True Freedom

by Carol Ashby

  Cold was not the problem when she smiled at him like that. “Thank you, Calantha.”

  She joined Marcella to carry the stew bowls to the table, then sat next to him.

  Gaius lowered his head. “We thank you, God, for this day and this food. And especially for Dacius being healed enough to join us. In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.”

  Leander’s gaze shifted to the mistress when her voice joined the amen.

  She picked up his spoon and held it out for his left hand to take. “He’s not Dacius anymore. He’s Leander.”

  Gaius’s mouth curved up. “A much better name for him, and I will remember to use it tomorrow.”

  Mistress Calantha’s head tipped, and her brow furrowed. “Tomorrow?”

  He was already raising a steaming spoon to his mouth, but he stopped halfway. “Tomorrow is Solis, and a few of our Christian friends will be coming to share a fellowship meal and worship.”

  Leander’s grin was so big it almost hurt his face. “Nothing could be better. The estate that bought me when I first came to Rome had been owned by Gaius Licinius Crassus. Not long before I got there, he’d been forced to flee just ahead of the Urban Cohort arresting him as a Christian. The estate passed to his cousin. He wasn’t a Christian, but he didn’t change much about how the estate was run. He was wise enough to see it was treating slaves like people that made everyone work hard to grow good crops and make him wealthier. Life was good there.

  “They didn’t shackle the feet of field slaves while we worked. The overseer didn’t chain us or lock us in the ergastulum at night. If we were really good at something, he tried to put us doing that, at least some.

  “I was barely twelve when I got there. But my family had raised horses in Dacia, so he put me in the stables. He saw my skill with horses and mules and let me use it every way I could.”

  His eyes focused on the past, and that brought a smile. “I truly enjoyed the work. Seeing a new foal struggle to its feet and nicker for the first time. Gentling a young stallion so the master could ride him. Watching a team of mules I’d trained work like they had a single mind. You should see the wild beauty of chariot horses in a field, racing each other for the sheer pleasure of it.”

  The memories brought a happy sigh.

  “We had plenty of food and a half-day of rest on Solis. There were some other Christian slaves, and we met for a short time while the others rested.” The big grin returned. “Getting to worship with brothers and sisters again…nothing could be better.”

  Gaius rubbed his mouth. “How did you come to be with Calantha?”

  Leander’s smile faded. “The master who loved the horses so much died, and his son decided to sell the racing stock to buy a townhouse in Rome. With the chariot horses gone, they didn’t need a trainer like me anymore.”

  The happiness in Leander’s voice as he described where he served before Gallio bought him…it drove little daggers into Calantha. He’d been nothing more than a slave, but he spoke of so much that was good there, and none of what was bad.

  What could he say if he were to describe life at the Secundus estate? That she’d never spoken to him or known his name before he almost died to save her? That she’d let him be whipped for simply speaking to her when all he wanted to do was spare her from harm?

  Tendrils of regret wrapped around her heart and squeezed. No words on her part could make up for what had been done to him.

  Leander’s gaze settled on her, and his smile dimmed. “Life was good at the Crassus estate, but it’s also good that God placed me at the Secundus estate in time to protect Mistress Calantha from her brother.”

  Marcella lifted the plate of bread and offered it to Calantha. “It’s a very good thing that He did. I’m so thankful you were there.”

  Calantha took the plate, glad to have something to look at beside Leander’s eyes.

  Marcella patted Calantha’s arm. “I’m thankful you found Servilia and that she got Gaius. It’s such a pleasure having you both here with us.”

  Mistress Calantha offered the plate to Leander, but he shook his head. “No, thank you, mistress.”

  She stroked his left hand as it lay on the table, and he liked it more than he should let himself.

  “You look tired. As soon as you eat, you should lie down and rest again. And you’re supposed to call me Calantha, not mistress.”

  His lips twitched before he replied. “I’ll try harder to remember which I should say.”

  She leaned close to him and adjusted the blanket around his shoulders. But it wasn’t the blanket that made him feel warmer.

