Rubicon

by Linda Coleman

  After Vitruvius had gone, Melissa told Rebecca what was going on. She ate quickly and thought about what had happened. She was still surprised that they were not dead and wished there were some way to let Anthony Marcus know they were alive and well, knowing he would be beside himself with worry by now. Her thoughts turned to the confused conversation she had with Victor. Did he know what had happened? Was that what he was trying to tell her after she and Anthony had argued the day before? She sat spinning the engagement ring around on her finger, thinking how loose it had become in the cold January air, when the realisation hit her. The ring! It all came flooding back to her as if she could hear Victor saying the words there and then. She needed to send Anthony a message he would understand only when it was too late.

  She turned to Rebecca “Find me something to dig with,” she said.

  “Are we escaping?” Rebecca replied.

  Again, Rebecca’s stupidity amazed Melissa, but there was no time to get into a discussion. “No, but we are leaving a clue that our Anthony will understand,” she said and picked up one of the cups from the basket. She removed her watch and ring, placing them in the bottom. Rebecca handed her the other cup. It was the only other item of use. Melissa smashed it and began to use the pieces to scrape at the hard ground just as Vitruvius came back in the tent. He looked down at the two of them in horror.

  “What do you think you are doing?” he said.

  Melissa looked up at him in desperation. No doubt he would tell Mark Antony, whether she explained her actions or not. She had no idea whether he could be trusted, but she needed his help.

  “I promise you I am not trying to escape. I will never try to run from you so long as we are in your charge,” she said pleadingly, “but I promised my people I would leave them a sign that we were safe. Look. I only want to leave these worthless items in this cup and bury it for them to find. I need to show them we are alive and in charge of our own destinies. They must know we have not been taken as slaves.”

  “How can you be sure they will find it if you bury it here?” Vitruvius did not understand how burying a cup would be seen as an indication of safety.

  “Antony told you, I can see the future and so can others in my tribe. They will know to find this cup on the third day of a month called August. It is not a month in your calendar, but it is in ours. Please help us. If not for me then do it for her.” Melissa had noticed the way Vitruvius looked at Rebecca. She put her hand gently on his arm and pointed at the other woman.

  Vitruvius was unsure what to do. Antony had told him not to trust these women, but he sensed no deception from them. It seemed a harmless enough request, and there was no time to check with Antony, who would be busy with his other duties.

  The younger woman smiled at him. She was so beautiful, even with a bruised face. It felt as if Venus herself was asking for his help. He could not deny such a beauty anything, and he made a decision that he knew he would most probably live to regret.

  “Give it to me. You will take too long if you do it yourself,” he said, pulling a dagger from his belt. He dropped to his knees and began to dig a hole. As he did, Melissa rammed as much of the loose dirt into the cup as she could until it was full. Then she placed the cup in the hole and watched it disappear as Vitruvius covered it with dirt.

  Chapter 10

  Present Day

  Anthony Marcus sat on the end of his bed. He was shattered both physically from the exertions of the morning and emotionally from the unbelievable tale Victor had subsequently recounted. It seemed Melissa had gone to the river that morning, become lost in the mist and ended up in Caesar’s encampment two thousand years ago.

  It was a ridiculous idea. Anthony’s head was telling him that either Victor had lost his mind, or he was hallucinating as a result of the drugs he was taking. That was the more logical explanation, and yet Anthony had not rung the police. For some reason a part of him did believe Victor. As absurd as the old man’s words were, something was telling Anthony that it did make sense. For a start there was the odd chill he had experienced at the river, giving him that feeling of déjà vu. The more he sat and thought about it, the more he knew he had seen a woman being taken into the mist from that very place once before. He was very small at the time, but he felt certain the woman was someone important to him, possibly his aunt, and that a man had come and dragged her away into the mist. She had never been found, although Anthony had no recollection of Victor making too much of an effort. Perhaps it had happened before, or perhaps he too was losing his mind.

  If it were true it also explained how Melissa’s wristwatch and ring could get into an undisturbed layer of soil. Victor insisted that Melissa was the one who put them there as a message to Anthony that she was alive and safe, at least to begin with. He felt so guilty for ever having doubted her and wished that Victor had explained things properly the day before, because then perhaps he could have prevented this from happening. Of course he knew that if Victor had tried to explain, he would probably have thought the old man had gone completely mad.

  It was all too much for Anthony to cope with. His muscles still ached and he needed to relax them. He headed into the shower, turning the heat up and letting the jets of water massage the pain away. Tears filled his eyes and ran down his face, mixing with the water running over his head. No one could see him cry in there, not that he cared if anyone could. All he cared about was Melissa and whether she was truly safe. Victor said she would be fine, but seemed unwilling to give any more details than that. Anthony was less sure. Ancient Rome was a far more violent place than the worst parts of any modern city and no matter how extensive her historical knowledge was, he could not see how Melissa could avoid becoming the victim of a couple of thousand soldiers and their rampant sexual urges. He closed his eyes, trying to suppress his terrible thoughts of what torments she could be going through. He told himself that whatever did happen was not her fault, and that he could deal with any trauma that she had suffered if she could only find her way back home. Wherever Melissa was, Anthony could do nothing to help her. He could only wait, and pray that she would survive.

