‘Aesculapius keep us from such a fate.’ Atia’s hand beckoned. ‘Step around him.’
Aurelia couldn’t help but look at the leper again. Although she was repulsed by his appearance, she felt a deep pity for him too. To be condemned to a slow, living death – she could think of few things that were worse. ‘Please, Mother. Give him something.’
Atia studied her for a moment; then she sighed and reached for her purse. What difference will a single coin make to our problems? ‘Here.’ A hemidrachm flashed in the air. The leper reached up for it, but was unable to catch it with his ruined hands. The small piece of silver dropped to the dirt, and he scrabbled after it, calling down the blessings of the gods on both of them.
Looking down, Aurelia gaped. He had no toes left on his left foot. Where his right foot had been, there was just a scarred bump of flesh loosely covered with a rag.
‘Come on, child. That will see him fed for a few days at least.’ Atia’s voice was kind.
They walked away, fast. The leper vanished into the crowd.
‘I won’t get his disease, will I?’ Aurelia’s initial fear had returned.
‘With the blessings of the gods, no. He didn’t touch you, and you weren’t close to him for long enough.’ Atia cast a look over her shoulder. ‘The men on the gate must have been half asleep this morning to let a creature like that inside the walls.’ Her nose twitched; fearing that her mother had smelled her perfume, Aurelia took a step away. A moment later, Atia glided on, and Aurelia thanked the gods for a lucky escape.
They stopped first at a potter’s and then at a wine merchant’s premises. There Atia began haggling with the owner over the quality of the most recent wine she had ordered. Aurelia soon grew bored. The earrings and necklaces displayed in the entrance to a jeweller’s shop opposite caught her eye, and she stepped outside to take a closer look. As she did, a short, balding man in a fine Greek chiton brushed against her. He muttered an apology; her mind on the array of trinkets, she took little notice.
The jeweller, a beady-eyed Egyptian, was quick to see Aurelia’s interest. ‘Can I be of service?’
She gave him a smile. ‘I’m just looking.’
‘Please, my shop is yours. Try on anything you like.’
Aurelia sighed. She had no money of her own. She threw a wistful glance at Atia, but there was no point in asking. Her answer would be that the jewellery Aurelia was wearing – a pair of gold pendants decorated with beads of blue glass, and a simple gold ring decorated with a red garnet – was more than adequate. Until her wedding day, her mother would not be purchasing her any more. Sudden mischief took her. The shopkeeper didn’t have to know that she wouldn’t be buying. ‘I like this,’ she announced, pointing to a necklace hung with dozens of small tubular red and black stones.
‘Carnelian and jet, that is,’ said the jeweller. ‘From Parthia. Beautiful, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Want to try it on?’ His hands were already undoing the clasp. ‘It will suit your complexion. Your husband will love it, and it won’t cost him the sun and moon.’
Aurelia didn’t disabuse him. Gaius might like it, she thought. She was about to allow him to place it around her neck when she heard raised voices. Her head turned. Inside the wine merchant’s, she could see the short man who’d bumped into her facing her mother, who looked furious. Her curiosity was roused. ‘Thank you. Maybe another time.’ She walked out, ignoring the protests of the perplexed jeweller.
She crossed the street, weaving her way through the passers-by. A pair of burly men loitering close to the vintner’s eyed her up as she went by. One made a smacking noise with his lips. Used to such attention, Aurelia ignored them.
The wine merchant’s was a typical, open-fronted shop. A long, rectangular room led in from the arched entrance. Oil lamps flickered from alcoves. A painted statue of Bacchus and his maenads watched from a shelf. On either side, lines of amphorae were propped against the wall or nestled in beds of straw, and a low counter where customers could stand to taste the shop’s wines was situated at the back of the room. Atia was ten steps from the doorway, a cup in her hand. The wine merchant stood alongside, looking decidedly embarrassed. The short man stood close to her, his hands raised in apparent placation.
‘All I am saying, my good lady, is that these things need to be talked about,’ he said as Aurelia drew near.
‘This is no place to discuss such matters,’ snapped Atia. ‘How dare you approach me here?’
A shrug. ‘Would you rather I had come to Martialis’ house?’