  “Perhaps you need more practice. You’re Leander and I’m…”

  “Calantha.”

  “Try to think of me more as a beautiful flower and less as a mistress. That should make it easier for you to remember.”

  “Perhaps.”

  But thinking of her too much as a mistress wasn’t his real problem. It was thinking of it too little.

  Chapter 34: Saved from a Living Hell

  Estate of Claudius Ursus, Day 24

  Aulus and the others rose early for a quick breakfast before riding to the Ursus villa. While Marcus and the gladiators ate the herb-seasoned porridge and Rufus pronounced it delicious, Aulus couldn’t eat a bite. Julia was only two milia passuum away, and there would be plenty of time for eating after he had her back under his protection.

  When they finally left, Africanus kept their party at a trot, so it was less than half an hour before they arrived at the sprawling villa overlooking the sea.

  As Africanus had told him, Aulus informed the slave organizing the salutation that Aulus Julius Secundus, son of ex-consul Tiberius Julius Secundus, current proconsul of Sicilia, was seeking an audience. There were five people waiting ahead of them, but Aulus and his companions were ushered into the reception hall as soon as the current visitor left the room.

  Ursus was a flabby man in his forties, richly dressed in a fine linen tunic and toga with embroidered borders that blended gold and silver threads.

  He sat on a throne-like chair that was embellished with carved scenes of frolicking satyrs and nymphs framed by gold filigree. He rose and held out both hands to Aulus. “It’s both a surprise and an honor to receive the son of Julius Secundus in my home. To what do I owe this great pleasure?”

  His smile felt as greasy as the scented oils he had worked into his hair.

  Aulus cleared his throat. “We’re looking for a young woman you purchased in Rome a few days ago. We have reason to believe she was kidnapped and is not really a slave.”

  Ursus’s flattering smile stiffened. “You’ve been misinformed. I never buy unless I know the paperwork is legitimate.”

  Marcus took one step forward. “Be that as it may, we know you bought a girl who claimed she’d been kidnapped.”

  As his head tipped back, Ursus’s eyelids lowered, letting him look down his nose at them. “Slaves often tell that lie. It’s not true.”

  Aulus stepped up beside Marcus. “My sister Julia was kidnapped five days ago. The time of your purchase is perfect for it to be her.”

  “While I’m grieved to hear of your sister’s plight, I can assure you the slave I purchased is not her. I personally inspected her papers and know them to be valid.”

  Marcus crossed his arms. “If that’s the case, you should have no objection to letting us see the girl to be certain it isn’t Julia.”

  “She’s a mere slave, not your missing sister.” Ursus’s sneer shifted toward a patronizing smile. “But I have no objection to you seeing her. I’ll soon be sharing her with all my friends.”

  He snapped his fingers, and a boy who’d been standing like a statue by the wall trotted over. “Bring the new girl.”

  Aulus glanced at Marcus. Would he ever be able to project the aura of calm superiority that came so naturally to his friend?

  A door opened at the side of the room, and a girl was dragged in. Her tunic was expe
nsive linen, but she wore no jewelry. Her hair hung loosely down her back, and her eyes were puffy from crying.

  But the moment her gaze settled on Aulus, she rammed her elbow into the stomach of the man holding her other arm. She wrenched free and ran to Aulus. With both hands, she clutched his tunic.

  “Please help me! I’m Pompeia Lenaea, a free woman and citizen of Rome. I was kidnapped.” One hand released him and swung to point at Ursus. “He doesn’t own me. He refuses to believe two thugs knocked out the slave escorting me home after dining with the sister of one of my father’s students.”

  Marcus touched her arm. “Who’s your father?”

  “Gnaeus Pompeius Lenaeus, and his student is Valerius Flaccus. If you’ll just send for either of them, they’ll tell you I’m not a slave.”

  Marcus fixed steely eyes on Ursus. “I know Flaccus. Pompeius Lenaeus is his tutor. She’s telling the truth, and you should release her immediately.”

  Ursus’s lip curled as a laugh rumbled in his chest. “I paid good money for her, and I have papers to prove she’s mine. Why should I care about the opinion of a mere youth?”