  Getting out of the shower, he experienced a sudden pang of guilt. All this time he had never once thought of Rebecca. She was there too, and in far more danger, as she had neither Melissa’s language skills nor her historical knowledge of the period. The fact that she was younger would make her a more desirable target for the sex-starved legionaries in Caesar’s army. If the women were still together perhaps Melissa could keep them both safe, but if they had been separated, Rebecca stood little chance. She was as good as dead if she was on her own. The thought upset Anthony, but not in the same way that Melissa’s loss was affecting him. He was disgusted at himself for putting one person’s life above that of another, but that did not change the pain he felt.

  Anthony wrapped a towel around his waist and turned to the sink. As he looked above it, his eyes fell on a word written on the mirror. As the realisation of its meaning hit him, he began to shake and had to grip the edge of the sink to stop his legs from giving way. He was totally overwhelmed by the sudden onset of grief that overtook him at the sight of that solitary word. Tears flooded freely from his eyes once again. He lowered himself to the floor and sat howling in agony at the painful thoughts that were again filling his mind.

  The writing on the glass began to fade as the steam in the room dissipated. It was the simplest answer to the question Anthony had inadvertently put to Melissa in the midst of their passions. He had asked her to marry him and he knew that this was her answer.

  It was the word ‘Yes’.

  Chapter 11

  49 B.C.

  Mark Antony broke camp with three cohorts of soldiers and moved towards Arretium, taking Melissa and Rebecca with him. The town was surrounded quickly and Melissa fully expected Antony to send envoys to discuss terms, but he did not. Antony led from the front in battle and, it appeared, in negotiations. He walked through the town gates alone and unarmed to sue for
peace. He gave a speech to the townspeople with no rehearsal, explaining Caesar’s motivation for entering Italy under arms and laying out his peaceful intentions to restore order. Soon the townsfolk were welcoming Antony as their liberator. It made Melissa remember another time when she knew Antony would walk alone into a hostile army camp and convince the soldiers to abandon their general and come across to his side. His courage was outstanding and Melissa could not help but admire the conviction he had in his own abilities. Once Arretium was taken, Antony headed south to rendezvous with the main army at Corfinium.

  In the first few days, Vitruvius’ skills were frequently tested. Some of the men were prepared to chance their luck regardless of who they were up against. He had to forcibly remove two men who had undone the pegs at the rear of the tent and slipped in. Initially, Antony seemed amused by the goings on, but even he was tested one night and was forced to come to Rebecca’s aid. True to his word, he had the man flogged in front of the other soldiers as a warning of what they would all suffer if any man were to try anything further. The attacks quickly stopped.

  Despite her initial concerns about his proximity, Antony managed to surprise Melissa on a daily basis. The first few days were difficult: Antony was not used to sharing his quarters with two women, let alone two women who were not there purely for his amusement. He slept naked and would wander into the women’s side of the tent in the mornings without dressing. Rebecca would stare at his muscular body, which was even more toned than Anthony Marcus’, her wishes evident from the look on her face. Even Melissa found it hard not to be impressed by his naked form, though she would do her best to look away. It took a while to set some ground rules around what was appropriate in terms of both conversation and behaviour, but as the days rolled into weeks the situation gradually improved.

  Antony got into the habit of eating with Melissa and Rebecca every evening, before going out to fraternise with his men. This had nothing to do with him wishing to play the consummate host, but gave him his best opportunity to interrogate Melissa. He would ask her variations of the same questions day after day, trying to catch her out. Melissa was always very careful in her responses. She had decided at the very start to keep as close to the truth about her real life as was possible. That way, it was easier to keep to the same story and not have to worry about any lies that she may have previously told. The major exception was Anthony Marcus, whom she was careful to never mention.

  Over time, Antony seemed to tire of the interrogations and instead began to engage her in debates about philosophy and politics. Melissa would ask him to tell her about his past escapades. After all, she was stuck in what she considered to be one of the most interesting periods of Roman history, so why not find out as much as she could from someone who actually lived through it?

  The more Melissa flattered him, the more Antony was willing to talk and she began to see a different side to the man on whom her safety depended. He was not the mindless drunk that Cicero would later portray. He was intelligent, charming, witty and considerate, even generous when the occasion suited him to be. He was a man who demanded loyalty, but won

  it with ease. His men loved him and Melissa honestly believed they would follow him into the depths of hell if he asked them to. It made her wonder why his life would fall apart so spectacularly in the years that followed Caesar’s death. Still, she knew she might yet find out, if she was lucky enough to live that long.

  Antony was far from perfect. He displayed a vicious temper that frightened Melissa. He drank far too much and gambled excessively whenever the chance arose. In many ways Melissa found she could draw far more similarities than just looks between the man she was now living with and the man she loved and had left behind in her own time. It made it harder not to like this Antony, faults and all, but, as she kept reminding herself, he would kill her without question if it served his purpose to do so.

