Rosemary Rowe - The vestal vanishes

My trader friend, however, was nodding eagerly. ‘So you think the games will happen? Despite what we’ve just heard?’

‘I imagine so. Publius was going to finance them, of course — no doubt in part as celebration of his wedding plans — but even if that fails, Marcus and the other councillors will meet the bill, I’m sure. They wouldn’t want to lose favour with the populace. But I doubt that he’ll withdraw — most of the money will be already spent. Besides, if the games were to be cancelled, we would have heard by now.’

The man looked doubtful. ‘I suppose you’re right. Though I’m surprised that the authorities have not made some announcement to the crowd.’

‘What? Make an announcement in the marketplace that Publius’s sacrifice appears to be ill-starred — and that people had been given ill-omened flesh to eat? The priests could not do that. There would very likely be riots in the street. And what would the Emperor say when he found out that a feast in his honour had been declared bad luck?’ I shook my head. ‘The sacrifice is over. The bull was accepted by the hirospex and it is too late now. Besides, Publius did not come back into the temple after he was called away so it’s possible that the authorities do not even know the news. It’s only chance we heard this from the fern-seller.’

My companion considered this a moment, then answered thoughtfully, ‘We only have his word for it, in fact. And there has been no announcement…’

I nodded. ‘Exactly. So, if you hope to get a good view from the public stands, I should hurry there at once.’

‘You genuinely do not mean to come?’ He sounded quite amazed. He motioned towards Junio, who had been listening to all this. ‘Would your son not welcome a visit to the games?’

I laughed. ‘We have already done our duty to the Emperor by coming to Glevum for the temple rite. That is no small thing. Remember that my roundhouse is several miles from town, and my son’s is next to it. We have already walked a long way to get here, and — since there is no chance of a carrying-litter on a day like this, far less a hiring-carriage — we’ll be walking back again. And we’ll have to go the long way, by the military road: we can hardly scrabble down muddy country lanes in these expensive clothes.’ It was an exaggeration — I had done such things before — but there was some truth in what I said. A toga is an awkward thing to hurry in, even on the most well-laid of roads, and very expensive to have cleaned, besides. I saw the fellow wavering and I urged again. ‘If we stop to see the games we’ll be lucky to get home before it’s dark — and it isn’t safe to walk the forest paths at night. So if you want to see the gladiator, I suggest you hurry on.’

‘Well, if you say so, citizen.’ And he scurried off.

I turned to Junio, smiling. ‘I thought he’d never go.’

Junio watched him out of sight, then turned to walk across with me towards the fountain where we had left our slaves to wait. ‘You realize he was hoping to go into the games with you? He thinks your influence with Marcus might have won us better seats.’

The idea made me laugh. ‘Then he doesn’t know my patron! Marcus is in his most public role today, the senior man in half Britannia. He’s very conscious of his dignity. If he deigned to notice me at all on such a day, it would only be because he wanted some service out of me.’

Junio made a semi-sympathetic face. ‘And you really do not wish to see the games yourself, father?’

‘If I want to see butchery I’ll frequent the marketplace,’ I joked, then saw the look of disappointment on his face. It was obvious that my son would have liked to go to see the birthday games — of course these things were still a novel treat for him — and for a moment I felt a twinge of guilt. I touched him on the arm.

‘The next time there are public games in Glevum, I will take you there,’ I promised. ‘You won’t have long to wait. Some aging wealthy citizen is almost sure to die, leaving money in his will for a gladiatorial show in memory of himself, and even failing that there’ll be elections very soon.’

He brightened. ‘I suppose so. There are always contests then.’

‘Usually sponsored by the candidates,’ I said, and added teasingly, ‘specially to impress young citizens like you.’

‘You mean that it’s an attempt to sway the vote?’

‘Well, not entirely. Most citizens would claim it isn’t just a bribe. It’s a demonstration that the candidate concerned has a lot of money which he’s prepared to spend for the benefit of the populace.’

‘But you do not sound as if you very much approve.’

‘I’d prefer to see the money spent on public works like drains,’ I said. ‘But I don’t suppose that’s very glamorous.’ I grinned at him. ‘It would disappoint you of an entertainment, too, since I’ve said that I would take you. And I’ll keep my word.’

‘Although you don’t much care for gladiatorial games?’

‘In the ordinary way, I quite enjoy the spectacle. I always like watching a retinarius — they show such skill with just a trident and a net — sometimes against a swordsman with full armour and a shield. But not on an occasion like today, when half the combatants are likely to be killed. Still, enough of that. For now let’s find the servants and get home to our wives. I want to take my toga and these new sandals off — the soles are killing me.’

It took us a few moments to locate the slaves, in fact, though usually they were not hard to pick out in a crowd: two little red-haired lads — who had been trained in Marcus’s household but who had passed to me as a reward for various ‘services’ that I had done for him. I spotted them at last, with their backs towards me, at the rear of a throng of other household slaves, who — along with assorted beggars and poor freemen from the town — were huddled in the entrance to a nearby lane, craning to watch something in the alleyway. The boys were standing on tiptoe to see between the crowd and they did not notice the two of us as we approached.

I gestured Junio to silence, then — as he held back — I went up behind the nearer slave and said loudly in his ear, ‘Minimus! What is the meaning of all this? Didn’t I tell you to wait beside the fountain over there?’

Minimus, who was — despite his name — the taller of the boys, (they had been purchased a matching pair, but he had grown the most) spun around at once and a look of startled horror crossed his face. ‘Master! You didn’t go to watch the games?’ He nudged his companion, and I heard him whispering, ‘Maximus! The master’s here. And the young master too. Look what you have done! You were supposed to be on watch and warn me when they came.’

The smaller slave whirled instantly round, scarlet with embarrassment and shame. ‘I am very sorry, master-’ he began.

I cut him off with a gesture. ‘I expect obedience, not apologies!’ I said, with an attempt to be severe. My wife is always telling me I am too lax with them, and this would be a flogging matter in many households. But I could not altogether blame them for their escapade. On feast-days such as this the town is always thronging with alluring sights, quite apart from the official marches and parades: exotic street performers, jugglers and acrobats, and enticing stalls selling honey-cakes and oatcakes and small crispy rinds of pig. It was all a lot more interesting than standing at a fountain watching water flow, and after all the boys had scarcely moved a dozen yards. I said more gently, ‘What is so exciting that it makes you leave your post?’

It was Maximus who answered, his eyes alight with glee. ‘Master, you should see it for yourself. There’s a magician here — straight from the African provinces, he says — sitting on a mat and doing such things as you would not believe. He makes things disappear. He took a coin in his hand, and blew on it, and then it wasn’t there. And that’s not all — a moment later he produced it from a woman’s ear.’