The Course of Honour by Lindsey Davis

Mark Antony, Octavia had brought up single-handedly not only their own children, but first Antony’s by his stormy marriage to Fulvia and, eventually, even his children with Cleopatra. ‘Not an easy woman, my mother,’ Antonia had admitted. ‘Impossible not to admire her—I am sure even my father always did that—but she often seemed reproachful and difficult to like.’
    This was an intriguing glimpse of the legendary, much-loved sister of Augustus, so famous for her goodness. Caenis ventured curiously, ‘Do you think if your mother had been less formidable, Mark Antony might have come back from Egypt?’
    â€˜Oh no!’ Antonia was definite. ‘Losing a man to a woman is one thing—giving him up to politics is final.’
    On her birthday Antonia had freed several of her slaves who deserved retirement. Pallas was among them, rewarded by freedom and a large estate in Egypt for his good service with the letter about Sejanus.Diadumenus, the Chief Secretary, took his deserved retirement; Caenis was to be promoted. Antonia had asked her to prepare the manumission documents, which at last gave her the opportunity to speak on her own behalf: ‘Madam, you know I have been saving since before I came to you. I want to ask to buy my freedom.’
    Immediately there was a sense of strain.
    She had known Antonia would not like it. Her patroness expected to plan her slaves’ lives for them; in the Palace there had been much less scope for advancement but at least matters of business could be broached without irritating anybody else. She watched the old lady trying to be tolerant.
    â€˜That will be unnecessary.’ Reluctantly Antonia explained that Caenis was to be freed one day under her will.
    â€˜Madam, I am grateful, but I should hardly enjoy looking forwards to your death.’
    â€˜Oh, I don’t enjoy it myself! Now be serious; I cannot let you waste your money.’
    Caenis sat still. She would pay for her freedom if she had to, but it would take all her resources. She would have nothing at all to live on afterwards. She had a bitter grasp of financial needs. Yet she wanted to be free. She had saved what she knew to be a good secretary’s price; she was desperate to realise her ambition now. So many disasters might intervene otherwise. A will could be altered; Antonia’s heirs might not honour it; the Senate might change the law. Now that citizenship stood within her grasp through her own enterprise, Caenis could not bear to wait.
    Antonia understood the situation. A secretary might not command the outrageous price of a handsome driver or a sloe-eyed dancing-girl but Caenis, trained in the imperial school and with such good Greek, was still a prize. The fact that she had managed to save her worth indicated strong willpower. Even with the offer of acquiring her freedom for nothing eventually, she would still be prepared for hardship in order to gain it now.
    â€˜You have to be thirty years old.’ Caenis felt younger, but since she did not know her age she bluffed it out. Antonia pursed her mouth yet let that issue drop. ‘You are forcing my hand, Caenis!’
    Caenis made no reply. There was a long, not entirely amicable silence.
    Antonia asked stiffly, ‘Do you want to get married?’ Caenis shuddered. ‘Do you wish to set up in some business? Run a salon? Open a shop?’ Caenis laughed. Antonia breathed; the rings on her gnarled fingers flashed restlessly. ‘Would you leave me?’
    â€˜Not if you would let me stay.’
    Antonia knew she was beaten.
    She sighed. ‘Don’t expect too much,’ she warned. ‘A slave is sheltered; a free woman faces more responsibilities than you may realise.’
    Although Caenis was too sensitive to argue, she lifted her head; she saw Antonia close her eyes momentarily, with a faint smile. They both knew Caenis would glide into responsibility fearlessly. She was ready to be