Lindsey Davis - Enemies at Home

Now we stood closer, I saw she had a smooth face with fine, light-coloured hair. She peered slightly, as if she was short-sighted. Hermes’ angry denunciations had implied a hard-faced hag, a woman who would look worn by a hard life — or simply a hard nature. But Simplicia looked almost young for her age.

‘Valerius Aviola’s wife was Mucia Lucilia, who died with him,’ I pointed out severely. ‘You will be Galla Simplicia. Why don’t you sit here — ’ I indicated the chairs I had put out when I interviewed Polycarpus. Myla had never removed them, of course. ‘You can recover from any emotional upset, while I fetch my writing equipment. Since you are here, let’s run through some questions I need to ask you.’

‘Should I have somebody with me?’ I thought her alarm was put on.

‘This is not a court.’ I steered her to the less comfortable seat. She ended up with an old folding x-stool; I wondered if she remembered it from her marriage. ‘I want to establish a few facts. Woman to woman,’ I cooed falsely. If she really had been involved in foul play, the last thing she wanted was an intimate exchange.

It took no time to gather up a note tablet and stylus in my room, but when I went back Galla Simplicia was already on her feet again, thinking to escape. She had dithered too long. I raised my eyebrows, as if failure to cooperate would count against her. She dropped back into her seat.

I took the more comfortable wicker chair. ‘Shall I ask Myla to bring refreshments?’

‘I don’t think so!’ I spotted an underlying dryness in Simplicia’s tone.

‘You’re right; she verges on useless. It beats me why people keep such girls, but I suppose when they have been in a house for a long time they are tolerated by default.’

My companion said nothing, though the ends of her mouth tightened.

On further inspection, Galla Simplicia must be forty, or closing fast. She was a type, proved by her wearing strappy sandals that just fell short of those beloved by the easy girls under the arches of the Circus Maximus. She indulged in time-consuming manicures, facials and hair-procedures. As well as too many finger-rings, she wore a complex gold necklace with a pendant of big Indian pearls, the kind that women with little-girl voices can extract from weak-willed men. She liked the good things in life; she knew where and how to obtain them. She continued to squeeze money from Aviola after he divorced her, but his marrying Mucia would finally have put a stop to it.

Galla would have hated that.

I began coolly: ‘You and Valerius Aviola split up long ago, so you are not a fragile widow around whom I must tiptoe gently. I realise what happened is a shock, but I have to be blunt. The situation has become an embarrassment for the Temple of Ceres, so they want answers quickly.’

‘The Temple? …’ Galla quavered, though I presumed her cousin had explained the situation to her.

I myself discussed the slaves taking refuge. ‘They will take the blame and be executed, for not saving their master and mistress — that’s unless it can be shown who really murdered them.’

‘Do you think you can find out?’

I looked Galla Simplicia in the eye. Was she saying do you know it was me? ‘That is the intention.’ I paused for a beat, then said, ‘I was surprised to be told that you yourself wanted the couple out of the way.’

‘I deny it!’ Of course she did. ‘We were perfectly friendly.’ Of course they were not.

‘Well, I expected you to deny it,’ I replied, as if that was enough. A wise woman would understand that I hadn’t even started.

‘It is a terrible thing to say — and it’s a lie!’

‘It could be misinformation from people with vested interests — ’ That sounded fair. I did not want her to be able to allege I was prejudiced against her. ‘But much weight is given to informants these days, you know. Our emperor encourages people to speak out against their associates. Please use this opportunity to clarify everything, will you? Accusations are being bandied about that you were afraid for your children’s future − so let’s talk about the children first.’

We established the family tree. Valerius, Valeria and Simplicia were twenty-five, twenty-one and nineteen. Valerius still lived with his mother. I could imagine what that signified. Both daughters were married, Valeria about to produce her first child; I wondered if the prospect of becoming a grandfather had spurred Aviola to remarry.

‘He wanted to prove his virility,’ sneered Galla, of her own accord. ‘Don’t they all? It’s so pathetic.’

‘You reckon he would have produced a second family?’

‘She — ’ That was Mucia Lucilia. ‘- had no children. Yet! She wouldn’t refuse. Of course he would be thrilled − then he would have died on them while they were still helpless infants. Just so selfish!’

‘You have a bleak view of men.’

‘Don’t you?’ Galla demanded, staring at me bitterly. It was true I had seen the worst men do. But I felt no sense of sisterhood. Not that this woman wanted my friendship.

Even so, I pretended we were speaking freely. ‘So, Galla Simplicia, you were understandably anxious about your children? Perhaps you were afraid of them losing their father’s affection? Is it right you would have done anything to safeguard their position?’

‘I am a mother, I defend my brood. I have brought them up myself-’

‘With financial help, surely?’

‘Left to himself, my husband would have begrudged every copper. It was a constant battle to point out what was right. We wrangled for years. Of course the children have no idea what I had to go through; I managed to protect them from seeing the strife.’

‘Did their father not love them?’

‘Oh yes! ’ Galla made an extravagant gesture. ‘But love does not pay for somewhere to live, for clothes, schooling, treats to give them a happy childhood — does it?’

Not if luxury is what you expect in life, I thought. If you grow up with nothing, then love − if you ever acquire it — is a huge luxury.

‘Were you really afraid Aviola would turn against them?’

‘Of course I was! That fear was perfectly justified, believe me. It does not mean, Flavia Albia, that I felt driven to send murderers here — even if I knew how one goes about finding such people. A woman like me … Or are you suggesting I came here secretly myself, and beat the victims to death with my own hands?’

I toughened up. ‘I see the grisly details have been kept from you, Simplicia. Only the door porter was beaten up. Aviola and Mucia were strangled.’

Galla blinked, then looked subdued. ‘Horrible. Would they suffer? Is it,’ she whispered with what seemed genuine pity, ‘a swift death?’

‘It can be.’ She must know I was watching her closely. ‘They both struggled. As the scene has been described, my interpretation is that Aviola was killed first, which implies he was perhaps taken unawares-’ I paused for effect. ‘Mucia Lucilia would have seen Aviola being killed, so she knew what was coming for her. Her terror must have been extreme.’

‘Unbearable,’ agreed Galla briefly.

She did not say it as if she rejoiced in her rival’s torment — but who would? Even if Galla Simplicia was involved, I judged her too good an actress to betray herself.

Mother’s Boy had been dragged from Campania to Rome with Mother. Did she want to be able to produce him as the wronged heir, like a tame dove from a conjurer’s sweaty armpit? I made arrangements with Galla to interview her darling the next morning, but graciously allowed them time to wake up first, after their journey. Mummy’s Precious was bound to be master of the long lie-in.