Semper Fidelis

Chapter 87

It was a subdued pair of passengers who sat in Celer’s cart, waiting for it to set off behind the official transport of the Twentieth Legion. Tilla had heard nothing from her husband since his release. Before that, the only message had been an order to stay away from him. Valens, who knew nothing of the trouble she had caused by trying to help before, had seemed surprised and relieved when she promised to obey.

The news about Sabina had dampened her spirits further. She could not say goodbye, of course, but Tilla had gone to watch her carriage pulling away. The empress had enjoyed one brief moment of glory. Then her man had arrived out of nowhere, banished the people who seemed to be her only friends, and ordered her to accompany him. Tilla could not help thinking that if Hadrian had married a woman of the Corionotatae, she would have put him in his place many years ago, and they would both have been much happier for it.

Or perhaps not. She should have rejoiced when Valens came back with the good news that her husband had been set free, but still there was no message, and the silence grew louder with every moment that passed.

Virana had troubles of her own. She had scrambled down from the cart when Marcus and the other men emerged from the camp, only to return with the news that he was being horrible to her. “He told me to go away.”

“He cannot speak with you when he is on duty.”

“He says he won’t marry me and he only saved me because the Medicus told him to.”

“Oh.”

“Why can’t the Medicus tell him to marry me?”

“Because he can’t! Think of something else to talk about!” As soon as the words were out, Tilla wished she had not spoken them. “I am sorry. But wishing for something will not make it so, and besides, being married to a soldier is not the wonderful life you imagine.”

Virana was still thinking about that when Corinna arrived to say how pleased she and Victor were that the Medicus had been released and everything had worked out so well. “I am sorry for the harsh words I spoke back in Eboracum.”

“They are forgotten,” Tilla assured her.

“And I shall forget that you were cross with me,” put in Virana, pushing herself up to peer ahead. “Is that the nice doctor? Is he coming with us to Deva?”

Tilla said, “‘The nice doctor’?”

“The good-looking one. The one who is getting divorced.”

“Valens? Divorced? Never.”

“He says his wife is always cross with him.”

“His wife is also very rich.”

Virana slumped back into her seat. “So what am I going to do? I was only going to Deva to help you, and now I shall be stuck there and nobody will want me!”

“But you were the one-”

“And my baby will starve and I shall end up being a slave in a whore-house!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” snapped Tilla, remembering too late that that was exactly where she had thought Virana would end up.

“Of course you will not!” Corinna assured her. “The Medicus and his wife would never let that happen. They are good people.” She turned to Tilla. “You will look after Virana, won’t you?”

Tilla sighed. “Virana, I do not know what is waiting for us in Deva. But you can help me until your baby is born. Then you must either go home or find respectable work.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” Virana’s troubles were forgotten. “I know how to work hard. I will fetch the wood and the water and light the fires and cook and clean the house and milk the goats, and I promise I will behave myself, and-”

Tilla stopped listening to the promises the girl would probably break within a week, because she had seen who was riding back along the verge toward them.

She gathered up fistfuls of skirt, leapt down from the cart, and ran toward him. “Husband!”

He leaned down from the horse and held out one hand to seize her own.

“Are you really safe this time?”

“I am,” he assured her, bending to kiss the top of her head.

“What did the emperor say to you?”

He swung down from the horse and they fell respectably into step, a glance the only further sign of affection between officer and wife: nothing to entertain the drivers of the baggage train.

“You’ve heard about Geminus’s suicide?”

She said, “I do not care about him. The important people to remember are the three boys who died.”

He nodded. They walked together in silence. Then he cleared his throat. “There’s something I need to talk to you about. We can stop worrying about Metellus’s wretched list from now on.”

“This is good news, husband!”

“Yes. I was hoping you would see it that way.”

“Why would I not?”

He seemed to be having some trouble with his throat. “The emperor didn’t arrange it in quite the way I was expecting.”

“Do we have to go to Rome?”

“No. Metellus does, but I expect his lists will continue to circulate after he’s gone.”

“Like the lady with the sparrow.”

He said, “You don’t have to learn to read if you don’t want to.”

“I want to. So I will know what it says on the all the labels and you can teach me how to be a medicus.”

“How to be a-”

“And when you go away, I can write and nag you, like Marcia does.” His eyes widened. “Gods above. I saw him twice and completely forgot. She wanted me to ask Hadrian for a job for her husband.”

“She does not need to know that you met him.”

“But how else do I explain why you’re a …” He paused, looking round. “Who is that girl that keeps hanging around? She reminds me of somebody.”

Tilla turned. “Do you not remember Virana?”

“The pregnant tart from Eboracum? But she’s-”

“Wearing something respectable.”

“What’s she doing here?”

Tilla took a deep breath. “There is something I need to explain to you.”

“Yes. There’s something I need to explain to you too.”

Their eyes met. “You first,” she said.