So one of Titus’s targets had slipped through the net. Standing up she wandered back to stare down into the waters of the fountain again. She was beginning to understand her persecutor now. Who would be next, she wondered sadly.
It would not be long before she found out.
Jess lay back in the comfortable cushioned chair, staring up at the sky. It was evening now. She could smell the kitchens of Rome firing up, readying to prepare the evening meals of three million people. She gave a wry smile. She had never felt less like eating. She wanted to ring someone. Steph. Kim. And Will. How was Will and where was he? But Carmella was right. She mustn’t do it. She mustn’t even think about it. Dan and Titus were marauding the streets out there somewhere, somehow plugged into her every thought.
Titus had taught Dan to listen. Not with his ears, but with his inner senses. It was something he had never done before and it astounded him: the sheer amount of ‘stuff’ there was out there, waiting to be heard. Of course he wasn’t a fool. He knew what had happened. And when. Parked up on the edge of the field near Ty Bran. He had climbed into the car, empty. Afraid. Not knowing what to do, knowing only that he had blown everything – his career, his marriage, his future. Then, unexpectedly, suddenly, he had sensed that other person there, next to him. He had been afraid, terrified, but he hadn’t fought it. What had he to lose?
He was sitting now on the rim of the fountain below the Spanish Steps, watching the world go by as it grew dark. She was nearby, he could feel her. Something was changing. It was almost as if he didn’t have to follow her any more. He just knew. He smiled. He wasn’t sure what Titus intended but it didn’t matter. He would know when the time came what he had to do. He closed his eyes. In the meantime he had, he was sure, covered all the eventualities. Will was a spent force. Weak. Maybe he should have despatched him while he had the chance, putting him out of his misery like a broken animal, but maybe better this way to add to the confusion. Nat, her friends, the headmaster, even that weirdo opera singer were all in the picture now. They all knew about her ‘breakdown’. No one would listen to her; she had nowhere to go. If in the end she decided to cut her losses and end it all, who would be surprised? He smiled to himself. No sweat. If he wasn’t so comfortable watching the crowds he might get up and go and check into some small hotel; enjoy his last few days in Rome. After all, it couldn’t be long now. He felt Titus stir, somewhere there inside his own head. An uncomfortable presence, living off him, draining his energy, but it was something he was prepared to put up with for now. For now they could help each other.
21
Will directed the taxi along the street towards the palazzo and then got the man to drop him off on the corner. It was late, but he could see there were lights on in the apartment windows. He glanced both ways down the street and loped across to push the intercom. ‘Kim? It’s me. Can I come in?’
‘So, how are you?’ Kim drew him inside.
‘OK. He must have hit me on the head and then slipped me some sort of Mickey Finn. It left me with a foul headache.’
‘The bastard! I thought you were going back to London?’ Kim and Steph had been sitting in the half dark, the windows open onto the courtyard.
‘I was, but I thought better of it.’ Will’s lips tightened. ‘Dan is going to need dealing with. Is Jess safely away?’
Kim and Steph glanced at each other. ‘We had a plan, but she blew it. Rhodri was supposed to get her away from his hotel, but Dan found them. He must have followed her from here. It is all right. She is safe with Carmella. We don’t know where Dan went.’
‘Shit!’
Kim produced a bottle of wine. She fetched three glasses. ‘Jess is her own worst enemy. She keeps going off on her own. She doesn’t trust us. I don’t think she trusts anyone.’
Will banged his glass down on the table. A little wine slopped onto the surface of the wood and stood, a small pool in the darkness.
‘What about Rhodri?’
Kim grinned. ‘Rhodri is scouring Rome for Dan as we speak. The trouble is no one has any idea where to look.’ She had found a paper napkin and was dabbing at the spilled wine.
‘So where do we go from here?’
‘We can’t just wait. We have to do something.’ Will stood up restlessly. He went to stare down out of the window. ‘That’s where I saw Dan. Down there in the garden.’
‘Well, he’s not there now. I’ve had the locks changed!’ Kim said crisply. ‘Jacopo has had the telling off from hell. He’s lucky to have kept his job.’
‘Not his fault,’ Will commented. ‘He was out of his league. As we all were.’ He took a thoughtful sip from his glass, still looking out into the dark ‘It’s this damn obsession of hers. It’s not rational. Supposing she goes off into one of her daydreams and never wakes up?’
