Melissa decided to go with her instincts. This had to be Servilia. She would address her as such and hint at her reasons for being there. “Madam, I mean no disrespect to you. I must speak with your son regarding the plans he makes with your son-in-law, Gaius Cassius Longinus.”
Servilia hesitated. “He has no plans,” she said calmly. “Your master is misinformed and he disrespects me by sending one of his sluts to do his bidding.”
“Antony has no knowledge of my presence in this house or of my purpose for being here, but your son does have plans to remove Caesar from office and I must speak with him about them.” Melissa paused briefly and then continued. “Forgive me for my rudeness. I realise I have failed to introduce myself. I am no servant to Antony, I am Caesar’s witch.” With that, Melissa dropped her hood and stared at Servilia, who looked astonished.
“Then it is true, you do exist!” Servilia gasped in awe. She quickly recovered her demeanour, but she no longer made any effort to hide her son’s intentions. “Caesar mentioned you once, but I did not believe it. So he does have knowledge of his future, through you.” Melissa nodded briefly and Servilia responded in kind. “Tell me, if he knows of the plans made to depose him, why has he not moved against my son?”
“Caesar does nothing because Caesar knows nothing. I have chosen to withhold this information thus far. Caesar must go and it is my wish to be of assistance to your son in any way I can, if it will help him to achieve that aim.” Melissa was being totally honest, but Servilia still appeared doubtful.
“And why would you do this? With Caesar gone, you have nothing. What do you stand to gain from an alliance with this house?”
A man replied on Melissa’s behalf. “Why, her freedom of course.” Melissa looked around her in surprise, in search of the owner of the voice. He entered the room from a door behind Servilia.
Marcus Brutus was tall and handsome. His features were pleasing and he had a presence about him that demanded the respect his name generated. He crossed the room and stood beside his mother.
“You said you wanted my attention – well, it appears you have it. Your name is Lissa, I believe. Caesar has spoken of you to me also and I am honoured that you have found the time to call.” Melissa smiled graciously as Brutus continued. “I am aware that although your living arrangements are far more than adequate, you are his slave the same as any other in his household. I wager that you want to be free of him and of Antony, at whose mercy you more recently find yourself. You fear what he will do to you when Caesar is gone and justifiably so. What I need to know is whether what you can offer is worth my helping you in return.” Brutus spoke calmly and gave no hint of any concern at Melissa’s presence in his house.
Brutus was known to be an intelligent man, and Melissa had no intention of toying with him. She went for the direct answer. “I know every detail of your plans to depose Caesar. I know who is involved and whether or not you will succeed. If I choose to tell Caesar, you and your colleagues will be rounded up and either exiled or killed. I do not intend to let that happen because I am in agreement with you − Caesar needs to be removed for the good of the Republic. I am willing to give you information that will ensure you achieve your goal.”
“How do I know you can be trusted?” Brutus was right to be cautious. He had known Melissa less than five minutes and she was asking him to take a lot on faith.
“You cannot.” Again she was frighteningly direct. “But then you did not know whether or not you could trust Antony and you chose to see if he would be receptive to your plans. I am well aware that Trebonius approached him months ago and I can tell you he has not mentioned any of this to Caesar either.”
“You have Antony’s confidence?” Brutus asked.
Melissa laughed slightly. “No, I do not. Once I would have said yes, but Antony tells me little of consequence these days. I rarely see him, nor do I expect to until Caesar wishes to speak with me, but all that can change if I ally myself with your household. I have the power to control Antony, and I will use it if an agreement can be struck here today.
“As difficult as this must be for you, you must either have faith in me at this time, or kill me and remove the risk I pose. Be warned, should you choose the latter, you will have to deal with Antony. He may not share Caesar’s sympathies for me, but he would kill for me. Caesar placed me under his protection many years ago. If Antony was to lose something of such value, our dictator would not be best pleased, and Antony would again be out of favour. This time he risks the loss of a consulship.”
