The Gladiator by Carla Capshaw Page A

first step in a larger scheme to obtain the recognition he craved. Years spent in the shadow of his twice-blessed older brother had left him virtually forgotten, his talents dismissed and his life almost wasted. With Pelonius dead and his troublesome niece sold into slavery, he finally had the means to fulfill his ambitions.
    â€œFrom what my wife tells me,” Antonius continued, “Pelonius turned your father’s small farm into a thriving enterprise within a short time of his inheritance. Tiberia’s high regard for your late brother and his undisputed financial acumen make me hesitant to go against his judgment.”
    Marcus hid his contempt for the younger man’s lack of vision beneath a placid smile. No man worth his salt let a woman sway his decisions, but whether he liked it or not, he needed Antonius’s influence. Once he’d made his own connections, Tiberia and her myopic husband could rot for all the care he gave. Until then, he planned to smile and nod in agreement when necessary, and when the time came, collect apologies from those who’d doubted his talents and superior intellect.
    â€œIt’s true, my brother was favored by Mercury with his gift of commerce, but I’m equally gifted. It isn’t my fault Pelonius inherited before me. If I’d been the elder son and the land passed down to me who knows how great our family’s fortune might be.”
    Elated to find he held the senator’s full attention, Marcus pressed on. “You’d be a fool not to loan me the funds. I promise you there’s no need to fear you’ll lose a single piece of silver. I’ll pay you back with interest, of course. If I’m unsuccessful, which I won’t be, you’ll have the estate. Either way you’re bound to profit.”
    â€œBy the gods, it’s a tempting offer.” The senator picked up the parchment and studied the proposal with renewed interest. He eyed Marcus over the top of the page like a cat about to pounce on a wounded squirrel. “Very tempting. In fact, maybe I should loan you the money, then devise a scheme to make you fail. What better place to escape Rome’s summer heat than to my own estate in the Umbrian hills?”
    Marcus laughed nervously. Perhaps he’d been too persuasive. “As we’re kin of sorts, Senator, feel free to enjoy my hospitality whenever you wish.”
    â€œThat’s good of you, kin, considering you’ve been a guest in my home for how many weeks?”
    Marcus folded his hands in his lap, irritated by his host’s subtle gibe. Adopting a wounded air, he straightened in his seat. “I apologize, Senator, if I’ve overstayed my welcome. Your dear wife was the first to embrace me as a relative since mine were taken so tragically on the way to your wedding. If, in my gratitude toward her, I’ve somehow offended you by claiming your people as my own, I—”
    â€œEnough, Marcus. If you’d offended me, you’d be out on the street, not here in my study trying to wheedle me out of five thousand denarii.”
    Reminding himself to bide his time, Marcus cloaked his scorn beneath a reverential manner. “I’m glad to hear I remain in your good graces.”
    Antonius left his desk and went to a cabinet painted with a lush scene of Venus rising from the sea’s foam. He opened one of its front panels and removed a bottle of wine. “I’ll have an agreement prepared for us to sign by tomorrow’s dinner hour.”
    Marcus fidgeted with excitement. He was on his way. “What rate of interest will you charge me?”
    â€œOnly twenty percent. It’s fair enough considering the money lenders’ price.” The senator lifted the bottle of red wine. “Shall I pour you a glass of your family’s finest to celebrate?”
    Marcus accepted with his first genuine smile in weeks. Without a doubt he’d been right to sell Pelonia and