Ah! So that’s your next worry,’ Vespasian said, ‘Claudius dying. Surely you just attach yourself to Claudius’ son?’
‘That would be a foolish move; the boy’s only two and will lose his mother as soon as we can contrive it. If Claudius is lucky with his frail health he might live another ten or so years but he’ll die before his son reaches manhood; so who would be regent? There are no acceptable choices left; the bloodline is almost dry. The Senate will never accept being ruled over by a child and Republican sentiments will come to the fore again, which will put them in direct opposition to the Praetorian Guard, leading to chaos. I’m afraid the boy is destined to be a Tiberius Gemellus; he will never be emperor and will be killed by whoever succeeds Claudius.’