Atia’s lips pinched white.
‘What’s going on, Mother?’ asked Aurelia.
‘It’s nothing important.’
The short man turned. His brown eyes moved up and down, appraising her lasciviously. Her skin crawled. ‘Ah. This must be your daughter. Aurelia, if I am not mistaken?’
‘Yes. And you are?’
His oiled ringlets moved as he inclined his head. ‘Phanes, moneylender, at your service.’
Aurelia was no less confused, but before she could enquire further, her mother was moving towards the door. ‘Come on,’ said Atia. ‘We’re leaving.’ Aurelia knew better than to argue, and followed.
Phanes moved fast for one so small. In the blink of an eye, he had placed himself in front of Atia. ‘There is still the matter of your husband’s debt. We haven’t discussed it.’
‘Nor shall we!’ snapped Atia. She tried to move past Phanes, but he blocked her way.
Aurelia could not believe her eyes, or her ears.
‘Get out of my way, you low-down piece of Greek filth!’ Atia ordered.
Phanes didn’t move. ‘Lowly I might be, and Greek I certainly am. That doesn’t make the forty thousand drachms that your husband owes me disappear.’
‘You will have your money! You know he is good for it, damn your eyes.’
‘With his breeding and yours, one would think so, but I haven’t seen as much as a drachm for more than a year. A man can’t live on silence and missed payments. He’d starve.’
‘Fabricius is not here. There’s a war on, in case you hadn’t noticed!’
‘No doubt Fabricius is doing us and the Republic proud, but that doesn’t mean he can renege on what he owes. For the first few months last year, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. He had been sent to Iberia with Scipio after all. After my enquiries revealed that he had returned and been ordered to Cisalpine Gaul, I sent him a letter. There was no reply.’
‘He probably never received it. Everything is chaos up there. The damn Gauls kill most of the messengers.’
A sly smile. ‘I sent my message by ship.’
Atia’s composure slipped for a heartbeat. ‘That still doesn’t mean he received it.’
‘True. But when the second and then the third letters went unanswered, I decided it was time to take things up with you. I would have paid you a visit soon, but my sources told me that you were to visit the city this very day. What a perfect opportunity to chat. To find out if you had had word from your husband concerning this matter.’
Atia did not so much as acknowledge Phanes’ comment. She looked at him as if he were a snake. ‘Who told you I was coming to Capua? Martialis would not say a word to anyone that wasn’t a friend.’
Nor would Gaius, thought Aurelia.
Phanes’ smile widened.
‘A slave,’ spat Atia. ‘One of Martialis’ slaves is in your employ.’
‘I have ears all over Capua.’ Phanes’ hands fluttered. ‘I’m a moneylender. Men such as I need to know what people are talking about. Who is worried, who wants to try a new business venture and other titbits like that.’
‘You’re a blood-sucking leech,’ Atia retorted.
Phanes made a tutting noise. ‘Your husband was always far more polite. Especially when he wanted an extension to his loan. It must be the Roman breeding.’
Atia did not deign to answer. ‘Aurelia!’ This time, Phanes made no move to stop her. His head half
turned. ‘Achilles! Smiler!’
The two men whom Aurelia had spotted filled the doorway. They were unarmed, but their expressions were far from friendly. ‘Boss?’ asked the first one, a thug with curving scars that ran from the corners of his lips across both his cheeks.
Aurelia felt sick. That one had to be Smiler. She knew his type; had seen them before. The pair were ex-gladiators, now the Greek’s paid heavies.
‘No one is to leave the shop until I say so,’ announced Phanes.
‘Yes, boss.’ The pair moved to stand shoulder to shoulder, blocking the way to the street. There was a muted squawk from the wine merchant about damage to his goods being a crime before he vanished into the back of the shop.
Atia drew herself up to her full height. ‘What are you going to do? Order these creatures to lay hands on us?’
‘I hope it won’t come to that,’ replied Phanes mildly.
‘You dog! If I scream, people will come in here.’
‘They might, and they might not. If anyone is foolish enough to try, Achilles and Smiler will soon make them see the error of their ways.’