Brutus’ eyebrow rose in surprise at the news that Antony was intended to be consul. Melissa carried on with her explanation of the facts. “He will hunt down every last man among you to redeem himself once more and, I must confess, it will be easy for him to do this as I have left a list of your names. It will be delivered to him if I do not return to my home this night; Brutus, Cassius, Trebonius, Cimber, Galba, Casca, Petronius, Spurius. Need I continue? I think not. I am afraid I have been a little vague in my writings, so Antony will no doubt kill the entire family of each man to make sure he finds the right conspirator. His vengeance will be worse than the proscriptions Rome suffered under Sulla.”
Brutus whispered something to his mother, who shook her head. They were both aware of Antony’s network of spies in the city, but there was no way he could already know the names of the people who had been approached. If their guest was being honest, provoking Antony would be a mistake that could unleash the worst beast that he could be, and both Brutus and Servilia knew it. Servilia remembered all too well the proscriptions Melissa had spoken of, which had taken place when she was a young girl, and had no desire ever to witness similar events again. Thousands had been slaughtered, their possessions becoming forfeit to the state.
Brutus’ attention returned to Melissa “Your offer of assistance is … most interesting, but it is not my decision alone. Come! Some of those you refer to are here. We could present your proposals to them together.”
Melissa was thoughtful for a moment. “I agree to your request, but first I must send my bodyguard home. There are matters he needs to attend to in my absence. He may return for me as soon as it is dark, if that is acceptable to you.”
“It is,” Brutus said with a slight nod.
“I hope you appreciate that I am taking a great risk in remaining here alone.” Melissa had no idea yet how she would persuade Vitruvius to do this.
“No greater than the risk I am taking in trusting you, but I assure you no harm will befall you underneath my roof.” Brutus was correct. He was taking a very big risk on very little information. “Come with me now, my slave will instruct your man to leave.”
Melissa followed Brutus deeper into the house to a larger and more opulent dining room. The room went silent as she entered, and she was very aware that every pair of eyes present was upon her. She knew each man in that room was one of the conspirators, but could only place one name to a face. Sitting alone on a couch to the side of where Brutus now stood was Gaius Trebonius. She had met him many times when she had travelled with Caesar’s army. The last time she had seen him, he was building the pontoons at Brundisium.
There were eight people in the room, including Melissa and one slave. She was the only woman. The six men sat on three couches positioned in a u-shape surrounding low tables that held bowls of stuffed olives, dates and figs, along with glasses of wine. Melissa was shown to a solitary chair that had been placed opposite the middle couch, where she was isolated in her lone position. It felt as if she were at a job interview, and, in a way, she supposed she was. When she had been offered some wine, Brutus introduced her to the rest of his guests.
“My friends this woman comes to us with the most interesting of offers. She claims to be a seer who has the ear of Caesar and the protection of Mark Antony. She is unhappy with her current arrangements and proposes a change of allegiance to us. We must decide whether or not to accept her assistance.”
Brutus had been looking at Treb
onius as if waiting for confirmation of Melissa’s identity. Trebonius now spoke, firstly to Brutus, “I know her. She is who she claims to be,” and then to Melissa, “I have not seen you for many years, Lissa, but I recognise you. I remember when Antony took you and your pretty friend in. Tell me, is Vitruvius still with you? I never met a more loyal man. He would throw himself off the Tarpeian Rock if Antony asked him to.”
“The friend to whom you refer has been dead more than three years, but Vitruvius is still my protector. He felt her death even more keenly than I and still holds in his heart the guilt that he could do nothing to save her. He blames Antony for her demise and as a result, he no longer holds our consul-elect in such high esteem. You see, even he has reason to question his loyalties in such times as these.”
“I am sorry to hear of her loss,” Trebonius said with sincerity. “Please pass on my best wishes to Vitruvius. He is an excellent soldier. I owe him my life.”
