it. I don’t feel particularly disadvantaged as a man.’
I just laughed at him, lightening the mood. ‘You have too much fun to notice!’
He looked relieved to be distracted and drop the subject. When Conrad and Nonna started discussing politics or some philosophical theories on winter evenings at home, Daniel usually closed the door and left them to it.
Finished with my history lecture, I went to check on Fausta and Drusus in the strategy office and found chaos. Surrounded by boxes, some half-opened, piles of racking struts, shrink-wrapped cupboards, chairs, cabinets and a cabling crew, they were beaming. Drusus, el-pad in hand, was directing another arrival – two of Manlius’s people with a huge situation screen. This was more than good. I told them to carry on with it; they were perfectly competent.
‘Just message me when it’s safe to come back in.’
XII
Promptly at 13.00, I knocked on Conrad’s door.
‘Come!’ He was frowning at the screen, tapping on his keyboard as I entered. He finished and looked up at me. The fine lines fanning out from where the upper and lower lids of his eyes met seemed deeper in the strong white sunlight. A sign of getting older? He had a good eight years on me. Today wouldn’t have helped.
‘Are you okay now?’ I asked.
‘Stop fussing, or I’ll pull rank on you.’ He wouldn’t, and I wouldn’t care if he did. And he knew it. But his semi-joke reassured me. A little.
‘So what can you give me from your analysis?’ His voice dropped a half-tone.
‘I strongly suggest that you visit the palace and check out the security for the children, that you meet with Silvia and advise her of a possible threat.’
I dragged out drinking my water.
‘Next,’ I said, studying the arm of my chair, ‘whatever you do, make sure there’s at least one, preferably two independent people who can see you at all times when you are in the same place with her. Write everything up in detail, not just your personal digital diary, but hard copy. Store a copy of everything in your lock box.’
‘Are you serious?’
Nobody had a higher security clearance than he did. He was responsible for the personal and political safety of the head of state. More binding still, Silvia Apulia was not just the imperatrix to him; he was the father of her three children.
‘Completely.’
‘Oh, come on! You can do better than that.’
‘No, I can’t,’ I blurted out. ‘Juno help me, I don’t know how to describe it. I saw you threatened, in danger, but I can’t tell how. You were also seen as a possible threat.’ My voice fell to a whisper.
He said nothing. He picked up a pen from his desk tidy and tapped the end on the dark leather top. The repetitive staccato became unbearable. Then he turned it and started on the other end. His face was hard like a concrete mask. I cleared my throat.
‘Any more?’ His voice was clipped; he was back to professional and analytical mode again, but his face was flushed.
‘You know DSAs don’t always give results on demand.’ I started to feel resentful. Sometimes they were a little obscure, but so far in my life they had proved one hundred per cent true. Some appreciation would have been good.
Looking for an outlet for his fury, something in my expression must have kept him from making me the preferred target. He flung back into his chair and murdered the roller-ball.
I knew everything was wrong, all wrong, and I had an almost uncontrollable urge to run.
‘Very well,’ he said. ‘I’ll go up to the palace now and check the security thoroughly. I’ll take the primipilus with me and Paula Servla.’ He gave me a sardonic look. ‘Do you think they’re sufficiently credible babysitters?’
‘Well, having all three of you descend on them all at once will frighten the shit out of the guards there.’ I tried to keep my voice light, but wasn’t too sure I’d succeeded.
‘You know something?’ He fixed his gaze on me. ‘You’re a real
I just laughed at him, lightening the mood. ‘You have too much fun to notice!’
He looked relieved to be distracted and drop the subject. When Conrad and Nonna started discussing politics or some philosophical theories on winter evenings at home, Daniel usually closed the door and left them to it.
Finished with my history lecture, I went to check on Fausta and Drusus in the strategy office and found chaos. Surrounded by boxes, some half-opened, piles of racking struts, shrink-wrapped cupboards, chairs, cabinets and a cabling crew, they were beaming. Drusus, el-pad in hand, was directing another arrival – two of Manlius’s people with a huge situation screen. This was more than good. I told them to carry on with it; they were perfectly competent.
‘Just message me when it’s safe to come back in.’
XII
Promptly at 13.00, I knocked on Conrad’s door.
‘Come!’ He was frowning at the screen, tapping on his keyboard as I entered. He finished and looked up at me. The fine lines fanning out from where the upper and lower lids of his eyes met seemed deeper in the strong white sunlight. A sign of getting older? He had a good eight years on me. Today wouldn’t have helped.
‘Are you okay now?’ I asked.
‘Stop fussing, or I’ll pull rank on you.’ He wouldn’t, and I wouldn’t care if he did. And he knew it. But his semi-joke reassured me. A little.
‘So what can you give me from your analysis?’ His voice dropped a half-tone.
‘I strongly suggest that you visit the palace and check out the security for the children, that you meet with Silvia and advise her of a possible threat.’
I dragged out drinking my water.
‘Next,’ I said, studying the arm of my chair, ‘whatever you do, make sure there’s at least one, preferably two independent people who can see you at all times when you are in the same place with her. Write everything up in detail, not just your personal digital diary, but hard copy. Store a copy of everything in your lock box.’
‘Are you serious?’
Nobody had a higher security clearance than he did. He was responsible for the personal and political safety of the head of state. More binding still, Silvia Apulia was not just the imperatrix to him; he was the father of her three children.
‘Completely.’
‘Oh, come on! You can do better than that.’
‘No, I can’t,’ I blurted out. ‘Juno help me, I don’t know how to describe it. I saw you threatened, in danger, but I can’t tell how. You were also seen as a possible threat.’ My voice fell to a whisper.
He said nothing. He picked up a pen from his desk tidy and tapped the end on the dark leather top. The repetitive staccato became unbearable. Then he turned it and started on the other end. His face was hard like a concrete mask. I cleared my throat.
‘Any more?’ His voice was clipped; he was back to professional and analytical mode again, but his face was flushed.
‘You know DSAs don’t always give results on demand.’ I started to feel resentful. Sometimes they were a little obscure, but so far in my life they had proved one hundred per cent true. Some appreciation would have been good.
Looking for an outlet for his fury, something in my expression must have kept him from making me the preferred target. He flung back into his chair and murdered the roller-ball.
I knew everything was wrong, all wrong, and I had an almost uncontrollable urge to run.
‘Very well,’ he said. ‘I’ll go up to the palace now and check the security thoroughly. I’ll take the primipilus with me and Paula Servla.’ He gave me a sardonic look. ‘Do you think they’re sufficiently credible babysitters?’
‘Well, having all three of you descend on them all at once will frighten the shit out of the guards there.’ I tried to keep my voice light, but wasn’t too sure I’d succeeded.
‘You know something?’ He fixed his gaze on me. ‘You’re a real
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