‘In fact, he knew too much about that dead legate altogether.’ Marcus was smiling now. ‘Why should an ex-slave from the borderlands have heard the details of that affair? By Jupiter, Greatest and Best, Libertus — I see. All these signs and corpses at the shrine, the bloodstained cloaks — and the reappearing legate’s ring. That’s what it was all about. He had been part of that bodyguard. He wanted to stop the legate coming here.’
I nodded. ‘It looks almost certain, Excellence. When the first attempt didn’t work, he tried the blood, but Fabius wouldn’t be deterred. Meritus must have been aware of that; he told me himself he knew the legate’s messenger had called. So tonight he staged this desperate last attempt.’
‘It must have been important to him.’
‘A matter, literally, of life and death. Of course Fabius Marcellus served the previous emperor, too. I’ve no doubt he knew the earlier ambassador, and his personal bodyguard. And Meritus — with his height — is memorable. The legate would have recognised him at once.’
Marcus nodded. ‘A legate’s personal bodyguards are specially chosen for their strength. Meritus would have been particularly admired. And if it was discovered that he abandoned his post. .’
‘Or worse,’ I said. ‘He may have killed the ambassador himself. Remember that he had the ring. At the very least he stole that from the corpse, and chopped his companions into little bits. In either case, he could not face discovery. So as soon as Fabius’s messenger arrived, and Meritus learned that the ambassador was coming and who he was, the incidents began. I think he meant you to see the connection. It was intended to make you conclude that the gods were warning you — and it almost succeeded, too. You yourself wrote suggesting that the visit should be cancelled.’
Marcus said, ‘So did the pontifex!’
‘And if you hadn’t, I’m sure Meritus would have suggested it himself. In fact, if Fabius Marcellus was not such a stubborn man, with a wayward niece to visit in the town,’ I glanced at Aurelia, who blushed, ‘I’ve no doubt the sevir’s plan would have succeeded splendidly. I am ashamed to say, I almost aided him. I found that ring that he put there for me to find — not once but twice — and thought that I was clever, doing so.’
‘He will regret his scheming soon enough,’ Marcus retorted. He turned to the soldier. ‘Is the centurion there?’
The soldier opened the door and made a brief inspection of the court. ‘Waiting in the peristyle, Excellence.’
‘Have him come in and offer his report.’
The officer was still in disarray. His eye had turned a dreadful shade of blue, and although he had attempted to re-dress his plume, it still sagged deplorably. He had taken off his cloak, but the leather of his armour was stained with damp (just as Lucianus’s tunic had been smudged with blood) and his polished greaves were dull with mud and rain. All the same he bowed to us in turn, with as much dignity as his appearance permitted. ‘In the name of the Divine Commodus, Emperor of this province and of all of Rome, Centurion Gaius at your service, Excellence. We have secured the prisoner, and now hold him bound. What shall we do with him?’
Marcus rose to his feet with conscious authority. ‘Have him taken to the garrison, and lock him up there. I do not trust him in the common jail. The Phrygian is safely in the cells?’
He nodded. ‘Gaining consciousness, when I saw him last.’
‘Don’t have him tortured. We want him capable. He is an important witness here. I will wish to question him myself. But see what you can get out of the priest. If he confesses it will go easier at his death. Tell him that. Have him brought before me first thing in the morning. Now it is very late. Provide me with lamps and escort, and see me home.’ He nodded to me. ‘I will see you in the morning at my house, old friend. My thanks, as usual, for all your help.’ And, accompanied by the soldiers, he was gone.
Hirsus stared after him. ‘It’s all over, then. Meritus is disgraced, and so am I. And yet he promised me the signs were good.’ He sighed. ‘But he couldn’t really read the auguries?’
‘You can hardly expect me to believe he could,’ I said. ‘He told the crowds that he had read the signs, and I had brought all this trouble on the town.’
‘He told Trinunculus,’ Hirsus agreed. ‘And I believed, for one. But this was supposed to be the anger of the gods. Why should he want to put the blame on you?’
‘Because I asked too many questions, and he feared that I would find him out, I suppose. He almost had me murdered by the mob.’
Hirsus nodded sadly, but Aurelia leapt to her feet. ‘The crowds!’ she said. ‘Oh, Mercury! I had forgotten, with all that’s happened here. Forgive me, citizen. The people who came here looking for you, earlier! They’re here. That’s what I came to tell you. Where’s my page?’
‘Here, mistress.’ The lad stepped through the door, as though he had been waiting for her summons — as, by his next remark, it seemed he had. ‘You told us never to interrupt when you were speaking to a visitor.’ (I thought of those letters, and saw Aurelia blush.) ‘But if you are ready to receive us now?’ He turned to me. ‘Citizen, I have done as you instructed. I fetched your slave boys for you, and they are here.’
‘Slave boys?’ I said stupidly. ‘There is only Junio.’
Then I saw who was coming in, and stopped. There was Junio, of course, but behind him was Gwellia and last of all came Kurso, the little kitchen boy.
‘Gwellia! Thank the gods you’re safe!’ I murmured, and then added in surprise, ‘What are you doing here?’
She stepped forward humbly, and knelt down at my feet. ‘Master,’ she said, ‘I am sorry to disturb you here, and sorrier still to be the bearer of bad news. But I did not know what else to do. This boy,’ she indicated Kurso, ‘has come to you, appealing from his master.’
‘All right, Gwellia, my dear. Get up.’ I hated to see her kneel to me like this. Kurso was an unlooked-for complication, too, although the boy was perfectly within his rights — indeed it was almost the only right he had — to apply to another citizen for sanctuary. A man can no longer simply beat his slaves to death. By publicly appealing to me like this the boy was not legally a runaway, nor — mercifully — could I be held in any way to blame. It did, however, make me liable. Either I had to return him to his master, or the matter must be settled by a magistrate on the first possible day, and — naturally — at my expense.
‘Master?’ Gwellia said, and I was lost.
‘Very well,’ I said resignedly, seeing my commission for the pavement disappearing before I’d even seen the coins. ‘I award him sanctuary. But why bring him here? Couldn’t it have waited till I got home?’
She looked up at me, and I saw tears of weariness glistening in her eyes. ‘That’s the problem, master. There is no home to go to. When you had gone the mob came back, and when they couldn’t find you they threw me and Kurso out into the street, and set the place ablaze.’
Chapter Twenty-seven
Strange, until that moment I had never felt much affection for the rented, tumble-down, rat-infested workshop that was my home, but suddenly it felt very dear to me — especially since I now had Gwellia to share it with. Also, it was extremely late, and we had nowhere that night to lay our heads.
Aurelia was very kind. She braved her husband’s anger by rousing him (he had betaken himself to his room in pique) and asking if we might be offered hospitality. It is not customary for the pontifex to entertain, but the old man was so delighted to learn that the mystery was solved, and that he was unlikely to suffer the anger of gods or emperors — since the sacrilege was committed by another priest, and not even at his shrine — that I believe he would have turned out of his own bed for me, if I had demanded it.
However, with Trinunculus lying dead I was uncomfortable about sleeping in his room, or in the sleeping quarters at the temple, where they would be preparing his body and beginning the lament by this time. So when Hirsus offered the use of the guest room in his apartment, I accepted with alacrity.