Phanes was right. From her mother’s silence, Aurelia knew that too. Even in daylight, few of Capua’s residents would intervene in a quarrel or a brawl. If blood was shed, the city guards might be called, but otherwise it was a case of dealing with one’s own problems. In a change of heart, she would have given anything for Agesandros to appear, but even he would have had his hands full dealing with two such large, determined-looking men.
‘As they can with anyone, should I give the order.’
‘You dare to threaten us?’ cried Atia.
‘Threat? What threat?’ Phanes’ smile did not reach his eyes. ‘I would merely like to talk about the money owed to me, a considerable sum that I would wager you are fully aware of.’
Atia’s lips tightened, but she did not reply, which told Aurelia that her mother had known of the money owed to Phanes. She must have been avoiding him, Aurelia thought. They had to get out of here, however. She scanned the room for anything that would serve as a weapon, but could see nothing. Panic flared in her chest. They won’t dare harm us, she told herself. Inside, though, she wasn’t so sure. She moved closer to her mother. It was time for solidarity. ‘Why are you detaining us? What do you want?’ Aurelia hoped that he heard the loathing in her words.
If he did, the Greek did not react. ‘The wolf cub speaks at last, and with a more civil tongue than its mother! I ask for an agreement, that’s all.’
‘What kind of agreement?’ demanded Atia.
‘Why, nothing more than I am entitled to. Regular payments towards the monies I am owed.’
‘And if I refuse?’ Atia’s eyes flickered over the heavies. ‘These two get sent in?’
‘Come now. You are a woman of high station. Despite your opinion, I am a civilised man,’ protested Phanes. ‘The courts would have to become involved.’ He locked eyes with Atia.
After a long moment, Atia sighed, and Aurelia knew that the Greek had won. She longed to throw herself at him, nails clawing at his face, but her fear of his men froze her feet to the spot. She listened as her mother said, ‘How often do you wish to be paid?’
‘Every month.’
‘Impossible!’
A predatory look. ‘Two-, or even three-monthly would also be acceptable, but I would have to increase the interest from two drachms in every hundred to four. That of course is in addition to the amounts that have accrued due to the lack of payments over the last year.’
‘You have the paperwork to prove what you say?’
‘Indeed. It is in my office, should you care to see it. Your husband’s signature was witnessed not just by me, but by my clerk.’
Aurelia could feel the helpless rage radiating from her mother. She felt it in her own belly, but if Phanes wasn’t lying – and her gut told her that he wasn’t – then he had them over a barrel. She would have given anything for her father to appear, to make everything right, but there was no hope of that. He was far away, fighting a war, and the gods only knew if he would ever return. Hopelessness mixed with her fear, drowning her anger.
‘Very well.’ Atia sounded older than Aurelia had ever heard her. ‘Where is your office?’
‘In the street that runs behind the courthouse, adjacent to a lawyer’s. You’ll see the sign.’
‘I will visit you there tomorrow morning to discuss . . . terms.’
‘It will be my pleasure.’ Phanes bowed deeply. ‘Achilles, Smiler. Outside, both of you. The lady doesn’t need your ugly faces marring her view of the world any more.’
The knot in Aurelia’s belly eased as the two withdrew. Determined to act as if nothing untoward had happened, as if she were their master instead of the other way around, she followed them. Her breath caught in her throat, however, when Smiler saw her purpose. He cupped a hand over his groin and licked his lips. Achilles snickered. Aurelia acted as if she hadn’t seen – Show them no weakness! They will not dare touch me – and stepped past them into the street. She walked straight into a passer-by. Balance lost, the heavies’ laughter ringing in her ears, Aurelia stumbled backwards with flailing arms.
Strong hands prevented her from falling, brought her back up to a standing position. ‘In a hurry, young lady?’
Aurelia looked into a pair of amused blue eyes. They belonged to a young man with an open face and short hair, dressed in a crisp white toga. He was perhaps a few years older than Quintus, and quite handsome. ‘No. Yes. No,’ she said, feeling a rush of heat as her cheeks coloured.
‘You’re not quite sure.’ He chuckled, but then his gaze fell on Achilles and Smiler. His eyes turned hard. ‘Have these brutes been troubling you?’
