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by Linda Coleman

  The more time he spent with Melissa, the more Antony found he craved her conversation and sought to gain her approval for his actions. Caesar had been correct when he had said Melissa was Antony’s equal. He enjoyed the time he spent in her presence, whether they were locked in a debate about Roman law, or locked in a passionate embrace. He admired her intellect and her logical approach to every problem that presented itself. He loved that she listened to what he had to say and encouraged him to have belief in his own abilities as a leader. He was in awe of her determination and spirit, which he found he could not break, regardless how hard he tried. He quickly came to understand why Vitruvius had become so willing to lay down his life to protect this odd foreigner from harm, and he too began to share that desire to keep her safe at any cost.

  Melissa was becoming the most important part of Mark Antony’s life and he began to realise he never wanted to lose her.

  Chapter 23

  Antony had been in the house for five weeks when Melissa was woken one morning by someone hammering on the front door. The noise continued until Melissa heard Vitruvius answering it, after which she heard voices in the hall which then became muffled as they went into the dining room. Melissa moved Antony’s arm from across her body and slid out of bed quietly to avoid disturbing the man lying at her side. Antony grunted and rolled over, but did not wake. She grabbed her shawl and slipped out of the door, closing it quietly behind her.

  She met Vitruvius in the hallway. He was coming to get her and looked extremely agitated. “Caesar is here,” he said looking over his shoulder. “He is demanding to see you. He has his whore queen with him.”

  “What?” Melissa was confused by this information. “Why is Cleopatra here?”

  “I do not know, but Caesar is annoyed about something. Do you think he knows that Antony is in there?” Vitruvius’ voice had dropped to little more than a whisper. Even though Vitruvius hated Antony, he had every reason to hope Caesar was ignorant of the fact he was in Melissa’s bed.

  Melissa thought for a second before replying. “No. If Caesar had any suspicions whatsoever you would not have been asked to get me, but I do not like this situation in the slightest. Even though he could sleep through a stampede of horses,” she nodded her head towards the bedroom, “I would feel happier if Antonius was far from here, just in case.”

  As Vitruvius nodded in agreement, Melissa decided the time had come to send her family away. “Go to Antonius, dress him and take him, and the box that Brutus sent, away from here. Go to the bookshop in two hours. If I am not there, do not come back to the house. It will no longer be safe for you here. Go to Brutus and tell him what has occurred. He has promised to give you shelter if anything ever happens to me. He will not betray you to Antony or to Caesar, and will help you leave the city undetected.” Melissa grabbed his wrist in an open gesture of friendship and hoped he believed her. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but there was no more time. She kissed him gently on the cheek and then prepared to walk into the lion’s den.

  As she did, Antonius ran past her legs and into the room with her before Vitruvius could catch him. He stopped momentarily when faced with all the strangers and then ran across the room to where one of his little boats was lying on the floor. He turned and presented it to a great hulk of a man standing at Cleopatra’s shoulder. “Play?” he asked innocently.

  The huge man looked down at his feet. Antonius was tiny next to him. He bent over, picking the boy up under his armpits and stood holding him.

  It felt as if Melissa’s heart had jumped into her throat. For a moment she was overcome with fear and could not move or speak. Vitruvius pushed past her but was restrained by one of the two lictors who had accompanied Caesar into the house; the others had remained outside.

  “Please, sir, let me remove the boy. He will only distract you from your business,” Vitruvius pleaded with Caesar, without attempting to hide the fear in his voice. He was desperate to get Antonius as far away from that room as possible.

  Caesar appeared not to notice Vitruvius’ agitated state, but Cleopatra did. She instinctively knew something was wrong in the house. These two people were attempting to deceive Caesar in some way and she was well aware that the child could prove useful in teasing out the truth. “Nonsense,” she said with a disarming smile, “he is most charming. Apollodorus may play with him. I will allow it.”

  Caesar looked at Cleopatra and nodded. “The boy will stay, but you may leave, Vitruvius. Go now!” His tone was gruff, indicating his displeasure. The lictor grabbed Vitruvius under the arm and threw him out through the door.