Steph moved away restlessly. ‘We must do something. We have to persuade Jess to leave.’
Kim walked over and put her hand on Steph’s shoulder. ‘But how?’
Titus and Lucius were off duty, wearing togas, strolling towards the Senate to hear the debate. They were also engaged in deep conversation.
‘I’ve put word about,’ Lucius murmured. ‘As you suggested. I don’t think there is any doubt that the whole family are Christians.’ He sighed. ‘Pity. I rather liked the look of Antonia. And she would come with a first-rate dowry. But if she has befriended our princess she will have to go.’ He gave an uncomfortable laugh. ‘It’s not easy always to find a way to incriminate people, though. Christianity is not in itself illegal.’
‘All the more reason to make sure our Emperor becomes more and more suspicious of it. I grant you he’s not interested in politics. He prefers his music and plays and orgies in the palace, but we need only sow seeds.’ Titus grinned. ‘The mush he calls his brain is fertile ground for seeds!’
The two men roared with laughter. Titus glanced across at his friend. He had a good instinct for weakening resolve. ‘It seems unfair for me to plan my own delicious dalliance with the princess and leave you out. Why don’t we give you the gentle Antonia? It would be unkind to send her to the wild beasts as a virgin. What a waste!’
Lucius frowned. ‘I’m not sure I like this, Titus.’
‘Oh, you will like it, believe me.’ Titus slapped him on the shoulder. ‘And I have far richer plans for you, my friend, when it comes to the matrimonial stakes. You needn’t worry about that. Do this for me, and I shall see you rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.’
It was so easy when men were short of cash. Lucius had already spent his allowance. Titus had made it his business to find out which moneylender he went to and how often he had written to his mother to beg for extra funds. His father had long ago stopped responding to his son’s desperate pleas for loans, refusing even to read the letters carried back to the estate by a succession of winsome slaves chosen by Lucius in the hope they would tempt his father to look favourably on him.
‘I think we should start to plan more urgently,’ Titus went on. ‘I’d hate to hear that either lady had been snatched from under our noses by prospective suitors. They are already suspicious. Maybe it was a mistake to take Melinus. But I want Eigon isolated. I want her to feel the fear.’ His face hardened. ‘Right. Antonia must wait her turn. Our next target is Julia Pomponia. No one can call her a Christian, so that won’t work. I think she just needs to disappear. Any ideas?’
Lucius shook his head.
‘An accident, I think. Plain and simple. The girl is out of control anyway. She’s pretty,’ he paused reflectively, ‘but she’s greedy and stupid. She can be lured by gold bangles and earrings. I’ll see to that. You don’t need to get involved with this part of the plan.’ He glanced ahead at the Senate building. ‘Are you still coming? It is always worth hearing Seneca. Then we can go on to the baths.’
‘Flavius!’ Jess heard herself scream. ‘Flavius, Aelius, you have to guard her! Eigon, tell Julia to be careful …’
She stared round frantically into the luminous darkness. Only the pelargoniu
ms and bougainvillea on Carmella’s roof terrace heard her warning. Climbing up out of the chair she went to lean over the railing, looking down at the lights far below. She found she was trembling. The streets were still crowded, cars threading their way slowly between pedestrians, the sound of music reaching her from the bistro further up the narrow street, tables and noise and the flavours of the menu overflowing onto the street and drifting up towards her. She was shivering and there were tears on her cheeks. She brushed them away impatiently. The dream had gone and there was nothing she could do. In the depths of the flat the door buzzer rang. She spun round and stared at the entry phone, her heart thudding. There was a long pause then it rang again. She held her breath. She was safe. No one could get in. But the sharp noise of the buzzer had spoiled her sense of calm safety. She was agitated again. Her head was aching. She needed Eigon. She wanted Eigon’s cooling hands on her brow, a poultice of green herbs, the gentle patter of water from the fountain in the atrium, the peace of a gentle healing darkness.
‘Eigon? Where are you? I’m leaving now. Are you sure you don’t want to come?’ Julia was standing near the door, her best stole around her shoulders. ‘I’ve ordered the litter. They could carry us both.’
Eigon shook her head and smiled. ‘Not this time. I have someone in the side room. A woman with a hangover.’ She turned and glanced at the retching woman. There was a black bruise on the side of her head.