  Vitruvius was a harder nut to crack. He appeared the type of man who liked to follow orders and tried hard to avoid speaking to Melissa at all, but he did have one weakness and that was Rebecca. Despite his attempts to appear non-committal in his attitude towards either woman, he would do anything for the girl. Melissa spotted this and used it from the very first day. After they made camp on the first night, he had brought a poultice for Rebecca’s cheek and an extra blanket to keep her warm. From that moment, Melissa encouraged Rebecca to use his feelings for her to get them things they needed like extra water rations and some more appropriate winter clothing. Despite the language barrier, Rebecca knew exactly how to use her natural talents to best advantage. It appeared she had a use after all.

  Melissa tried to teach Rebecca as much Latin as she thought was needed to get by. She could not guarantee to be around every minute and Rebecca would have to start learning to help herself. Unsurprisingly, Rebecca turned out to be hopeless at learning anything more than the basics of the language and Melissa soon found it was easier to leave her to point at things and let Vitruvius work it out for himself. He seemed more than happy to oblige, as it meant he could spend even more time with Rebecca.

  Even though she was busy keeping Vitruvius’ focus on her, Rebecca still harboured a wish for Antony to notice her. No matter how hard Melissa tried to persuade her to be careful around him, Rebecca either did not believe her or was deliberately ignoring her. Rebecca would adopt the same seductive poses in Antony’s presence as she did to impress Vitruvius and would deliberately leave gaps in between the curtains that divided the tent to allow Antony to watch her undress. There were times Melissa wanted to scream at her to stop, but she knew it would not do any good. Antony was a man with a famously strong libido and it was only a matter of time before he would give in to his own needs, regardless of Caesar’s orders. Melissa also feared that any relationship between Antony and Rebecca would hurt Vitruvius’ feelings. As he was the only person in the whole camp that she felt completely safe to be near, Melissa did not want anything to damage the fragile relationship she was trying to foster with him through Rebecca.

  What Melissa had failed to notice was that Antony was not particularly interested in Rebecca; he was more interested in her. She should have seen the pattern, but it had completely passed her by. All the women from history that Mark Antony had ever been involved with were strong-minded, wilful individuals who stood up to him. Rebecca did not fit that description in the slightest, but she did.

  It was late February when they reached Corfinium and reunited with Caesar’s army as it laid siege to the town. Melissa knew Caesar would expect more information and had already decided to tell him just enough to keep his interest.

  Caesar sent for Antony as soon as they arrived. He returned a short while later with the news that Caesar was sending him to Sulmo. As he was confident he would not be gone more than a few days, it had been decided the women would remain in the main camp with Vitruvius.

  It was a further six days before Curio came to the tent in search of Melissa. It was the first time they had seen him since their meeting at the Rubicon, as he had taken a different route to Corfinium. His interest in Rebecca appeared to be as strong as ever and he never took his eyes off her for a second.

  “Caesar wants to see you,” he barked at Melissa curtly. “Vitruvius, take this one to him immediately.”

  Vitruvius hesitated. “No, sir, Antony said I was not to leave either of them alone under any circumstance. I cannot take only one without the other.”

  Curio rubbed his chin as if he were considering the problem. “Caesar was insistent you were to take only her, but I can understand your concern for Antony’s property with so many men outside.” Curio looked Rebecca up and down hungrily as he delivered his solution. “I am as a brother to Antony. He trusts me like no other. I will wait here with the other one until you return, to keep her safe. You have your orders man, go!”

  Vitruvius did not move. He had seen the look of terror on Rebecca’s face when Curio had first walked in, guessing from her reaction that it was Curio who had giv
en her the black eye. He saw the look in Curio’s eye and knew what the man was hoping for. Vitruvius had no intention of leaving Rebecca alone with Curio again, so he motioned to her to come to him. She did so nervously and he pushed her behind him. Then he spoke to Curio again. “With all due respect, sir, they both come with me or none of us will go. That was Antony’s first order to me and only he can rescind it.”

  Curio’s expression changed immediately to somewhere between frustration and defeat, but he knew it was a waste of time to argue further as Vitruvius would never back down. He raised his hand and waved them all away, letting them leave without another word. Melissa knew he would never give up the way the rest of the men had, but was content in the knowledge that Vitruvius was smart enough to see through the attempted ruse. She had thought he was nothing more than the average soldier, but this action gave her reason to hope there was an intelligent person under his hardened soldier’s shell.

  When they arrived at Caesar’s tent they were kept waiting. Once they were granted an audience, Vitruvius remained by the door with Rebecca and told Melissa to approach Caesar alone.

  Caesar smiled at her as she approached. “Well, Lissa, it appears you have been correct in every detail save one. I have just received word that the town is prepared to surrender to me, as you predicted, but that Ahenobarbus has taken his own life.” Caesar was in good mood and seemed genuinely pleased to see her. Antony was present too, having just returned from Sulmo, but he paid Melissa little attention as he stood on the far side of the tent.