The brothers glanced at their uncle, who tried to give them a reassuring look.
‘I think you are right, Consul,’ Antonia said after a brief pause. ‘The only thing he knows for certain about you and me is that you’ve visited a few times in the last month or so. We must keep the visits going so that he thinks that we are unaware of his attentions. Meanwhile we move with care.’ She turned to Gaius and smiled. ‘Now, Gaius, I have a request to make of you.’
‘Anything, domina.’
‘I need something kept safe.’
She got up and walked over to the strong box and taking two keys from a chain around her neck inserted them into the locks at each end of the box and turned them simultaneously. With a sharp click the locks opened and she lifted the lid.
‘For Sejanus to succeed he will need to eliminate all those who have the ear of the Emperor. Although I have no intention of being eliminated, if I were to be, I am sure that my papers would be gone through and certain ones removed.’ She took four scrolls out from the box. ‘These are two copies, one for the Senate and one for the Emperor. Should the need arise please ensure that they are read.’
Gaius took the scrolls. ‘I pray that I shall never need to do as you ask. They will be kept safe in a place known only to me for as long as you wish.’
Antonia sat back down. ‘Now I think that it is time to conclude our business,’ she said, glancing towards Asinius as Pallas returned, still looking dishevelled.
‘Indeed. Pallas, thank the gods, more wine,’ Asinius cried; the steward nodded. ‘Now, we have no direct way to combat Sejanus without solid evidence against him, which will take time to amass. In the meantime he needs to be frustrated in the Senate. I would ask you, Gaius, to attend as much as possible and have as many opinions as possible and speak at length on each one. You will find others, also at my request, and myself doing the same so you won’t stand out as a troublemaker. We may be able to delay his long-term plans by talking out his short-term ones. Meanwhile Antonia and I, with the help of our agents, will gather the hard evidence we need to convince Tiberius of the man’s duplicity. When we are successful I am sure that your long-awaited consulship will be forthcoming.’
Gaius smiled. ‘I shall, of course, do as you ask, Consul,’ he replied, secretly relieved that he had nothing more dangerous to do than to talk a lot. ‘But what do you have in mind for my nephews? They have heard enough this evening to damn them in Sejanus’ eyes should he ever find out about this meeting.’
‘Yes, I was coming to them.’ He paused as Pallas returned with the wine and filled his bowl, then looked over at the two expectant young men. ‘It so happens that I am able to help each of you to advance your careers in a way that is beneficial to all parties. Sabinus, having completed your time as a military tribune, I imagine that you wish for one of the Vigintiviri junior magistrates’ positions; I can arrange to have you placed in the imperial mint. From there you will have access to the treasury where you will be able monitor Sejanus’ use of public funds.’
Sabinus saw the logic of this; he would be extremely useful to Asinius, and at the same time gain valuable experience that would stand him in good stead for when he applied to become a quaestor in four years’ time after the prescribed age of twenty-four.
‘Thank you, Consul, I am in your debt.’
‘I know you are and I won’t forget it. Neither, I hope, will you.’
Sabinus bowed his head. ‘I shall not.’
‘As for you, Vespasian, you need your military experience.’
Vespasian felt his stomach clench; he had not dared hope to be given his chance of serving Rome so soon after arriving.
‘I shall write to my kinsman Pomponius Labeo, the legate of the Fourth Scythica; he’s serving with Gaius Poppaeus Sabinus, the Governor of Moesia, Macedonia and Achaea, who is at present putting down the rebellion in the neighbouring client kingdom of Thracia. I don’t know if he is sympathetic to our cause but he owes me favours and will take you into his legion as a military tribune. We need evidence that Sejanus is giving support to the rebel tribes trying to oust our friend King Rhoemetalces. He must have an agent in the legions there, passing information and perhaps money to the tribes; unmask him and bring the evidence back to Rome.’
‘I have a private interest in this matter,’ Antonia interjected. ‘Rhoemetalces’ mother, Queen Tryphaena, is a cousin of mine and also a friend. My late father Marcus Antonius was her great-grandfather. I knew Rhoemetalces as a child; he lived here in my house for three years and I grew very fond of him. I would deem it a personal favour if you could uncover evidence that Sejanus has put my kinsfolk in danger.’
Vespasian swallowed hard. How would he, with no military experience, be able to uncover an agent of Sejanus, who, he felt sure, would be as wily and subtle as his master?
Antonia, reading his thoughts, smiled at him. ‘It has to be someone like you, Vespasian. Because you are young and inexperienced the spy will see you as just another fresh-faced young tribune trying to find his feet in the legions. He won’t consider you as a threat at all, in fact he may even try to manipulate you. So trust no one and keep your eyes open.’
‘Yes, domina,’ Vespasian said, not feeling at all reassured.
‘I hope to have the appointments confirmed within the month.’ Asinius took another swig of wine. ‘As you know I step down as Consul in two days’ time, then I have a few months before I leave for whichever province I am allotted, so we have to work fast, gentlemen: we have a snake to catch.’
CHAPTER XI
‘Titus, you must order your sons to tell us what they actually discussed at the dinner,’ Vespasia demanded at breakfast the following morning. She did not believe her sons or brother for one moment that it had just been a friendly dinner, and the Consul just happened to be there as the only other guest, and he just happened to give the brothers what they wanted, without demanding anything in return other than that they become his clients. ‘Preferment is never given without the promise of something in return and I want to know what they’ve got themselves into.’
‘Calm yourself, my dear. If they are keeping something from us, which I believe they are,’ Titus replied, looking shrewdly at his two sons, ‘one must assume it is for our own safety. Antonia and Asinius work in a world far removed from ours and it is probably best not to know the politics of the deal they made, it would be too dangerous.’
‘But that is just the point: if it is dangerous I want us to know about it! What if the boys are getting into something way out of their depths?’
‘Whatever it is that they’ve agreed to, it’s too late to go back on. You can’t change your mind with someone like Antonia and expect to prosper in Rome afterwards. The deal is done. We should just be thankful that Sabinus and Vespasian have both got what we came here to arrange for them, and so quickly too. Now we should concentrate on introducing them to as many influential people as we can before Vespasian goes north. And I, my dear, shall get Vespasian kitted out with a uniform.’
With that the subject was closed, leaving Vespasian and Sabinus grateful that their father had taken their side; they would have been placed in an impossible situation had the paterfamilias ordered them to reveal the facts behind the deal. Vespasia was left to pester Gaius for information, but to no avail. Gaius himself was busy attending the Senate each day it sat, fulfilling his obligation to Asinius by talking at great length on a variety of subjects in which he had previously shown little or no interest or indeed knowledge; then giving way to other senators who showed a similar new-found zeal. In the late afternoons he organised a series of dinners, inviting this year’s praetors, aediles and quaestors as well as other senators and equites – equestrians – whom he deemed either potentially useful to his nephews’ careers or dangerous and therefore safer to cultivate than to ignore.