Cassia looked up at her father. She could see that he had no understanding of the way she felt about Darius, that she could never marry anyone else, not ever. She couldn’t think of what to say, so she simply nodded and accepted her father’s bear hug.
“That’s my precious one. Why don’t you go now and take a bath. I find it always lifts my spirits.”
Quintus passed Cassia as he walked to the dining table. She stood in his room for several minutes as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. She seemed to be in a fugue state, as if all noise and senses had been obliterated, leaving her numb. Novia found her there and put her arm around Cassia’s shoulders. She took the brokenhearted girl to her room and laid her on her bed, then stroked Cassia’s hair and told her to rest, that sleep would set things right.
It was dark when Cassia woke up. She had no idea how long she’d slept. She felt her stomach growl and remembered that she hadn’t eaten since just after dawn. Then she remembered that Darius didn’t want to marry her anymore, and the pain stabbed her heart anew. She tried to stop it like she had stopped other uncomfortable emotions, but it wouldn’t go away. She willed herself not to cry, got up and went looking for Novia.
She found her in Flavius’ room, making plans to leave Rome. Novia got up from the little table and went to her, hugging her tightly. Flavius got up and walked out the door, heading for the main house.
“I’m so glad you woke up. I wanted to wake you earlier, but you looked so serene I didn’t want to bother you. We have news for you,” Novia said.
“I don’t think I can handle any more news, Novia,” Cassia said. Her voice was devoid of emotion.
“Flavius is going to speak to your father tonight. He is going to ask if you can accompany us to Florentia.”
“But why would I want to go to Florentia?” Cassia asked, genuinely perplexed.
“Because you could start your life over and help us with the vineyard. Florentia is a city, not as big as Rome, but there are many eligible men there looking for a good woman. It would be good for you.”
“No, Novia, it wouldn’t. I have no need for another man. I love Darius.”
“But Darius doesn’t love you.”
“YES HE DOES!” Cassia shouted as she shook Novia’s hands off her shoulders. “I’m not leaving Rome, Novia. I’ll win Darius back. I’m not giving up on him yet.” Cassia ran from the room and Novia followed her.
“You must eat something, Cassia. You’re not thinking right. You have such childish ideas about love.” Novia was still talking when she noticed Cassia watching Flavius and Quintus quarreling.
“No, Flavius, you can’t leave me now. I need you to run the shops when I’m out of town,” Quintus said. “And you promised me you would stay until the debt was paid.”
“That debt was paid a long time ago, Quintus. I stayed because I wanted to stay; I stayed because you needed me. But I’ve done my last favor for you, Quintus. I want a life of my own, with Novia.”
“So that’s how it is, eh? That conniving woman has manipulated you and now you want to leave me.” The veins on Quintus’ forehead were sticking out. “I refuse to release her to you. She’s my slave…,” Quintus lied.
“You selfish, arrogant, self-centered idiot, I’ve done everything you’ve asked for 20 years. I cleaned up your drunken wife, I took care of her body after you had killed her, I watch over your daughter like a father should because you’re too self-absorbed to do it yourself. I built your shops up while you traipsed all over the world. And as for Novia being a slave,” Flavius took his money pouch off his belt and threw it at Quintus’ feet. “That should cover the price.”
Quintus was shaking all over, trying not to strike Flavius. He knew Flavius could hurt him much more than he could hurt Flavius. Then he looked over and saw Novia. He didn’t seem to notice Cassia standing next to her as he ran over to her and grabbed her by the neck.
“It’s you that put these ideas in his head,” he said as he squeezed her neck. Novia was scratching at his hands, trying to get him to stop. Quintus had a stranglehold on Novia and wouldn’t let go. Flavius ran over and tried to pry him off Novia, while Cassia pulled on Quintus’ arm. Finally, Flavius put all his weight behind pulling Quintus off, and as he did, Novia fell, hitting her head on a statue of Bacchus near the Atrium pool. The marble opened her skull, and blood began to ooze on the floor, running into the pool. Cassia went to her.
“Novia, Novia, please, please talk to me!” she cried.
Cassia had never seen so much blood. She could see the life leaving Novia’s eyes and knew that she was dying. Cassia screamed and begged Novia to come back.
Flavius threw Quintus to the floor and came to Novia, taking her hand. He had seen death so often that he knew instantly there was nothing to be done. He held her hand and then silently stood up and backed away.
He wanted to kill Quintus right there and then, but he held himself back. At that moment, his military discipline once again served him well. Flavius knew he would never get away with killing the wealthy merchant, and he wasn’t ready to die himself. He avoided looking at Quintus as he left the room and went to the street, looking for a tavern.
Cassia rocked back and forth, holding Novia’s hand. Quintus summoned a servant to pick Cassia up off the floor. One of the women from the kitchen staff put her arm around the girl and led her away from the body. Quintus then had the servant call the guard.
When the guard arrived, he told them a long tale of Novia’s constant insolence. He said he had found her spreading gossip and stealing. There had been an altercation where he had sought to discipline her and she fell, hitting her head on the statue. A servant confirmed his story. The guards seemed satisfied that it was a tragic accident, and as was the custom with thieves and other persons of ill repute, the body was thrown into the Tiber River.
