us to the gates, and then we could go on in the raeda after that. The man you set to guard it could travel on with us, in the front so that the raedarius couldn’t run away. The gig meanwhile, could bring the box back here.’
Publius frowned. ‘The slave I left on guard is not mine to command. He was borrowed from the pontifex, and will be wanted in the temple later on tonight, I’m sure.’
‘Then Fiscus, perhaps, could help me,’ I ventured, hopefully.
‘But he was only lent to you to be a guide, I think. Marcus Septimus expects him to be here when he arrives. I’m sorry, Libertus, you will have to watch over the raedarius yourself. I only wish that I was free to come with you, myself, but I cannot desert the birthday feast tonight, at which Lavinius is kind enough to have named me as chief guest. Perhaps, in the circumstances, the gig is good enough. We can arrange to have the box brought here another time.’
I was not anxious to travel all those miles in a crowded, bouncing, open gig. I had an inspiration. ‘But, supposing that we find Audelia?’ I said, praying that the raedarius would not betray my confidence in him by running off. ‘We would need some comfortable way of bringing her back here. She certainly couldn’t travel with us in the gig.’
Publius looked approvingly at me. ‘You are quite right, mosaic-maker. That is unthinkable. You may let the prisoner drive the raeda, when you get to it. In the meantime, steward, do not free his hands. Time enough for that when there’s an extra guard.’
The steward had already sat back on his knees and stopped sawing at the rope while he listened to all this. He glanced towards his owner with an enquiring look.
Lavinius nodded at him, clearly dismayed at this usurpation of his authority, and equally clearly unable to resist. ‘Very well. Let it be as Publius says. Bring the wretch to us when his feet are freed.’
‘Immediately, master!’ and with a parting shove to the unfortunate raedarius the slave got to his feet and went bustling away, no doubt to find the smith.
‘We should instruct the gig-slave what to do. The man will want fresh horses, I expect.’ Lavinius was suddenly all brisk efficiency, evidently determined to resume command. He turned to his attendant boy. ‘Page, go and find the gig-slave and tell him what’s required. Publius, my friend, we two will go into the house and wash our feet and I will have someone bring some dates and wine.’
He had pointedly not invited me and I hesitated, not certain what to do, but Publius gestured to me to accompany them. ‘Libertus must come with us so we can devise a plan. If he does discover something I want to know at once, and we must make arrangements for sending messages.’
Lavinius scowled, but signalled his reluctant agreement with a nod and led the way back through the gate towards the house, though he made a point of taking Publius on ahead and talking to him in an undertone, making certain that I could not hear and leaving me to trail behind them with the remaining page.
In the colonnaded garden Publius stopped and turned to me. I was warming to this patrician more and more by now. He may have forced me to a bargain which I could ill afford but this was clearly not the outcome of ill-will – simply the failure of a hugely wealthy man to understand how much a hundred aureii seemed to humbler folk.
He illustrated the gulf between us by his next words, too. They were addressed to Lavinius but they were meant for me to hear, and once again seemed an attempt to help. ‘About accommodation, is it not the case that Marcus has a second town-house in Corinium? Given his very high opinion of his protégé, surely he would not object to Libertus staying there?’
In fact I knew my patron would be appalled at the idea. The place was shut up when he was not there, with only a handful of slaves to keep it clean and aired. Besides, I am a simple tradesman, not a Roman patrician. It is true
Publius frowned. ‘The slave I left on guard is not mine to command. He was borrowed from the pontifex, and will be wanted in the temple later on tonight, I’m sure.’
‘Then Fiscus, perhaps, could help me,’ I ventured, hopefully.
‘But he was only lent to you to be a guide, I think. Marcus Septimus expects him to be here when he arrives. I’m sorry, Libertus, you will have to watch over the raedarius yourself. I only wish that I was free to come with you, myself, but I cannot desert the birthday feast tonight, at which Lavinius is kind enough to have named me as chief guest. Perhaps, in the circumstances, the gig is good enough. We can arrange to have the box brought here another time.’
I was not anxious to travel all those miles in a crowded, bouncing, open gig. I had an inspiration. ‘But, supposing that we find Audelia?’ I said, praying that the raedarius would not betray my confidence in him by running off. ‘We would need some comfortable way of bringing her back here. She certainly couldn’t travel with us in the gig.’
Publius looked approvingly at me. ‘You are quite right, mosaic-maker. That is unthinkable. You may let the prisoner drive the raeda, when you get to it. In the meantime, steward, do not free his hands. Time enough for that when there’s an extra guard.’
The steward had already sat back on his knees and stopped sawing at the rope while he listened to all this. He glanced towards his owner with an enquiring look.
Lavinius nodded at him, clearly dismayed at this usurpation of his authority, and equally clearly unable to resist. ‘Very well. Let it be as Publius says. Bring the wretch to us when his feet are freed.’
‘Immediately, master!’ and with a parting shove to the unfortunate raedarius the slave got to his feet and went bustling away, no doubt to find the smith.
‘We should instruct the gig-slave what to do. The man will want fresh horses, I expect.’ Lavinius was suddenly all brisk efficiency, evidently determined to resume command. He turned to his attendant boy. ‘Page, go and find the gig-slave and tell him what’s required. Publius, my friend, we two will go into the house and wash our feet and I will have someone bring some dates and wine.’
He had pointedly not invited me and I hesitated, not certain what to do, but Publius gestured to me to accompany them. ‘Libertus must come with us so we can devise a plan. If he does discover something I want to know at once, and we must make arrangements for sending messages.’
Lavinius scowled, but signalled his reluctant agreement with a nod and led the way back through the gate towards the house, though he made a point of taking Publius on ahead and talking to him in an undertone, making certain that I could not hear and leaving me to trail behind them with the remaining page.
In the colonnaded garden Publius stopped and turned to me. I was warming to this patrician more and more by now. He may have forced me to a bargain which I could ill afford but this was clearly not the outcome of ill-will – simply the failure of a hugely wealthy man to understand how much a hundred aureii seemed to humbler folk.
He illustrated the gulf between us by his next words, too. They were addressed to Lavinius but they were meant for me to hear, and once again seemed an attempt to help. ‘About accommodation, is it not the case that Marcus has a second town-house in Corinium? Given his very high opinion of his protégé, surely he would not object to Libertus staying there?’
In fact I knew my patron would be appalled at the idea. The place was shut up when he was not there, with only a handful of slaves to keep it clean and aired. Besides, I am a simple tradesman, not a Roman patrician. It is true
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