Marilyn Todd - I, Claudia

Everyone knew Roman law and the role of the father in the family, but suddenly it was important to tell her that his own father no longer had a say in what Orbilio did.

‘Her father demanded the dowry back, my father refused and so it went on. The case went to court, but unfortunately the strain was too much for the old man. He collapsed and died.’

Could he make it any plainer without shouting it out? My father’s death releases me from the burden of arranged marriages, Claudia. Do you hear what I’m saying?

‘Don’t let Flavia hear that story, it might give the little madam ideas. Her opinion of Gaius is extremely low at the moment.’

He paused. ‘And you?’

‘Scaevola is an excellent choice,’ she replied emphatically, leaving him with the feeling she’d deliberately misinterpreted him. ‘However’-there was a flash of emotion in her eyes that he couldn’t define-‘never let it be said I tried to influence the child in the matter of her marriage.’

The atmosphere had changed. A second ago it had been joky and relaxed, suddenly it was taut. He had the impression she was telling him something. Something important. But for the life of him he didn’t know what. Orbilio the star-crossed lover vanished, Orbilio the investigator was pricking his ears, alive to the slightest nuance. She was polishing a spot on the marble with the hem of her tunic.

‘How’s Gaius?’ he asked, forcing his eyes not to stare at her bare leg.

If she was surprised by the question she didn’t show it. Orbilio had not only helped to carry Seferius across to his own room, he’d sat up while the doctor made his examination.

‘Oh, you know my husband. The quack told him to take it easy, but Gaius went off anyway, swearing he wouldn’t miss the Wine Festival yesterday, not for all the mud on the Nile. Orbilio, my patience with you is running out. Could you please explain what you’re doing in my house?’

This second change in tempo threw him completely. He should have known, he thought, she was always doing this. Yet every time he found himself caught on the wrong damned foot.

‘I’m still your guest, remember?’

‘Uh-uh. You moved out.’

‘I what?’ He looked round wildly. ‘Claudia, you haven’t thrown my stuff into the street? Please tell me you haven’t thrown my stuff into the street!’

Four days had passed since Rufus had brought the news about Caldus, four days and nights in which Orbilio had been chasing his tail following every single lead. He’d eaten when he’d remembered, slept where he dropped, practically. His eyes were gritty, his limbs where leaden, in fact he was almost dead on his feet, but, by Jupiter, he was this close to solving this bloody murder! The last thing he wanted to hear, when it boiled down to it, was that his clean clothes had been trampled by oxen then stolen by beggars.

‘What did you expect? We’d heard neither hide nor hair of you for a week. This isn’t a common tavern, you know.’

‘It’s been two days, don’t exaggerate. And you missed me every single hour of them, admit it.’

He wanted to scoop her in his arms here and now. Whirl her round and round until they were dizzy. He wanted to pull the pins from her hair in that little pool of morning sunshine over there. Then he’d slide her rose pink tunic down-over her shoulders, her breasts, her hips. To a backdrop of splashing fountains he’d ease off her breast band, untie the tiny thong that hid her delicious feminine secrets and together they would dance under the open sky, laugh as they kissed, cry as they loved…

‘Don’t be absurd! I’ve got better things to do than moon after some little upstart masquerading as a relative.’

Dammit, Claudia, you don’t have to be so bloody brutal!

‘Oh, stop sulking, Orbilio! I haven’t thrown all your stuff out, just the oik. Seeing as you weren’t here to do it.’

Rufus? Oh shit, he knew there was something he’d forgotten! Even as he was dashing out on Tuesday night, he had a feeling there was something he’d forgotten to do. Well, he was buggered if he was going to apologize. She was being totally irrational about the kid, anyway. Irrational and unreasonable!

‘How did he take the eviction?’ Funnily enough, he’d grown used to the lad’s chirpy banter and his wily ways. He didn’t like to think of Rufus fending for himself again.

‘I believe he muttered something about it being my gaff, I could do what I liked in it and sodded off without another word. You could do worse than learn from him, Orbilio.’

He didn’t know quite which way to take that and decided the best course was to stay silent. Watching her yawn and stretch, thrusting out those splendid breasts, he found his mouth had gone dry. Absently he sipped the wine Claudia had poured for her husband’s ancestors.

‘By the way, the Thracian escaped,’ he said nonchalantly.

She flashed him a look. ‘Why?’

Mother of Tarquin, Claudia, you’re wonderful, you really are! Is it surprising no other woman matches up to you? I tell you Otho’s escaped, yet you don’t ask how. You don’t gasp or clap your hand over your mouth in horror. You don’t scream and say we must post a guard in case he comes back. You don’t panic and cry What shall I do? What shall I do? You ask why.

One delectable eyebrow rose slightly. ‘Orbilio, we are talking about the same gorilla who broke into my room the night before last? The one you half-strangled? The one who was reeling from that punch in the mouth? In fact, the one you personally trussed tighter than a boiling fowl?’ Orbilio spread his hands and shrugged. ‘So I need more practice tying knots.’

‘Well, you needn’t have bothered on my account, the oaf was lying through his teeth.’

‘Skip it, Claudia, you don’t need to pretend with me. Whatever he was up to when I burst in, his original purpose was to deliver another warning. Am I right?’

‘Tripe!’

‘Notice I say another warning. I know all about the riot, Claudia. In fact,’ he added quietly, ‘I know just about everything.’

Melissa had been whoring, he knew that now, hence his thorough search of her room. She’d have her money stashed somewhere, that was certain, and the chances are it would be under this roof. But she’d need a pimp. Who would steer her towards these high-ranking officials? There could be only one answer, it was just a question of proving it. There were a couple of points that bothered him, such as why, for instance, did nobody see the killer? How could he slip in and out without attracting attention? Also, a man covered with blood would not be difficult to miss-unless his toga covered the stains. But these were minor quibbles, his curiosity would be satisfied at the confession stage. And, by Jupiter, he had no worries about extracting one. Not with the case he’d so painstakingly built up! His hardest task had been unearthing a motive. Without it, of course, he had no killer but once he’d found the motive, Minerva’s magic, it had been plain sailing all the way. One more interrogation was all he needed to clinch it.

She stared at him long and hard for at least a minute. There was a twinkle in his eye, he couldn’t help it, because he knew, he just knew, she was dying to ask. She wouldn’t be able to resist. Who? she’d say, and that’s when Orbilio would come into his own. He’d been preparing for this moment. Nothing could throw him, not at this stage, he was ready for anything. Or was he? As an impish smile spread over her face, he had an uneasy feeling in his gut.

‘You will let me know,’ she said sweetly, ‘when you’ve quite finished drinking that sacred libation to our household gods?’

*

Without a breath of wind in the air it was simply too hot to sit in the garden, and her bedroom was stuffy. Unfortunately, to tackle the task she had in mind privacy was crucial.