Ruth Downie - Ruso and the Root of All Evils

‘It’s not funny, Tilla. Yesterday I was just threatened with disgrace. Now if the Gabinii turn nasty they could have me tried for murder.’

‘That is not funny,’ she agreed. ‘So, what did he say?’

‘Go to sleep, Tilla. It’s the middle of the night. I have to go and see Claudia tomorrow.’

‘Claudia, the old wife.’ Tilla kicked away a tangle of sheet and pulled it straight. ‘Will you tell her what he said?’

‘Yes. It’s only fair that she knows first.’

She fell silent.

He was drifting away from the worries of the day when he heard: ‘Cass says the rich widow next door is very pretty.’

‘Yes, she is. Go to sleep.’

‘If all those people want their money back, and you are not accused of murder, will you try to marry her?’

‘Go to sleep.’

A cool draught forced him back into consciousness as she flung back the bedding. ‘I will go to my own bed.’

‘No!’ He grabbed her arm and pulled her back against him.

Far beyond the open window, some small night creature shrieked as it fell prey to a larger one.

He said, ‘I need you.’

Tilla had once seen a picture of grape-treaders painted on the side of a fancy wine jug. It had seemed a delightful job: a jolly group of slaves dancing in a sunlit trough to the music of a flute. There were mountains behind and, in the foreground, shining juice pouring from the trough into a vat.

The reality was not jolly at all. They were working in the shade of the winery, it was true, but even at this hour of the morning it was hot in here with the sun baking the roof-tiles and the walls holding back the breeze. It was surprising how quickly the thighs began to ache from trampling up and down in the shallow basin. Nor was it kind to the arms. To stop herself losing her footing in the warm slop, Tilla was having to change her grip ever more frequently on the rope that dangled from the rafters.

They could get a donkey to do this, she thought, pausing as a shadow fell across the rows of fat jars set in the floor and one of the vineyard workers strode in with another basketload to upend all over her feet. They could attach a donkey to a pole and make it walk round and round. And round. And round. Although she supposed a donkey might relieve itself all over the grapes. She was tempted to wee in that horrible woman’s grape juice herself, except that it would not be fair on Galla, who would also have to stand in it.

At least the other workers had left them alone. The men were convinced that having women’s feet crushing the grapes this morning would bring bad luck on the precious vintage. Instead of telling them not to be so silly, the Medicus’ brother had said he would find them something else to do.

‘He is being kind, miss,’ explained Galla after he had gone. ‘All the other jobs he could give us are out in the sun.’

Privately Tilla thought he was being cowardly. Surely the stepmother could not tell him who should work on his own farm?

Galla’s face was still red on one side where Arria had slapped it. Tilla suspected she herself had only escaped being struck because Arria was afraid of what the Medicus would say about it when he came back from consoling the old wife.

She had expected that yesterday’s fuss over the runaway sisters would be forgotten this morning, eclipsed by the mysterious death of the man in the study. She was wrong. The girls, finally released from their room, had emerged to offer Tilla a sulky apology for getting lost. Immediately the apology was accepted, they proceeded to blame her for their woes. Why had she made such a great fuss about nothing, running off all over the town ‘instead of waiting for us like Galla does’?

At this moment Arria, who must have been listening inside the hall, marched out on to the porch and demanded, ‘What do you mean, “like Galla does”?’

Summoned, the terrified slave had finally confessed that, yes, when she chaperoned the girls into town they did sometimes go off on their own.

‘Where do they go? Who with? You stupid girl! How long has this been going on? Why didn’t you tell me straight away?’

The girls were sent back to their room and told that Arria expected to hear some music practice. Galla was informed that, since she could not be trusted to look after the family, she was now to consider herself a farm labourer.

When Tilla intervened to say it was not fair, Arria snapped, ‘And you can go too. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to, young woman!’

‘Why did you never tell her that the girls ran away from you?’ asked Tilla, changing hands again on the rope.

‘Because I am more afraid of them than of her, miss.’

‘You do not have to call me miss,’ Tilla reminded her. ‘We are in the same trough.’

‘No, m … Tilla. If I had known they were taking you to town, I would have warned you.’

‘Where do they go?’

‘I told the mistress. I don’t know.’

‘But you can guess,’ said Tilla, who had spent enough time as a slave to know that servants knew far more than they dared tell.

Safe from the wrath of Arria and her daughters, Galla did not need much prompting. ‘I think they hang around the gates of the gladiators’ barracks.’

Tilla paused to scoop a drowning beetle out of the pulp. She set it on the wall of the trough, shook off the slimy grape-skins that were clinging to her fingers and said, ‘Is it something to do with a fighter called Tertius?’

‘Tertius is a very stupid boy,’ said Galla. ‘Marcia thinks he is going to marry her.’ Leaving unspoken the obvious conclusion that Marcia was not very bright either, Galla added, ‘Did she wear the green stole?’

Tilla gripped the rope again and swung round to face her. ‘How did you know?’

‘They did that to me, too. They wear something bright on top. Then when they run away they take it off. So you are looking for a girl in a green stole …’

‘… who is nowhere,’ said Tilla, realizing how they had made a fool of her. Marcia had deliberately wrapped her in that necklace like a chain. She spotted a pristine bunch of grapes, took aim and splattered it with her left foot. ‘How do you put up with this?’

‘I have never done it before.’

‘I mean the family.’

‘I pray to be able to forgive,’ said Galla unexpectedly.

‘I wouldn’t.’

‘Some days it is easier than others,’ Galla agreed, shuffling sideways. ‘And at least I am not often beaten.’

‘She hit you today.’

‘Today is a bad day. So was yesterday.’

Tilla pondered this for a moment. ‘Were you there when that man died yesterday?’

Galla trapped a stray grape between her toes and squelched it before answering, ‘I’m sorry, miss — ’

‘Tilla.’

‘I’m sorry, Tilla. The master told me not to speak of it.’

Tilla had to admire the girl’s loyalty, but it was frustrating to find Galla just as reluctant to reveal the last words as the Medicus had been.

She tried, ‘Do you know the master’s old wife?’

‘Not well.’

The slave was both loyal and tactful. It was very annoying.

‘Severus’ sister cried when she came to fetch the body,’ Galla said suddenly, as if she had finally thought of something safe to talk about. ‘I felt sorry for her.’

‘It is a terrible thing to lose a brother.’ They stopped trampling. Tilla could hear the juice trickling down into the vat. She said, ‘My brothers were killed by men from another tribe.’ Here, surrounded by high walls and sunny vineyards, gardens and olive groves, it seemed almost impossible to believe that such things could happen.

‘Mistress Cassiana’s brother is dead too. He went on a ship and drowned.’ Galla pushed back a strand of hair that was stuck to her forehead and moved to an untrodden corner of the trough.