A Roman Ransom

Chapter Eight

To my immense delight, when the crowd of other servants had retired, I looked up to find Junio standing at the door holding a steaming basin in his hands. He came over, grinning, to my side, and put it down.

‘Well, master,’ he said cheerfully. ‘I’m glad to have you to myself at last. I hear that you have brought Marcellinus home — but without his bulla, I believe. That will cost Marcus a cow or two at least!’

I nodded. ‘My patron’s gone to Glevum with the priest to find one now and make a propitiation sacrifice.’

He grinned. ‘And to present a defixio against the kidnappers, so the servants say. He’s going to nail it to the temple doorpost while the chief priest himself stands by. It’s the gossip of the villa, as you might suppose. Everyone is trying to guess what curses he will choose.’

I gave a feeble smile. It made a kind of sense. Marcus was not usually a superstitious man — his religious observances were of the public kind, required of all important magistrates. Drawing down curses was not his general style. But there were always metalworkers outside the temple doors offering to make a defixio for you — a beaten tablet to be nailed up on the wall, consigning your enemies to ruin and calling down the vengeance of the gods — sometimes with appalling details of what you wished to happen to the victim’s vital parts. ‘It will help him vent his feelings, I suppose. He must feel pretty powerless, otherwise.’

Junio grinned. ‘I gather the chief priest himself suggested it — and there’s to be a special blessing prayer for you. Does that not delight you?’ He winked. ‘Of course, you might have preferred a monetary reward, but. .’ He trailed off, but I knew what he meant.

I nodded ruefully. My patron always declined to ‘insult me’, as he said, by offering money for my services — an insult I could easily have borne. However, I was now his guest and I defended him. ‘Marcus has been very good to me — he’s seen to it that I have slaves, and property.’

Junio laughed. ‘Which cost him next to nothing! I think the medicus was genuinely shocked when Cilla told him how she came to you as a reward for something really important that you did! However, if praise is what you want, you must be satisfied. Marcus has told everyone in the household how clever you have been in bringing Marcellinus home again.’

‘That’s another thing that worries me.’ I was happy to be able to confide my doubts. ‘I did nothing. I was simply there, and the child was put into my carrying bed on top of me.’

‘I heard that you’d claimed it was just a lucky chance. The household don’t believe it, on the whole, and I suppose it must sound a bit unlikely if you didn’t know all the facts. But I tried to convince them that you couldn’t possibly have arranged for it — that you have been far too ill to do anything of the kind, and I have been with you all the time. The chief priest seemed to accept my word for it — said that, in that case, you were clearly the instrument of the gods. But Marcus still suspects that you contrived it in some way and is hoping that you’ll do the same for Julia very soon.’

‘Oh, dear gods. And I had no chance to speak to him alone and persuade him otherwise! I’ll have to try again when he comes home.’ I remembered my suspicions of the medicus, and added, ‘I’d like to talk to Marcus about all this in any case, before Philades does.’

Junio made a doubtful face. ‘In that case, master, I’m afraid you’ve lost your chance. The medicus is going to Glevum too — I’ve heard the servants say — though he’s left the strictest orders for your care. However, Marcus has said you can have anything you need — so I thought you might be glad of a restorative. I have one ready that I’ve prepared for you.’ He picked up the still steaming basin from the cabinet and lifted it gently to my lips.

I drew my head back, ready to refuse, but then I caught the scent. It was not, as I had feared, another of the doctor’s brews. It was a bowl of mead, hot and mixed with spice, which my slave had obviously prepared for me himself. It has always been a favourite drink of mine, and today it tasted like the nectar of the gods. I took it from his hands and drained the bowl.

Junio gave me another of his conspiratorial grins. ‘Don’t let Philades see you drinking that. You’re fortunate that he’s allowed you gruel. His patients are usually given oxymel, he says. Nothing but mixed vinegar and honey for days and days if they awake from fever. Apparently he was holding forth about his methods at the feast the other night. But obviously you were progressing well enough to make him change his mind, and you are to be moved on to a light food diet, with hydromel to drink. But I don’t think that he would approve of mead.’