Melissa nodded once in acknowledgement of Trebonius’ comment. “He will be pleased to know you speak well of him, and you should know that he still has great admiration for you, if not for others he has served with.” Melissa smiled and waited while Brutus introduced the remaining guests. They were his cousin Decimus Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus and his brother Lucius, and a man Melissa was not familiar with beyond his name, one Quintus Ligarius. She paid particular attention to Cassius, who was lounging on the couch opposite her and appeared totally disinterested in her presence. She estimated him to be as tall as Brutus, though leaner and not as handsome. His face was thin, with sharp features, including particularly narrow lips that made him look a little cruel.
Brutus retook his seat next to Trebonius. “Well, Lissa. I think it is time you tell these men what we have already discussed.”
Melissa took a deep breath and began. “Caesar is changed. His intentions were once honourable and when he first marched on Rome he fully intended to restore the Republic, but his agenda is now aimed at personal gain. His association with the Egyptian Queen helps cloud his judgement. She panders to his vanity, filling his head with notions of power and glory beyond that which Roman law finds acceptable. The majority of the Senate blindly follows his lead from fear of reprisal. Many of these men owe everything to Caesar and many call themselves his close friends, including some of those in this room.” She looked at Trebonius and then Brutus, who both nodded in agreement. Caesar had made Trebonius the man he now was and he regarded Brutus as he would a son, because of his former closeness to Servilia.
Melissa continued. “Yet many of you cannot condone his actions, despite your loyalties. Caesar goes too far and must be brought to heel before the damage to the state is irreversible. You know he will never go willingly and so you have decided he must be removed by force. It is your only hope to save your Republic.”
Decimus Brutus was also indebted to Caesar, having served with him in Spain. He asked the question that many of the others had been thinking since Trebonius had first mentioned Mark Antony. “And what is your relationship to Antony? Trebonius said he ‘took you in’. We are all well aware of Antony’s penchant for pretty women. He has them installed in many places around this city and some do far more for him than purely opening their legs. Are you another of his voluptuous spies, sent to seduce us with your charms?”
Melissa looked at Decimus. “No, sir, I am not. I have no love for Antony and he has little for me beyond ensuring I remain safe from harm. He has no knowledge that I am absent from my home without permission and will no doubt punish me severely if he discovers I am gone. I have taken this chance willingly, as your need of my assistance is far greater than my wish to avoid a beating at his hands.”
Melissa turned her attention to the rest of the room. “I know each of your names and those of many others involved, some sixty in total I believe.” Cassius and Brutus exchanged a bewildered look. Melissa spotted it and realised she was ahead of herself. “I speak of the total number who will join you, of course. I can furnish you with a list of the names of those who will be most sympathetic to your cause, but that you have not yet approached.” Melissa was on thin ice. She only knew about twenty names, but she could not afford to worry about that for now.
Cassius spoke for the first time. “Will Cicero join us?”
“No,” Melissa replied, “nor should he be approached. He will whine later that he would have been honoured to join your number, but he must not be taken into your confidence. He has been exiled from this city twice; once as a result of his own failings and once out of loyalty to Pompey. He will not chance his luck again. In addition, Antony loathes him and watches him like a hawk. He knows every move Cicero makes and that alone makes Cicero too much of a risk to include in your plans. He would snap under pressure if questioned, and give all of you up to save his own skin.” Cassius looked away in disgust at her answer. He obviously wanted Cicero involved as he knew only too well that there were many men in the Senate who would not blindly follow Brutus, but would willingly take their lead from Cicero.
Melissa pressed on. “Your best opportunity is in March. Caesar will be leaving for Parthia shortly after the Ides, making this date your last chance. You cannot force him to stand down and so you must kill him when the Senate meets. You will be successful if you act on that day.”
Trebonius and Brutus both looked uncomfortable at the mention of murder and Melissa supposed they had not yet agreed to that as the solution. She looked directly at them. “Believe me, the thought of murder does not sit comfortably with me either, but Caesar’s actions will become far worse before you act. Arrangements will be made for Antony to lead the runners at the Lupercalia festival. He will be expected to offer Caesar a crown as he passes by, which Caesar will take if the crowd encourage him to.”
