She beamed, the happiest expression I had so far seen. ‘Ah yes, citizen. Was that not fortunate? I had never married, so I brought my parents’ whole inheritance with me. I am so happy that Paulinus can have the use of it. Typical that his first care should be for the child. My husband is so generous and thoughtful, citizen.’
No question then of any rancour or mystery on that score, and Priscilla’s doubts about a Roman bribe appeared quite baseless too. The only question was the obvious. ‘You never married earlier?’ It seemed impossible. ‘A woman of such charm and elegance?’
She turned that charming pink again and dropped her eyes, to stare at the floor with unforced modesty. (It was tiled, but very roughly, with poor quality materials and no attempt at pattern even round the edge. If I had been the workman, and not done a better job, I should have been embarrassed to be paid.) ‘I had household duties to perform, so for a long time I could not be spared…’ She broke off as her husband and the slave appeared.
The servant put down the stool she had been carrying, and Secunda sank gracefully down onto the seat. Her husband came and stood beside her, saying tenderly, ‘Wife, be careful. You should not be here. Don’t put yourself to unnecessary strain. You never…’ Now in his toga, Paulinus paused as he looked down at her with affection.
Secunda looked back up at him with such an expression on her face that I was almost jealous of their tranquil happiness. ‘It is all right, husband. I can manage well enough — and I should be here to learn what Libertus has to say. Apparently he has more items of alarming news for us.’
Her husband looked at me, furrowing his face in anxiety again. ‘You didn’t mention this.’
‘I scarcely had the chance. Besides your wife thought it was better that we should wait for you.’
The couple exchanged glances, then Secunda said, ‘Whatever news you bring us, citizen, it cannot well be worse than what we know already. Tell us what it is.’
‘Lavinia is missing.’ I put the fact as baldly as I could. ‘At first sight it seemed that she had run away.’ Secunda turned so pale that I forgot my fear of potions and swallowed the remainder of my drink.
But her voice was steady. ‘Run away?’ She gave a pretty little frown. ‘That hardly seems like her, she was very keen on taking up her role.’
‘It is possible she did not go willingly.’ I wished I did not have to tell them this since it would cause them grief but if they were to help me there was no alternative. ‘It seems more than possible that Druids were involved.’
‘Druids!’ they exclaimed, in unison. I saw the startled look that passed between the pair.
‘Could it have been a vendetta against the family? I understand that this household has had dealings with the sect,’ I muttered, apologetically.
Secunda answered in an altered voice, as though she were struggling with emotion inwardly, ‘In other circumstances, citizen, we might have helped you there. There was a servant in this household who proved to be a Druid, but she and her whole family were sentenced to the beasts — so if there was any information to be gleaned from them, I fear it is too late.’
‘My dear…!’ It was unusual for Romans to express affection in this public way, but Paulinus did not seem to care for such conventions. He even touched her shoulder as if warning her. ‘These things are best forgotten.’
She smiled up at him. ‘There is nothing to be feared from telling him the truth. He seems to think the Druids may have harmed Lavinia and we should assure him that the sect is not an enemy of ours. The fact is, citizen — though Paulinus seems to wish me to obscure the fact — he was very good to them. He could not bear to think of that little family — who had been so helpful to our Paulina — torn to pieces for the entertainment of the crowd. You know the way that the officials at the games will lure a child into the arena first, so that the mother will willingly run in after it — I understand the spectacle is very popular. He could not stand for that. Paulinus bribed the guard and managed to get poison in for them and even made arrangements for disposal afterwards — to ensure as far as possible that they got proper Druid rites.’
Paulinus, who had been looking more and more embarrassed and bemused, now ran his hand through his receding hair and broke in awkwardly, ‘Well, be that as it may, it does not help us now. Have you been searching for Lavinia, citizen? Perhaps she went to the temple by herself? Have you been to look for her?’
I had to admit that I’d not been there myself, although I assumed that Trullius had done. ‘The news of her disappearance came to Glevum from a temple messenger,’ I added, ‘which does seem to indicate that she did not go there.’
‘When did they find that she was missing?’ Paulinus enquired.
I explained about the nursemaid and Priscilla and the tray. ‘And that is not the end of it,’ I said. ‘This morning, at the guest house, the nursemaid was found dead. Poisoned, by the look of it. I think by her own hand.’
‘Dear gods!’ There was no mistaking Paulinus’s sharp astonishment. ‘Dead! But… she was so happy for Lavinia… why should she…?’ He looked helplessly towards his wife.
She reached up slowly and took his hand in hers, as if she could pass on some of her own serenity through the gentle pressure of her fingertips. ‘It must have been a gesture for Lavinia’s sake,’ she said. ‘It was clear to everyone how much she loved that child. I wonder if she smuggled her away somewhere and killed herself to keep the secret safe.’ She looked at me. ‘Perhaps we’ll never know. But thank you, citizen, for bringing us the news. We must send a message to Glevum with our condolences. My aunt and uncle will doubtless be distraught.’
I was touched by her thoughtfulness again. And then I saw the implication of her words. ‘Your uncle?’ I said, sharply. ‘You mean Lavinius?’
The pale face coloured prettily again and she gave a laugh. ‘My half-uncle by marriage I suppose that I should say. He is related to Paulinus, of course — as I presume you know.’
I did, if I had only stopped to think of it. ‘I should have realized that.’
She twinkled. ‘I suppose that you could say he is a relative of mine as well — though only through his wife.’
‘Which makes you a distant kinswoman of your husband?’
She saw my face and twinkled even more. ‘Does that surprise you, citizen? It is not uncommon for people of patrician lineage to marry others in the clan who are not direct blood-relatives of theirs.’ The grey eyes sparkled slyly up at me from under downcast lids. ‘Often it’s to keep the fortune in the family. In my case, it is the only reason that we ever met. A woman in my situation — bound to house and hearth — does not in general encounter many men.’
She was quite right of course. Indeed, now that she told me she was a kinswoman I could see a slight resemblance to Lavinius’s wife. Cyra was a good deal uglier — her face was harder and her features sharp, and of course her hair was dark — but there was something about the shape of her face which was not unalike. Secunda was almost what Cyra might have been, given different colouring and a happier life.
However, I could hardly say so, with Paulinus there, so I made a rather unfortunate remark. ‘You were never sent to be a Vestal Virgin then? It seems to be traditional, in your family.’
She dropped her eyes again. ‘I managed to escape that, citizen.’ She spoke with such embarrassment that for the first time it occurred to me to question whether she was quite the innocent that she appeared to be. There was more than one reason why a girl might be turned down for acceptance at the Vestal shrine — and more than one reason why a family might keep a single daughter under lock and key at home. I wondered suddenly if there was something in her past, even, possibly, without her full consent? Some importunate, wealthy visitor perhaps? I tried to force the unpleasant picture from my mind.