The Triumph of Caesar by Steven Saylor Page A

married her for money, not honey.) A bad case of the hives is likely to kill an old satyr like Cicero. . . .
    "Publilia!" Cicero abruptly exclaimed, and rose from his chair.
    Rupa and I did likewise, for Cicero's young bride had entered the room.
    "My honey! I didn't hear you come in." Cicero hurried toward her. He took a plump little arm in one hand and stroked her honey-blond hair with the other. "You flit like a butterfly. You come and go without a sound. Your dainty little feet barely touch the earth!"
    Rupa shot me a look and rolled his eyes. I tried not to laugh.
    "Publilia, this is Gordianus, an old friend. And this is his son Rupa."
    The petite, round-faced girl gave me a polite nod, then turned her attention to Rupa, who, I have noticed, seems to be just the sort of fellow most fifteen-year-old girls enjoy looking at. Publilia perused him openly for a moment, then tittered and averted her eyes. Cicero appeared not to understand the cause of her chagrin, but he delighted in her childish laughter and joined in with a cackle of his own.
    "She's a shy thing, really."
    "No, I am not!" the girl protested, pulling her arm free. She pouted for a moment, then shot another glance at Rupa and smiled.
    "Ah, I think all that shopping has tired out my little honey, hasn't it?" crooned Cicero. "Or is this heat making her cranky? Perhaps you should take a nap, my dear."
    "I suppose I could go . . . lie down . . . for a bit." She looked Rupa up and down, and sighed. "Especially if you men are talking about boring old books."
    "Actually, we were talking about death and murder," I said.
    "Oh!" The girl gave an exaggerated shudder, causing her breasts to quiver. They were surprisingly large for a fifteen-year-old.
    "Gordianus, you've frightened her!" protested Cicero. "You should be more careful what you say. Publilia is hardly more than a child."
    "Indeed!" I said under my breath.
    "Run along, my honey. Have a drink. Cool yourself; call one of the slaves to come fan you. I'll join you a bit later. You can show me that cloth you bought for your new gown."
    "Red gossamer from Cos," she said, "so light and gauzy, you can see right through it!"
    The lump protruding from Cicero's throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed. He blinked. "Yes, well, run along, my honey."
    "Your bride is utterly charming," I said, after Publilia had gone. "Did she bring a large dowry?" In the social circles to which Cicero aspired, this was not a rude question.
    "Enormous!" he said. "But that is not why I married her."
    "Oh, I can believe that," I assured him. "Still, it must have been painful, after so many years together, to end your marriage with Terentia."
    Cicero smiled wryly. "I'm a strong man, Gordianus. I survived Sulla. I've survived Caesar—so far. And, by Hercules, I survived thirty years with Terentia!"
    "Still, the divorce must have been painful for her, if not for you."
    His smile vanished. "Terentia is a rock." The way he said it, the word was not a compliment. "She's indestructible. She'll live to be a hundred, mark my words. Don't worry yourself about Terentia."
    If I were to worry, I thought, it would be about you, Cicero. What do the Etruscans say? " There is no fool like an old fool! " I bit my tongue.
    "I'm happy, don't you see?" Cicero crossed the room with a swagger. I had never seen him so cocky, not even in court, and Cicero orating before a jury could be very cocky indeed. "Despite the dismal state of the world, despite the end of everything I've fought for all my life, about my personal life I have no complaints. In that sphere—after so many reverses, disappointments, outright disasters—at last, everything is going my way. My debts are all paid. Terentia is finally out of my life. And I have a wonderful new bride who adores me. Oh!" His eyebrows lifted. "And at long last, my dear little Tullia is expecting a child. Soon my daughter shall make me a grandfather!"
    "Congratulations," I said. "But I heard that her marriage to