  Marcus looked at Aulus, eyebrows raised.

  Aulus’s back straightened as he lifted his chin. “You should want to do what’s right. Sending her home to her father is the only right choice. Roman law and Roman honor both demand it.”

  Ursus snorted. “I have every right to keep a slave I’ve legally purchased.”

  Africanus took a step forward. Ursus raised his hand and flicked his fingers. A pair of gladiators moved into the room through the side doorway.

  Ursus’s nostrils flared; then fury lit his eyes as they bored into Aulus. “Chain your guard dog and go.”

  “I’m not his guard dog.” Africanus’s deep voice was calm as his hand wrapped around the handle of his gladius. “I’m many times a champion in the Flavian Amphitheater and the special agent for an ex-consul of Rome who has Hadrian's ear. You know you’re guilty of plagium now, even if you didn’t know it when you bought her. Do you want to risk the anger of Julius Secundus and Emperor Hadrian himself over a mere girl that you had no right to bring here in the first place?”

  Rufus shifted to keep both Ursus’s bodyguards and the door to the atrium in view. His fingers tightened on the hilt of his sword.

  Ursus’s gaze bounced between Africanus and Rufus and finally settled on the girl. “Take her. Get out of my house and off my land.”

  Aulus wrapped his arm around Pompeia as she clung to him. “I thank you, Ursus, for choosing to do the right thing and release her. We’ll get her back to her father, and my father will hear of your generosity in setting her free.”

  With venom in his gaze, Ursus flicked his hand toward the door behind them before marching past his bodyguards and leaving the room.

  When his gladiators turned and followed him, Aulus blew out a long breath. “Let’s leave before he changes his mind.” He grinned at Africanus. “I can see why Brutus wanted you with us.”

  Africanus shrugged, but the hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  They returned to the stable yard and reclaimed their horses. Aulus mounted, and Africanus lifted Pompeia to sit behind him.

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his back. “There aren’t enough words in the whole Empire to say how much I thank you, Julius Secundus. I’ll remember what you just did forever.”

  “It’s no more than any man should do.” He patted her hand. “Hold on tight. It’s a long ride, but we’ll have you home before midnight.”

  When the rest were mounted, he nudged his horse into a fast walk.

  They hadn’t found Julia, but at least they’d saved Pompeia from a living hell.

  Then the smile Pompeia’s words had drawn faded.

  Who had his sister? Another man like Ursus, or someone even worse?

  His heart pounded, and even several deep breaths couldn't slow it.

  Was she chained, caged, terrified of what the future held for her? Would he find her in time to save her?

  Or was he already too late?

  Chapter 35: Forgiving the Enemy

  Gaius’s Farm, Dies Solis, Day 24

  As Leander swallowed his last mouthful of Marcella’s breakfast porridge, Gaius rose from the table.

  “Dacius.” He glanced at the hallway where Mistress Calantha had disappeared. “I mean Leander. Come join me in the sunshine. I need to prepare for our visitors.”

  “I can think of nothing better.”

  Marcella turned from the counter where she was cutting cheese slices. “Be careful with him, dear.”

  “I will.”

  When Gaius rolled his eyes after Marcella turned away, it took all Leander’s self-control to keep from laughing. As Gaius headed out the door with his chair, he pressed one finger to his lips. Leander took a deep breath and managed not to chuckle.

  He’d settled his mouth into his usual slight smile by the time Gaius returned. With Gaius’s arm wrapped around him and his own good arm across his friend’s shoulders, hobbling outside wasn’t so bad.

  As soon as Gaius lowered him into the chair, Gaius’s mouth curved into a wry smile. “Shall I tell her I didn’t break you when I get the next chair?”

  Leander lowered his voice so no one inside could hear. “I wouldn’t.” Then his own grin broke free.

  Two poles leaned against the wall, and Gaius dropped one end of each into the holes at the edge of the stone patio where he’d placed Leander’s chair. Then he unrolled a canopy and stretched it from the hooks on the wall to the two poles, making an island of shade.