Julia grimaced. ‘Rather you than me!’ She turned away and headed out into the sunlight, scowling. Flavius was supposed to be coming with her but at the last moment he had been called back by his father. She’d furiously told him not to obey, and he had hesitated, torn between his duty to his father and his desire to protect her. But duty had won. ‘Wait for me, Julia! I won’t be long,’ he had shouted before he disappeared into the house.
‘He will,’ one of the slaves had commented with a laugh. ‘Aelius is fed up with Flavius jaunting off to the shops with you. You can kiss goodbye to the trip if you wait for him.’
Julia raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that so? Then we’ll go without him. I shall be perfectly safe with you. You know where we’re going.’ To the silk vendor, then on to her favourite sandal shop and then on to her aunt’s to exchange gossip over a carafe of grape juice with some of her friends. Climbing into the litter she pulled the curtains against the dust and sat back on the cushions with a little sigh of pleasure. It was quite exciting to be on her own for once. An adventure. If she was honest she was beginning to tire of Flavius’s doe-eyed devotion. And Pomponia Graecina had pointed out more than once that at her age Julia should be thinking more in terms of a good marriage than dalliance with the son of a freedman. She closed her eyes thoughtfully. She had always known that Flavius was not for her. Not on any longterm basis, but he was useful. A compliant escort who denied her nothing. All right, so the money for her gifts was always hers, but that meant she always got what she wanted. She smiled to herself. If she had been a cat she would have purred.
When the litter lurched to a halt she didn’t react. Her daydreams were too pleasant. She felt the chair descend with a jolt and at last she sat up and pulled back the curtain. A pair of bright eyes were staring in at her. They belonged to an exceedingly handsome man. ‘Greetings, lady Julia!’ He saluted. ‘I have been sent by a friend of yours to bring you to his house. He has a goldsmith there he is sure you would like to meet.’
She saw the worried face of the senior slave. She saw the two front littermen look at each other in concern. Then she glanced back at the green-eyed god who had waved the litter down. ‘Just give the order and your litter can follow me.’ He was rich, she noted, accustomed to spotting the detail of people’s clothing. The neat stitching, the finely wrought pins and buckles, the expensive barbering, the heavy signet ring, the accoutrements of his horse. Even the horse itself.
‘All right. Why not.’ She gave him a flirtatious smile. ‘It would be rude to refuse.’
‘NO!’ Jess was screaming inside her head, but no sound emerged. She was powerless to intervene.
The slaves carrying the litter had followed the man up a long avenue of pines and round the back of an old house. It appeared to be closed up. The windows were shuttered and there was no sign of anyone there.
Julia leaned forward and peered out in excitement. She frowned. It was a nice enough house, but not quite the huge place she had expected. And where were the slaves, the grooms, the chariot and litters which she would expect in a rich man’s villa? The slaves put the litter on the ground near the door.
The young man swung down from his horse. ‘Take the litter back to your master’s house. The lady Julia won’t be requiring it again. I shall bring her back on my horse later.’ Money changed hands then he pulled back the curtain and handed her out. ‘This way.’ He smiled at her warmly enough, but there was something in his eyes which gave her pause. She glanced round. ‘There’s no one here.’
‘There is.’ He waved towards the stables. ‘The horses are inside out of the sun. This way. You’ll see.’
She followed him up the steps. The door opened easily and she stepped in behind him with only the smallest of misgivings.
Jess groaned. ‘Don’t go. Don’t trust him. Please!’
Julia screamed. She stared at the two men and turned to run, but they came after her so easily, catching her, stripping her naked and tying her to the bedframe in the shadowed empty house. ‘There you are, Lucius. A delicious gift.’ Titus laughed. ‘More beautiful than I had imagined.’
The two men had not bothered even to wear masks. She gazed up at them in terror. ‘Please don’t hurt me. Do whatever you want. Please –’
‘We intend to do whatever we want, sweetheart, have no fear on that score.’ Titus smiled down at her coldly. ‘Shall I leave you, Lucius? Or do you prefer an audience?’
‘Leave me.’ Lucius was pulling at his clothes, excited beyond endurance in spite of his qualms.
When he had finished, Julia was sobbing quietly, her struggles over. It had not been so bad. He had been quite considerate and it was not as though it was the first time. Flavius had been the first. She opened her eyes and smiled up at the tall young man with his lean, athletic body, who was lying exhausted on top of her.