The entire room looked horrified. Cassius sat forward, suddenly paying attention whilst Decimus and Ligarius began to mutter to each other. Romans hated and feared kingship more than anything else.
Melissa moved quickly to calm the situation. “You have no need to fear, he will not be able to accept it. The plebs are not so stupid as to agree to make him king, despite what you may believe.” Cassius was eyeing her with suspicion, but said nothing.
The time had come for Melissa to play her final card. “To assure your success, I am prepared to keep Antony in check until the day you act. I will ensure his eye is diverted elsewhere. You will have nothing to fear from him. He will provide no opposition to your plans.”
“No! We must remove Caesar and his lapdog if we are to ensure the security of the Republic.” Cassius slammed his hand down on the couch. He was adamant. He had no love for Antony, whom he saw as Caesar’s man and not to be trusted, and he wanted him also out of the way.
“The death of Caesar alone will not save your Republic, but the death of Antony will seal its fate forever.” Melissa was just as entrenched in her view. She knew Mark Antony had to live if history was to be preserved.
“Ridiculous! What can possibly be so important about that drunken fool that we should let him live?” Cassius had no intention of backing down.
“Antony is no fool and whether you like him or not, you need him. Caesar is not the first man to seek total control of your Republic and he will not be the last. Another will come. His methods will be far worse than Caesar’s, for he is more devious. The Senate will not see his betrayal until it is too late. Even Cicero will be fooled by his easy manner and guile. Antony is the only man capable of mustering a force great enough to stand up to this new threat. You should ally yourselves with Antony, not fight him.”
“We have other generals capable of leading an army, generals we can trust not to slit our throats as we sleep.” Cassius was petulant. He looked at Trebonius for support, but the man shook his head.
“They are not Antony. His men love him and will follow him into the arms of Dis if he asked it of them. You will need him to exercise control over the army following the assassination.” As she spoke, Melissa too looked at Trebonius wh
o was nodding in agreement with her assessment.
Cassius smiled victoriously. “Ah, but there is a flaw in your argument. Antony will not be in control of the army, Lepidus will. He is Master of the Horse and as such, he becomes head of the army on the death of the Dictator. That is our law.”
Cassius had made a good point, but it was easy to counter. According to every source she had ever read and from her own brief experiences, Melissa knew that Lepidus was loyal to Caesar, but he was not the most impulsive of men. He could not be relied upon to make any hasty decisions either way, even in order to avenge the death of a friend.
“Lepidus may hold the title, but he will not use its power. He will wait and consider his options, during which time the mob will rip you to shreds. Antony will still be consul following Caesar’s death and, as such, Lepidus will defer to him when asked to. If you want to live, then you must leave Antony alive. It is part of the bargain you strike with me now. If you are unwilling to heed my advice, then you are obviously incapable of looking beyond your personal differences in order to do what is best for the Republic. I may need to reconsider my change of allegiance.” Melissa remained calm, but was losing patience. She did not want Cassius to see how frustrated she was with his attitude.
“You have the nerve to threaten us? I can have you killed before you reach your front door.” Cassius was incensed. He threw his arms in the air in an expression of his frustrations, glaring at Melissa as he waited for her answer.
“I make no threat, Cassius, I make you a promise. If Antony’s life is in question, I will not help you. As for your threat against me, you will not try to remove me for fear of the reprisals Antony will unleash if I do not return safely home. He may not like me, but I am Caesar’s property and under his protection. He cannot afford to lose Caesar’s patronage and he would, therefore, avenge my loss with frightening speed.”
Silence fell as Melissa and Cassius glared at each other. This debate was getting her nowhere, so Melissa calmed herself and tried another tack. “Consider this, Antony knows of your plans already because you asked him to join you. He has not betrayed your confidence to Caesar, nor will he, unless backed into a corner. He can still be persuaded to act in the best interests of the majority to avoid further bloodshed. I can assure you of that.”
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