Joy filled Aurelia as she saw the trio of strongly built slaves behind him. There was no doubt in her mind that if she said a single word, her rescuer would set his men upon Phanes’. She glanced into the shop. The Greek was watching her, his face closed. The tiny shake of Atia’s head spoke volumes, however. Don’t make things worse than they already are, it said. ‘No. I wasn’t looking where I was going, that’s all. My apologies.’
‘A beautiful young lady has no need to make apologies.’ Finally, he released her arms, and Aurelia coloured even more. ‘My name is Lucius Vibius Melito.’
Atia was by Aurelia’s side before she’d even realised. ‘Atia, wife of Gaius Fabricius. This is my daughter, Aurelia.’
‘Honoured to make your acquaintance.’ He bowed. ‘My compliments on your daughter. She is without doubt the fairest young woman I have seen in Capua. The scent of jasmine she uses is quite . . . captivating.’
Aurelia’s eyes dropped. She was doubly embarrassed: firstly by his compliment, and secondly because there was only one place that she could have obtained the perfume. She would pay for it later.
‘You are too kind,’ Atia purred. ‘I have heard your name before. Doesn’t your family live to the south of Capua?’
‘Yes. My father and I are here visiting friends.’ Lucius’ gaze slid back to Aurelia, causing her to look away again.
‘As we are. Will you be here long?’
‘A couple of weeks at least.’
‘How nice. Perhaps we shall meet again, in the forum?’
‘It would be a pleasure,’ replied Lucius. His smile fell mostly on Aurelia.
‘Until then,’ said Atia. She tapped Aurelia lightly on the arm. ‘Come, daughter. We still have much to do.’
‘Goodbye,’ said Lucius.
‘Goodbye, and thank you,’ Aurelia managed before Atia led her away. She had a last glimpse of Achilles’ and Smiler’s scowls, Phanes’ slight frown and Lucius’ admiring look before the crowd swallowed them up. As she turned back, she found her mother watching her. She cringed inside, expecting a lecture about taking things that weren’t hers. But Atia didn’t mention the jasmine.
‘What a pleasant young man. He’s from a good family. I think one of his grandfathers might have been an aedile. He’s handsome, pol
ite too, and not scared of helping someone in trouble. Didn’t you think?’
‘Yes, I suppose so,’ said Aurelia, hating the colour that gave the lie to her vague answer.
‘There’s no need to play coy with me. Did you like him or not?’
Aurelia looked around, self-conscious. Yet in the throng, no one would hear, or care. ‘He was nice, yes.’
‘So you wouldn’t object to meeting him again?’
Does nothing put her off? Aurelia thought of Gaius, but couldn’t mention him. The last time she had, her mother had said that Martialis wasn’t wealthy enough. It was so unfair! Why could she never do what she wished?
‘Well?’
‘Does Father really owe Phanes forty thousand drachms?’
‘Lower your voice, child.’
Atia looked most discomfited, and Aurelia grew daring. ‘Well, does he?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘The crops have been poor several times in the last few years, you know that. The money from the sale of the grain provides most of our income. If Father hadn’t borrowed from Phanes and . . .’ Atia hesitated for a heartbeat, before continuing, ‘. . . from Phanes—’
Aurelia interrupted, ‘He owes money to more than one moneylender?’
Shame flitted across Atia’s face. ‘It’s none of your concern.’
‘It is if we are to lose the estate. Our house. That’s what will happen if you can’t meet Phanes’ and the others’ demands, isn’t it?’
‘Gods grant me patience. Where do you get this attitude? If we weren’t in public, I would give you a good whipping!’
They glared at each other for a moment.
‘We are in some financial trouble, yes. But it’s nothing that your father and I cannot see through.’
Something in Atia’s tone gave Aurelia insight. ‘That’s it,’ she murmured in shock and anger. ‘That’s why you’ve been so keen to find me a husband, isn’t it? If I marry into a rich, powerful family, then the moneylenders will leave you and Father alone. Melito is just the latest candidate.’
Unusually, Atia could not meet her gaze.
Aurelia’s anger gave her courage. ‘Is that all I am to you? A belonging, to be sold to the highest bidder?’