‘That was nice after all.’ She paused. ‘Please, let me go now. I won’t tell anyone.’
She turned her head slightly at the sound of footsteps nearby and paled. The other man, Titus, had appeared.
‘My turn now, I think.’
Lucius climbed off the bed and bent to gather up his clothes. ‘Don’t hurt her, Titus.’
Titus laughed. ‘Of course not.’
Lucius heard her screams from the courtyard where he had gone to sit near the horses. He put his hands over his ears. He had not liked this plan from the start. It was vicious and cruel and deeply sadistic. Climbing to his feet he went over to his horse which was moving uneasily at the end of its halter and he patted its nose, murmuring reassuringly in its ear.
The screams behind him reached a new, terrifying intensity, then abruptly they stopped. The silence, reverberating in the hot shadows beneath the pines and ilex which shaded the stable block was almost worse than the agonised noise. He bit his lip and turned towards the house, frowning. Perhaps Titus had relented.
It was several minutes before Titus appeared. He was fully dressed and his face was pale. There was blood on his hands. ‘It is done,’ he said. He walked over to the well and began to pull up a bucket of water. ‘Go, Lucius, if you haven’t the stomach for the next bit. I’ll see you back at the barracks.’
Lucius closed his eyes. For a moment his stomach lurched, then he was in control again. Untying his horse’s rein he led it out into the sunshine and vaulted into the saddle.
‘No! No, Julia!’
Jess moved her head from side to side uneasily. She stared round, dazed. She was lying on the sofa in Carmella’s sitting room, wearing Carmella’s black and scarlet dressing gown. In the corner the TV was o
n quietly. A half-empty glass of wine was sitting on the table near her. The curtains were still closed. She groaned and sat up. Her head was spinning. She didn’t remember drinking anything, or turning on the TV. She frowned. When had she got undressed? What time was it? She staggered into Carmella’s kitchen and with shaking hands reached into the fridge for a jar of coffee beans. She had to concentrate. Drawing back the curtains she took the mug of black coffee out into the blazing sunshine on the roof terrace. Her hands were still shaking.
‘Jess?’ Carmella’s voice woke her from her reverie about twenty minutes later. She appeared at the terrace window. ‘I thought I smelled coffee. Wait, I will get myself some.’
Only when they were sitting down did Carmella look at her closely. ‘Jess, what happened?’
There was a long silence after Jess finished talking. Carmella leaned forward, elbows on knees, staring at her intently. At last she shook her head reproachfully. ‘You have forgotten already what I told you, Jess, about protecting yourself,’ she said gently. She stood up and went inside, reappearing almost at once with her cards. She dealt six onto the low table and paused. ‘I am asking here about Dan.’ She sighed as one by one she turned up the cards. She hesitated. Was she there, the unknown watcher? She couldn’t sense her presence. Not yet. ‘We have here two men. Dan and this Titus. They are linked so closely like this,’ she crossed her fingers, ‘that they can read each other’s minds. Both of them are losing their grip on reality.’ She glanced up. ‘If Titus can find you, Jess, I am afraid that perhaps so can Dan. They are both such dangerous men.’ Carmella stared down at the cards and shook her head. She was conscious of her now, the enigmatic smile. The overview from faraway. Watching. She stood up. ‘I am going to ring Steph. You should have your friends around you and we need to think what to do.’
‘Wait!’ Jess leaned forward and caught her sleeve. ‘You’ve seen something else. Tell me what.’
‘No more than you already know, Jess. You are in danger. I think Dan on his own might be content to try and ruin your reputation and then threaten you. With Titus in his head he is not responsible for his actions. Something happened to him and Titus on your Welsh hillside. It has forged a link which is growing stronger and stronger. And now Titus has blood on his hands.’ She shook her head. ‘My grandmama told me, when I was learning the cards, that there was something no one should ever, ever do and that is warn of a coming death. It is not for us to foretell the death of someone. The cards cannot do that. At least –’ She paused. ‘Even now, they cannot say for sure, but they warn me. They are afraid and they are telling me that you are in mortal danger.’ She leaned forward and stroked her finger over them gently. ‘We cannot ignore them, Jess. But I do not know how to advise you. I don’t know how to keep you safe.’ She straightened. ‘So, I go and ring Kim, yes?’