  Vitruvius did not know what to do. His gut reaction was to force his way back in the room, but he knew he could not hope to take on both Caesar’s and Cleopatra’s bodyguards and he would most likely get Melissa or Antonius killed in the process. However, if Antony was found in Lissa’s bed, they were all as good as dead.

  He only had one option. He had to ensure Antony was conscious enough to function, and make him leave Melissa’s room. Once that had been achieved he hoped that, between them, they could formulate an excuse for Antony’s presence that would not endanger Melissa any further. As much as he hated asking him of all people for help, Vitruvius knew that Antony was his best chance for a peaceful end to the situation, as Antony always functioned best with his back to the wall. He had watched his commander talk his way out of many awkward situations when they had served with Caesar in Gaul, most of which had usually involved some woman or another. Vitruvius could only hope that Antony cared enough about Melissa to help.

  Vitruvius stormed into the bedroom and approached the bed. Grabbing Antony roughly by the shoulders he shook him, half-dragging him to the floor.

  “Consul! Consul!” he cried. “Wake up. Caesar is here with his whore queen. He has Lissa and Antonius and is not best pleased. If he finds you here, I fear what he may do to them.”

  Antony was still groggy from sleep, but he had registered Vitruvius’ words. He raised his arm, simultaneously acknowledging Vitruvius’ sense of urgency and stopping the latter from dragging him any further. He got up off the floor, staggered to the dressing table and poured some water from the jug into the bowl. He submerged his face in the freezing water, clearing his head. He rose and began to dry himself, considering his options.

  He knew only too well that there was no way out of the house, except through the front door, and he could not leave unnoticed, as at least some of Caesar’s lictors would be outside in the street. Vitruvius had said that Caesar appeared to be displeased. It was logical to assume that he already suspected something was going on. The gossipmongers in the Forum had already spread the news that Antony had shacked up with another ‘tart’, so it was reasonable to assume Caesar was aware of his philandering. If Caesar suspected that Melissa was the ‘tart’ referred to, then she was already in grave danger. The unknown quantity was Cleopatra. It was certainly strange that Caesar would bring her here, especially if he had come to confront them over an affair, and perhaps it was her presence that Antony could somehow turn to his advantage. He decided it was best to walk into the room, tell a story close to the truth, and front it out. Now he was an elected consul of Rome, he could bear the brunt of Caesar’s wrath with little comeback, and perhaps he could use his position to save his lover. It was not the first time he had been in this sort of situation, and most probably it would not be the last either. His strategy was risky, but there was no other choice.

  “I am going in there,” he said decisively. Vitruvius looked absolutely dumbstruck. “I intend to reason with Caesar and talk him round. If I am successful, I will send Lissa and the boy out to you.” He turned to Vitruvius, giving orders as if they were on the field of battle once more. “Get your sword. If I fail, it could get nasty in there.”

  Antony put his hand on Vitruvius’ shoulder and gripped it tightly. “My old friend, I know that we no longer see eye to eye and that the respect you once had for me is gone, but I must know if you are with me
on this and whether you are prepared to do whatever it takes to save them. Whatever it takes, Vitruvius. Do you understand what I am saying?”

  Vitruvius swallowed hard. He knew only too well that he had just been asked if he was prepared to dispatch both his dictator and a visiting monarch. Whilst he had no concerns over killing the lictors or Cleopatra, Caesar was a different matter. He was still not sure if he could do that. This course of action was insanity, but he had witnessed Antony do insane things before and get away with it. He also knew Antony believed it was the best chance Lissa and Antonius had. He was the one who had asked for help, and he had to trust Antony’s decision. “Yes,” he whispered finally.

  “Good,” Antony replied, patting Vitruvius on the shoulder. “Destiny awaits, then. Either we will be successful in our endeavours for a peaceful outcome or we will have to subdue Caesar and his concubine, though I do not relish that idea.” Antony stopped speaking and looked deep in thought for a moment. “Although that possibility would certainly resolve the Senate’s concerns, would it not?” he added with a wide grin on his face, before his mood sobered again. “Be ready for my signal.” He grasped Vitruvius’ shoulder one last time, then turned and headed towards the door.