I had already made a mental resolution not to swallow anything further that the doctor made for me, unless it had been tested by a poison-taster first. Marcus had promised me one, after all. However, I did not say that to Junio. He would have volunteered his services at once — and his life was as precious to me as my own.

‘Hydromel is not too bad,’ I said. ‘Honey and water mixtures I can stand. But a light food diet!’ I feigned a playful groan. ‘Snails, green vegetables and vinegar? How could anyone get well on that?’

Junio took the bowl away and laughed. ‘Well, you can have some fruit and seafood too. That’s what Celsus recommends, apparently, and Philades is a follower of his. He’s got all his prescriptions written in a scroll and he has been into the kitchens to instruct the cooks. But there is a long list of forbidden foods, I fear. No cheese, bread, poultry, meat or roots until you are safely on the mend.’

I looked at Junio. I wondered about voicing my uneasiness to him. ‘I don’t altogether trust that medicus,’ I said.

Junio clearly thought I was referring to the food. ‘I’m not surprised. I know that you hate snails. But don’t despair. There are other recommended remedies which he has in store as well, some of them a bit more interesting. He is talking about visits to the steam room here, when you are well enough. Marcus has the bath-house furnace stoked in readiness. To cleanse the blood, apparently. And even carriage rides are good, it seems. I heard him telling Marcus that it’s “passive exercise”. A little rocking will improve your health, he said, that’s why he decided to put you on the cart this afternoon and give you a little outing through the fields.’

I felt that stirring of alarm again. I had intended to complain to my patron about that uncomfortable ride, but clever Philades had got ahead of me. Of course, it was still possible that what he said was true — even I had heard of ‘rocking therapy’ — but earlier that very day he’d been concerned that I should avoid the jolt of carriages in my weakened state. I did not think he’d simply changed his mind. However, I did not wish to cause Junio alarm.

‘Well, I hope there are not too many treatments of that sort,’ I muttered. ‘That journey almost killed me. I confess that I prefer your remedy.’ I gestured to the bowl. ‘That mead has done me good. I feel stronger than I’ve done for days. And more clear-headed too. Though I don’t think our physician would much approve of it.’

Junio gave me a look of wide-eyed innocence. ‘There was no mention of spiced mead on his forbidden list, so I did as I thought fit and made you some.’ He winked at me. ‘He didn’t mention oatcakes either, I recall. Not specifically. So if I should happen to find one in my pouch. .’ He produced one, as he spoke, and handed it to me with a grin. ‘The one you had before has clearly done no harm, and I know how much you like them. Indeed, I think my mistress plans to bring some when she comes — she says that Roman kitchens never make them properly.’

The oatcake was delicious, if a little crushed. I relished every crumb. ‘Thank you, Junio.’

He smoothed my pillows, took the bowl and moved towards the door. ‘I’m glad I pleased you, master. However, I am told that now I must go away and let you rest. I’ll wait outside the door. Unless there’s some further service that you’d like me to perform?’

There was. The hot mead did seem to have revived my brain. I pulled myself a little more upright. ‘In fact, Junio, there is something you can do,’ I said, dropping my voice so we could not be heard. I know, from my own experience, how whispers travel in a house full of slaves. ‘If you can find any of the household slaves who saw Julia and the child that afternoon, before they disappeared, I would like to have a word with them as soon as possible.’

He shook his head. ‘Marcus has left instructions that you’re not to be disturbed. And he has already questioned all the slaves himself.’

‘I know,’ I said. ‘And he discovered nothing. But that does not mean that there is nothing to be learned.’ I glanced at the doorway to ensure that we were not being overheard. ‘I am sure that someone inside the villa is involved in this affair.’

Junio looked horrified. ‘Someone inside the villa! Not just a trusted visitor? Dear gods!’ He came back to me and gazed into my face. ‘I know you, master. It is more than that. You are thinking of someone in particular. Whom do you suspect?’

