Medicus

52

"So," said Ruso, scratching one ear and trying to make sense of what his servant had just told him. "This new girl at Merula's, Phryne-"

"Is not her real name."

"Well, just pretend it is for the moment. This is a girl from your own tribe who accepted a lift from Innocens and then found herself kidnapped and sold to Merula."

"She is not a slave. She is freeborn. Her father is carpenter."

"These are serious allegations, Tilla."

"Yes, my Lord."

"And are you saying that Merula knows her history?"

"She tell her."

"These are very serious allegations."

"Yes, my Lord. Merula-"

"Threatened to have your tongue cut out if you talked. I know. How was she going to explain that to me?"

She shrugged.

"Clearly she didn't expect to have to do it. So you're convinced that your goddess has given you the job of saving this girl, but rather than have your tongue cut out, you were encouraging her to run away and making magic potions and prayers to protect her from the same fate as the other girls."

"And I put-"

"Don't say it!" he interrupted. "If you've been putting curses on Merula or anyone else, I want you to keep quiet about it. I happen to think it's nonsense but there are people who won't. You could get yourself into a lot of trouble."

Suddenly she looked up as if a bright idea had occurred to her. "My Lord could buy Phryne!"

He frowned. "Buy Phryne? What would I want to buy her for?"

"Or my Lord's friend, the good-looking one, he could buy her!"

"Even if we wanted to," Ruso pointed out, unable to imagine the good-looking one exerting himself for a slave he didn't want, "neither of us can buy her if she's stolen, can we?"

"Then you send her home, and Merula does not know that I tell you!"

"And the lightness in my purse is counterbalanced by the weight of moral righteousness."

She looked at him blankly. "Is what?"

"Never mind."

"You get your money back," she said. "I tell her family, they pay you."

"Marvelous. I'll go into business with Claudius Innocens. He can be the muscle man, and I'll send you to do the extortion."

She said, "Oh."

He was conscious of time moving on. He really should go and deal with whatever Priscus wanted. "There's no need for all these complicated schemes, Tilla," he told her. "I know your people have trouble believing it, but this part of Britannia is under Roman protection. A man can't steal a freeman's daughter and sell her into slavery, and an owner certainly can't buy a slave and put her to work knowing her to be stolen. You've acted correctly in reporting a crime. I'll pass on the report and it will be dealt with in the proper way."

"But my Lord, Merula-"

"Don't worry about Merula. The law says that slaves are the property of their owners. Merula might get away with bullying her own girls but nobody's going to cut out the tongue of my property. I'll make it clear to the bar staff that they're to leave you alone in future. Understood?"

She nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

"Now go over to the house and get started on dinner. And don't steal anybody else's firewood."

"Yes, my Lord." She stood and gathered up the cloak and the basket.

Her hand was on the door latch when one last question occurred to him. "Tilla?"

She turned. "My Lord?"

"You are legally a slave yourself, aren't you?"

She raised her hand to the place on her upper arm where the tunic hid the copper slave band. "I am, my Lord."

"And Innocens didn't steal you?"

"He paid money, my Lord."

"Hm. Not as much as he told me he did, I'll bet."

She smiled. "No, my Lord. I think not."