  “Consul? Do you not intend to dress first?” Vitruvius had to ask. He could not believe that Antony was preparing to leave as he was.

  Antony stopped and looked down at his naked body. He turned back to Vitruvius, laughing. “No, I think I will make more of an impression like this!” He turned again to leave.

  “Consul?” Vitruvius said again.

  Antony spun round again and the look on his face said it all − what now??

  Vitruvius asked the question that had been plaguing him since Antony had first moved in. “Are you in love with Lissa?”

  Antony had not fully considered his real feelings for Melissa before that moment. He had certainly gone a lot further for her than for most of the other women he had relationships with, but was he in love? He honestly had no idea. All he knew for certain was that being with Melissa made him happier than he had ever been. He smiled at Vitruvius and gave an answer that asked as many questions as it answered. “Why? Are you?” He then turned and left the room, still contemplating his feelings as he headed down the hall.

  In the main reception room, Melissa was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Caesar had rarely visited her, in fact she had could only remember it happening once before. She was always summoned to him or messages were passed via Antony. She was even more uncomfortable that the Queen of Egypt was with him.

  Cleopatra was reclining on the couch opposite Melissa, watching Caesar speak with a look of utter boredom on her rather plain face. History had recorded that Cleopatra was a great beauty, but Melissa found her features rather ordinary, although her nose was certainly worthy of note. It was a huge, hooked beast that dominated her face despite the attempts she had made with her make up to draw the eye to her other features. She was certainly not a patch on any of the actresses who had immortalised her on film. Her cat-like eyes shifted suddenly to Melissa, who felt like an animal in a zoo being stared at from behind the bars of her cage.

  If only Antonius had not run into the room, she would have felt more comfortable. As Caesar would not let him leave with Vitruvius, he had become a most effective form of leverage to gain information from her. He was standing at the far end of the couch occupied by Cleopatra, with the Queen’s bodyguard, the giant of a man called Apollodorus. The bodyguard was squatting down performing the old magic trick of making a coin disappear from his hands and reappear from behind the boy’s ear. It was making Antonius giggle. Every time the trick was over the little boy would say “again!” and the bodyguard would willingly comply.

  Even though she could not take her eyes off Antonius, Melissa’s mind was elsewhere. If there was even the slightest suspicion that Antony was in the house then her life as she knew it was over. Of course, if Caesar did already know, then she could understand him wanting to confront Antony, but why bring that woman with him? The only reason Melissa could imagine was to turn her humiliation into some form of public sport.

  Caesar was in an appalling mood, mostly because Melissa had kept him waiting, but it appeared there had been some disagreement between him and Cleopatra. He had been talking for some time as he paced up and down, mostly about his plans for his expedition to Parthia, but he had not explained the reason for his visit, and Melissa had not been paying attention. Suddenly, Melissa realised that everyone was looking at her once again. Caesar had stopped next to Cleopatra and was waiting for Melissa to reply to a question that she had not heard. Shit, she thought and immediately turned her attention back to the dictator.

  Caesar spoke again. “You seem distracted, Lissa. Surely you are not concerned for the boy? He is happy enough with Apollodorus. I see no reason to stop their game. Is it that you have had no visions, or is there some other reason you are out of sorts?”

  Melissa gulped. At least she could answer one of those questions and recover the conversation. “No, Caesar, there is no other reason for my distraction. We have so few visitors that I am simply not used to his being with strangers. I apologise for my lack of concentration. It will not happen again. What was it you wanted to know?”

  Caesar was not accustomed to having to repeat his commands and looked less than pleased at having to do so. “As I said, I have told Cleopatra of your unusually accurate abilities in seeing the future. She is unconvinced and has spent many hours in earnest debate, trying to change my opinions. I can no longer afford such distractions, regardless of their appeal,” he nodded briefly to Cleopatra who acknowledged him with a coy smile. “The debate will be settled today, and I will get some peace. Cleopatra will ask you questions that concern her future. If your answers please her it will be the end of the matter. I trust this is acceptable.”

