Colleen McCullough - 4. Caesar's Women

That the second half of his term as senior consul would give him that hungered for crisis did not occur to Cicero even when the lots gave him the duty of presiding over the elections held in the month of Quinctilis. Nor did he at first fully appreciate the ramifications which were to emerge from his wife's invasion of his privacy not long before those elections. Terentia marched into his study with her customary lack of ceremony, and oblivious to the sanctity of his thought processes. "Cicero, stop that whatever it is you're doing!" she barked. The pen went down immediately; he looked up without being foolish enough to betray his creative distress. "Yes, my dear, what is it?" he enquired mildly. She dumped herself down in the client's chair, looking grim. However, as she always looked grim, he had no idea of the cause of this particular grimness; he just hoped devoutly that it was nothing he had done. "I had a visitor this morning," she said. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask whether having a visitor had tickled her fancy, but he kept that normally unruly organ silent; if no one else had the power to still it utterly, Terentia certainly did. So he merely assumed an air of interest and waited for her to go on. "A visitor," she repeated. She then sniffed. "Not one of my circle, I do assure you, husband! Fulvia." "Publius Clodius's wife?" he asked, astonished. "No, no! Fulvia Nobilioris." Which elucidation did not decrease his surprise, as the Fulvia she meant was distinctly shady. Of excellent family, but divorced in disgrace, lacking an income, and currently attached to that Quintus Curius who had been expelled from the Senate in the famous purge of Poplicola and Lentulus Clodianus seven years before. A most inappropriate visitor for Terentia to receive! Terentia was as renowned for her rectitude as she was for her sourness. "Goodness gracious me! What on earth did she want?" "I quite liked her, actually," said Terentia reflectively. "She is no more and no less than a Hapless Victim of Men." And how was he expected to answer that? Cicero compromised with an inarticulate bleat. "She came to see me because that is the correct procedure for a woman to adopt when she wishes to speak to a married man of your prominence." And a man married to you, Cicero added silently. Naturally you will wish to see her for yourself, but I shall give you what information she gave me," said the lady whose glance could turn Cicero to stone. "It appears that her her her protector, Curius, has been behaving most oddly of late. Since his expulsion from the Senate his financial circumstances have been so embarrassed he can't even run for the tribunate of the plebs to get back into public life. Yet all of a sudden he's begun to talk wildly of coming into riches and a high position. This," Terentia went on in a voice of doom, "appears to stem from his conviction that Catilina and Lucius Cassius will be consuls next year." "So that's the way Catilina's wind blows, is it? Consul with a fat and torpid fool like Lucius Cassius," said Cicero. Both of them will declare themselves candidates tomorrow when you open the election tribunal." "All very well, my dear, but I fail to see how a joint consulship of Catilina and Lucius Cassius can promote Curius to sudden wealth and eminence." "Curius is talking of a general cancellation of debts." Cicero's jaw dropped. "They wouldn't be such idiots!" "Why not?" asked Terentia, contemplating the matter coolly. "Only consider, Cicero! Catilina knows that if he doesn't get in this year, his chances are over. It looks like quite a battle if all the men who are thinking of standing do stand. Silanus is much improved in health and will definitely be running, so dear Servilia tells me. Murena is being backed by many influential people, and, so dear Fabia tells me, is using his Vestal connection through Licinia to the maximum. Then there's your friend Servius Sulpicius Rufus, highly favored by the Eighteen and the tribuni aerarii, which means he'll poll well in the First Class. What can Catilina and a running partner like Lucius Cassius offer against such an array of solid worth as Silanus, Murena and this Sulpicius? Only one of the consuls can be a patrician, which means the vote for a patrician will be split between Catilina and Sulpicius. If I had a vote, I'd be choosing Sulpicius ahead of Catilina." Frowning, Cicero forgot his terror of his wife and spoke to her as he would have to a Forum colleague. "So Catilina's platform is a general cancellation of debts, is that what you're saying?" "No, that's what Fulvia is saying." "I must see her at once!" he cried, getting up. "Leave it to me, I'll send for her," said Terentia. Which meant, of course, that he would not be permitted to speak to Fulvia Nobilioris alone; Terentia intended to be there hanging on every word and every look. The trouble was that Fulvia Nobilioris volunteered very little more than Terentia had already told him, just couched her story in a highly emotional and scatterbrained way. Curius was up to his ears in debt, gambling heavily, drinking a great deal; he was always closeted with Catilina, Lucius Cassius and their cronies, and would return home from one of these sessions promising his mistress all kinds of future prosperity. "Why are you telling me, Fulvia?" Cicero asked, as much at a loss as she appeared to be, for he couldn't work out why she was so terrified. A general cancellation of debt was bad news, but "You're the senior consul!" she whimpered, weeping and beating her breast. "I had to tell someone'." "The trouble is, Fulvia, that you've given me not one iota of proof that Catilina plans a general cancellation of debt. I need a pamphlet, a reliable witness! All you've give me is a story, and I can't go to the Senate with nothing more tangible than a story told to me by a woman." "But it is wrong, isn't it?" she asked, wiping her eyes. "Yes, very wrong, and you've acted very correctly in coming to me. But I need proof," said Cicero. "The best I can offer you are some names." "Then tell me." "Two men who used to be centurions of Sulla's Gaius Manlius and Publius Furius. They own land in Etruria. And they've been telling people who plan to come to Rome for the elections that if Catilina and Cassius are made consuls, debt will cease to exist." "And, how, Fulvia, am I to connect two ex centurions from Sulla's legions with Catilina and Cassius?" "I don't know!" Sighing, Cicero rose to his feet. "Well, Fulvia, I do most sincerely thank you for coming to me," he said. "Keep on trying to find out exactly what's going on, and the moment you locate real evidence that the scent of the fish markets is stealing onto the Campus Martius at election time, tell me." He smiled at her, he hoped platonically. "Continue to work through my wife, she will keep me informed." When Terentia ushered the visitor from the room, Cicero sat down again to ponder. Not that this luxury was allowed him for very long: Terentia bustled in moments later. "What do you really think?" she asked. "I wish I knew, my dear." "Well," she said, leaning forward eagerly because she liked nothing better than to offer her husband political advice, "I'll tell you what I think! I think Catilina is plotting revolution." Cicero gaped. "Revolution?" he squeaked. "That's right, revolution." "Terentia, it's a far cry from an electoral policy based in a general cancellation of debt to revolution!" he protested. "No, it is not, Cicero. How can legally elected consuls initiate a revolutionary measure like a general cancellation of debt? You know well enough that is the ploy of men who overthrow the State. Saturninus. Sertorius. It means dictators and masters of the horse. How could legally elected consuls hope to legislate such a measure? Even if they brought it before the People in their tribes, at least one tribune of the plebs would veto it in contio, let alone in formal promulgation. And do you think those in favor of a general cancellation of debt do not understand all that? Of course they do! Anyone who would vote for consuls advocating such a policy is painting himself in the color of a revolutionary." "Which," said Cicero heavily, "is red. The color of blood. Oh, Terentia, not during my consulship!" "You must prevent Catilina's standing," said Terentia. "I can't do that unless I have proof." "Then we'll just have to find proof." She rose and headed for the door. Who knows? Perhaps Fulvia and I between us will be able to persuade Quintus Curius to testify." "That would be a help," said Cicero, a little dryly.