A Body In The Bath House

LIV

maia was alone with my children. She was furious. I could handle that. She was anxious too.

"Where's everyone?" I meant, where was Helena.

The Camilli and Larius, sensing domestic danger, shuffled off to another room where I could soon hear them trying to repair the damage to their outfits. At least their bruises made them look like men to reckon with.

My sister's mouth was tight with distaste for yet another stupid situation. She told me Hyspale had gone off with her 'friend'; he had turned out to be Blandus, the chief painter. Hyspale must have met him when she was hanging around the artists' habitat, hoping to encounter Larius.

I was disgusted and annoyed. "Blandus should not be entrusted with an unmarried woman- one with limited sense and no experience! Helena allowed that?"

"Helena forbade it," Maia retorted. "Hyspale sneaked off anyway. When none of you men came back for hours, Helena Justina went after her." Of course; she would.

"You couldn't stop her?"

"It's her freed woman She said she couldn't leave Hyspale to her fate."

"I'm surprised you stayed at home," I scoffed at my sister.

"I would have gone to see the fun!" Maia assured me. "But you have two babes in arms, Marcus. Your nurse is a complete wastrel and since their mother has abandoned them, I'm looking after them."

I was making preparations. I called out to the others. There was a water flagon on a tray; I drained it. We had no time to rest. No time to wash off the sweat, blood and smells of the dog kennel. I checked my bootstraps and weapons.

"Where did Hyspale and Blandus go?"

"The Rainbow Trout. Hyspale wanted to see the dancer." To be a woman in the company of the men "Stupenda' aroused would not be clever. Helena would instinctively understand that. Hyspale had no idea. Hyspale had been nothing but trouble to the pair of us, but Helena made up for the other woman's complete absence of feeling for danger. "He'll jump her said Maia bleakly. Nobody needed to tell me that. "And the silly chit will be so surprised."

I'll go. Don't worry."

"With you in charge?" Maia was now positively caustic. I told myself it was a form of relief since I would have to take the blame.

All my sisters liked to disrupt life with a complete turnaround just when plans had been made. "I'm coming too," Maia suddenly declared.

"Maia! As you said just now, there are two small children '

But it seemed one crisis had forced her to speak out over another. The moment was inconvenient but that never stopped Maia. She gripped my arms, her fingers digging through my tunic sleeves. "Ask yourself then, Marcus! If you feel like this about your children, what about mine? Who is looking after mine, Marcus? Where are they? What condition are they in? Are they frightened? Are they in danger? Are they crying for me?"

I forced myself to listen patiently. The truth was, I did find it odd that Petronius Longus had never sent a single word of what the situation was. He must have made arrangements for my sister's children with Ma looking after them, probably. I would have expected a letter, at least one that was heavily coded, if not to Maia then to me.

T don't know what is going on, Maia. I was not in on the plot."

"The children had help," Maia insisted. "Helena Justina." Helena had admitted it. "Petronius Longus." That was obvious. "You too?" Maia demanded.

"No, really. I knew nothing."

It was the truth. Maybe my sister believed it. At any rate, she agreed to take care of my two daughters, and she let me go.

It had been a long afternoon, but a much longer evening lay ahead.