  Melissa had no chance to answer as Cleopatra had no intention of waiting. She sat up and turned her attentions fully on Melissa. “Tell me what the future holds for Caesar’s son.”

  Melissa could quite easily lie, but she disliked the woman in front of her. Cleopatra reminded her of Rebecca in a way, with her petulant and impatient manner. She had obviously been poisoning Caesar’s mind with regards to Melissa and that was her reason for being here today. Melissa was overcome with an urge to take her down a peg or two and so gave an honest reply. “Caesar’s son will be master of a great empire. He will rule over all lands from the cold seas at the north of Gaul to the warm deserts of the East.”

  “Caesarion will be master of Rome and Egypt!” Cleopatra gushed with excitement, pulling on Caesar’s arm as she spoke.

  Not bad for a woman who thought I was lying two minutes ago, Melissa thought. She knew she should leave it there, but Caesar looked somewhat appalled at Cleopatra’s interpretation and Melissa simply could not bring herself to do so. “I do not speak of Caesarion. He is not Caesar’s son,” she said coolly.

  “Liar!” Cleopatra spat the word at Melissa. “Caesarion is our son. Caesar has no other.”

  “Not today perhaps, but he will. Caesar will have a legal Roman heir. It is that man I speak of.” Melissa stared at Caesar. He looked at her quizzically. He had never discussed his will with her, but he knew she was speaking of his intention to adopt his nephew Octavian as his son. He had been considering adding it as a codicil to his will lodged in the Temple of Vesta, but had not yet done so because he was unsure what to do about Antony, who was still his favourite officer and preferred successor, and had long been the main beneficiary of his estate.

  “Then what does the future hold for my child?” Cleopatra glared at Melissa. It looked as if she wanted to strike out, but Melissa calculated that she would not dare to do so in front of Caesar.

  “Caesar will have him killed,” Melissa responded coldly.

  Caesar looked all the more horrified at this suggestion. “Never! I may not acknowledge him, but I would never hurt that boy!” he said aghast.

  “I agre
e you would not,” Melissa nodded in agreement with Caesar’s statement, “but as I have said, more than one man will carry the name of Caesar.”

  Cleopatra rose from the couch. She walked across to stand in front of Melissa and bent slowly as if taking a close look at her victim before passing sentence. She glanced at Melissa’s neck and spotted some slight bruising half hidden by Melissa’s hair. She smiled knowingly. These were the marks left in the height of passion by a lover and gave Cleopatra a way to retaliate.

  As she straightened up again, Cleopatra composed herself. Her face was now a mask, still and serene, with no emotion displayed: the face of a true queen. She addressed Caesar in her most regal tone. “Noble Caesar, did you not tell me that this woman’s foresight is linked to her virtue? If so, then she can have no ability, for she has had a man this very night. I can smell the scent of his sex on her. Perhaps it was that man who answered the door? He was not unattractive, for a common man. I would wager he has been making use of Caesar’s assets for his own pleasures!”

  Caesar looked perplexed. “Vitruvius? I do not believe it! He is loyal to me and an honourable man. It is why he was chosen to guard Lissa.”

  “Even the most pious man can falter, given enough temptation.” Cleopatra appeared to be oozing malevolence from every pore of her body as she returned to the opposite couch. “If he has indeed succumbed to her witchcraft, he must be punished for his betrayal, as she must for her lies. You should question him immediately.”

  Cleopatra was enjoying herself far too much for Melissa’s liking, and now she appeared intent on hurting Vitruvius. She had to be stopped. “Please, Caesar,” Melissa begged, “Vitruvius has never touched me. I swear it to you.”

  Caesar looked doubtful at Cleopatra’s accusation, but he was not prepared to let the matter drop. “If not him, then who?” Melissa did not answer and looked away until Caesar turned to one of his lictors and gave the order Melissa dreaded. “Find Vitruvius and bring him to me. If he is responsible for her defilement, you will castrate him as punishment for his disloyalty.”