  Leander cradled his arm and moved it in the sling to find the least painful position for his shoulder. “Maybe I can help with setting everything up next week.”

  Gaius patted his good arm on the way back to get another chair. “I made a crutch, and you can try it tomorrow. We’ll see how much you’ve healed by then, and if Marcella thinks you’re doing well enough, you can.” He grinned at Leander. “I’m not going to put you to work too soon and risk a scolding for letting you hurt yourself.”

  He carried out the other three chairs from the kitchen and unstacked some benches that were stored by the wall.

  Leander shifted in his chair and stretched out his bandaged leg to get more comfortable. “I always enjoyed helping get ready for the house church that met at our horse farm. One of the older men had grown up in a church in Thessalonica that had a copy of the gospel of Luke. He’d memorized it as a child, and he helped me memorize it, too. Then he’d lived in Ephesus, where he’d learned from Apostle John. He also had copies of several letters from Apostle Paul. So after I learned everything he knew of what Luke and Apostle John wrote about Jesus, I memorized the letters as well.”

  Gaius set one chair beside Leander and two across from him. “Do you still remember any of it?”

  That triggered a soft chuckle. “How could I ever let myself forget the words of my Lord? Or the teachings of Apostle Paul that helped me understand what it means to follow Jesus as my Savior and Lord? On the slave ship, we were punished if we talked. But I recited them over and over inside my head, and they drove back the darkness that tried to swallow me.”

  His gaze drifted to the low hills that rose behind Gaius’s vineyard. “Once I reached Rome and the Crassus estate bought me, I clung to them as my lifeline to the world I left behind. When I worked by myself, I’d recite them and then think about what they meant. How I could live as a slave and still please God.” The corner of his mouth turned up. “Even more so since I was sold to the Secundus household. If I had a sestertius for every time I’ve had to remind myself of Apostle Paul’s command to serve my master as if serving Lord Jesus, I’d be as rich as an imperial freedman.”

  Gaius moved two benches to complete the circle. “Would you be willing to share something you know with us today?”

  The grin that split Leander’s face was as big as the one wh
en he’d heard Gaius could take them in. “There’s nothing I would enjoy more.”

  Calantha came back from her room to find Leander gone. “Where is he?”

  Marcella looked over her shoulder. “Gaius took him outside. He’s fine.” She arranged the last slices of cheese on the plate and turned.

  “I should tell you something about the people who are coming. Publius Aelius Mestrius and his wife Lucillia own a taberna and private bath in the village just up the road from where you turned off to come here. They’re about forty. She’ll bring her lyre for our singing. Quintus Sertorius Festus and his wife Petronia are about Leander’s age. They have a boy, Quintus, and a little daughter, Sertoria. They’re expecting their third baby in less than a month. Mestrius brings a wagon, and he picks up Petronia’s family on the way here.”

  She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Then there’s Sextus Valerius Genialis. His wife died a few months ago. I’d love to see him remarry when his grief has passed, but he doesn’t know any other Christian women. He raises sheep and some vegetables on his farm just east of us. Gaius takes his produce to Rome when he takes ours. Sextus usually walks through our vineyard to get here.”

  The jingle of mules in harness grew louder, then stopped. Calantha’s heart began to race. Strangers posed a risk. What if they told the wrong person they’d seen her and Leander?

  Marcella wrapped her arm around Calantha. “Let’s go meet your newest friends.” She gave Calantha a quick hug. “Don’t worry. We’ll only tell them your new name, and none of them would betray you even if they knew the real one.”

  As Marcella introduced Julia as Calantha to each person in turn, Calantha found her eyes drifting to Leander. One arm in a sling, his other hand resting on his thigh, he looked as relaxed and happy as he did at the table with just Marcella and Gaius. If her protector saw no danger, there probably wasn’t any.

  As soon as the food was carried into the cottage, they all gathered under the canopy. Gaius took the chair by Leander, and Marcella took the other empty chair by Lucillia. Petronia patted the bench next to her and smiled, so Calantha sat beside her.