He spoke too loudly, and I shook my head. If there were any listeners in the court they would be straining now to capture every word — and in any household there are always spies. Besides, I still had no proof at all against the medicus — and naming him might do more harm than good. I decided I would try another ploy: laying the facts before my slave and seeing if he would come up with the same conclusion for himself. He has been following my methods for a long time now, and prides himself upon his reasoning.

‘I believe that someone knew our plans today.’ Quickly, I outlined my thoughts about the blockage on the road, and the way the child had been returned to us.

‘Too convenient to be an accident?’ Junio nodded. ‘You know, exactly the same thought occurred to me — and to the doctor, too. He said as much to Marcus. That’s why His Excellence is half convinced that you arranged this with the kidnappers.’

‘Which you know that I did not.’ I looked at him.

‘Of course not. .’ He broke off. ‘Great Minerva! But I do see what you mean. If you didn’t tell the kidnappers, who did? Only our household and the villa staff had any notion that you were coming here — and even that was not until today. So it must be someone in this house. That would fit with what we thought before.’ He paused and shook his head. ‘But what have any of them to do with Lallius?’

I had not even thought of that myself. I’d been so caught up with thoughts of Philades I had quite forgotten the coin official’s son. ‘A shrewd question, Junio,’ I said.

He flushed with pleasure. ‘And another thing. Why did the kidnappers change their minds like that, about returning Julia and the child tonight? They’d already left instructions about the gate. Why stick the boy into your litter, anyway?’ He frowned. ‘Maybe the child was crying and proving difficult to hide and they were eager to get rid of it, do you think?’

‘It’s possible. They gave him poppy juice to keep him quiet.’

‘Well, in any case it doesn’t matter now. He’s been returned to us unharmed, and Julia is likely to be free tonight as well. Then all we shall have to do is catch the kidnappers.’

I shook my head. ‘I wish it was as easy as you say. I’ve always thought she wouldn’t be released — not without further payment, anyway.’ I paused. ‘Perhaps not even then.’

He caught his breath. ‘You think it’s possible? Even now that the child has been returned?’

‘Julia was always under greatest threat. You work it out. Marcellinus hasn’t learned to talk, so it’s obviously safe to let him go. But Julia. .’

That seemed to startle Junio. ‘Great Jupiter, that’s true. You said before it would be dangerous for them to set her free. And she’s a clever lady. She will have worked that out. She must be terrified, especially now she’s been separated from the child.’

There was a silence. I think both of us were fearing that Julia might be already dead.

Then Junio spoke again. ‘So it looks as if someone in the household has been involved in this — by passing information to the kidnappers? It might have been by accident, of course. She was very much beloved.’

‘You see why it is necessary for me to talk to Julia’s slaves?’

Junio nodded. ‘Of course. I’ll see what I can do to find those girls and you can question them as soon as you have slept. Though, master, I’m afraid that you will have to wait till then. Marcus has left the strictest instructions with the staff that no one but myself is to come into your room till he gets back. His servants will not disobey his explicit command, and we can’t expect them to.’

‘So this room is out of bounds to everyone? No doubt the medicus suggested that as well?’

Junio laughed. ‘Well, something clearly needed to be done. The slaves were all crowding round the door when you arrived, all buzzing to hear your story for themselves, till Marcus barked at them to keep away. They tried to ask me questions in the kitchen, when I went to get your mead, but of course I didn’t tell them anything — I didn’t know exactly what had happened anyway. I’m sure they’d all love to talk to you, but just for now they can’t. However, I’ll see what I can do. I might even try to win their confidence and have a word with them myself.’

And before I could summon the effort to protest, he’d tiptoed from the room.

It was irksome to be lying helplessly in bed, unable to do anything to solve this mystery; and it was worrying to know that I was in the doctor’s hands. I have rarely felt so powerless and so trapped.

I controlled my panic. Philades had gone to Glevum, so I was safe for now. I was still struggling with the effects of my previous sleeping draught and that jolting journey had exhausted me, so — even without the doctor’s suspect bowl of herbs — I was already drifting into sleep. I tried to fight it, but the bed was luxurious and warm. I felt my eyelids close.

When I opened them again it was to realise that it was already getting dark and someone had lit an oil lamp in the room.