Cassia Requests a Favor
For weeks, Cassia sat in a chair by the window. She rarely spoke and wouldn’t dine with her father. She took her baths and had a servant bring food to her room. When she was done eating, she would once again take her post at the window. Often she slept in the chair and would wake up with a start, calling for Novia. Then she would remember that Novia was gone.
Through everything her father had done, Cassia had remained a loyal, dutiful daughter. She had always forgiven him, but this time she found she couldn’t. If she passed him on the way to her bath, she wouldn’t smile or speak. She would acknowledge him with a nod and nothing more. For Quintus’ part, his guilt kept him away from her, so these meetings were few and far between.
Quintus still had the power of life and death over her, and Cassia wanted to keep him placated. She knew he was capable of anything, and began to think he might even kill her one day. The less she saw of him, the safer she felt.
Forgetting his daughter’s wish for no more slaves, Quintus purchased a young girl to act as Cassia’s ladies’ maid. The girl was no more than fifteen years old and her name was Frida. She was from Germania, and had been captured by Roman soldiers when her village was ransacked.
At first, Frida was resentful and tried to run away, but Flavius always managed to find her and bring her back. Cassia treated her kindly, and soon Frida stayed willingly. When Cassia decided to take over managing the household again, she would take Frida with her to the Forum. Cassia bought Frida lovely dresses and inexpensive jewelry, and she looked more like Cassia’s sister than her slave.
One day Quintus noticed the little ladies’ maid’s attire and took her aside. He began ripping the dress and jewelry off her, demanding to know where she had acquired them. In her broken Latin, Frida told him that Cassia had given them to her. Disbelieving her, Quintus began to beat the girl. Cassia found her father hitting Frida and ran at him so fast, she knocked him to the ground. She stood over the trembling Quintus with fire in her eyes.
“Don’t you ever lay a hand on her!” she shouted at him. “You’ve no right to her, father. She’s mine, and I will clothe her as I see fit!”
Cassia was so enraged she forgot herself entirely. Quintus looked up at her and turned over on his hands and knees so he could get up off the floor. He used the edge of a statue to pull himself up. He then turned to Cassia.
“Of course, my dear girl, I would never hurt your maid.” Quintus said. “I see you are speaking to me again, Cassia.”
Cassia took Frida’s hand and led the girl to her room, where she inspected Frida’s face. There were some bruises, but not too many. She looked at her dress and found it was ruined.
“You’ll wear one of mine until we can get you another,” she said and smiled. Frida smiled in return. “I’ll keep an eye on him, Frida. He won’t hit you again.”
It had been weeks since Cassia had seen Darius, and she ached for him. She thought about their last day together and how Darius had kissed her. She could still feel the softness of his lips, and as she thought about it her body reacted to the memory. She desperately wanted to see him again, but she didn’t know how to find him.
Cassia decided to ask Flavius to help her. What better way to get even with her father for what he had done to Novia than to help her find Darius? She knew Flavius was no longer loyal to her father, but she also knew he didn’t like Darius.
Cassia asked Frida to prepare her bath while she went to the shop to find Flavius. She found him stacking bolts of silk fabric recently arrived from Egypt. As she tapped him on the shoulder, he turned around quickly. Flavius looked sad, as he always did since Novia’s death.
“And what brings you in here, my Cassia?” he asked her. Cassia sat on the tall stool next to the counter and looked into Flavius’ eyes. There was no life behind his eyes anymore. She hesitated before speaking.
“I need your help, Flavius,” she said. “Please don’t say no right away.”
“Then I take it this is something I would object to.” Flavius put the cloth down and sat on the other stool behind the counter. “Well, what is it?”
“Flavius, you know how much I love Darius.” Flavius frowned. “I know you don’t approve of him, Flavius, but I do love him and…I want to find him.”
“And you want me to help you, is that it?”
“Flavius, I would never ask you for another thing as long as I live if you would just find him for me.”
“Did you ever think that if he loved you he’d be here taking you away from that evil son of a bitch?”
“Yes, I’ve thought of that.” She could feel him growing angry.
“Darius is a coward, Cassia, or he would have given up everything and claimed you.”
“I see that he respects my father, Flavius.” She sat thinking for several minutes while Flavius stared at the street outside the front of the shop. Cassia wondered if he was thinking of the day Novia sat out there crying.
“Girls should never chase men. It’s not proper,” he finally said.
“I promise you, if you’ll just help me find him…”
“Fine, I’ll make inquiries. But you have to promise me that if the bounder rejects you outright, you’ll let this go.”
“Yes Flavius, I promise.”
Cassia got off the stool and walked over to Flavius. She put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Flavius blushed. “Thank you, Flavius.”
At the end of the day, Flavius bolted the shop door and walked down the street, headed for the tavern to find Quintus’ cousin Cletus. He knew the hooligan lingered there daily searching for gamblers to ensnare in Leonides’ web. According to Quintus, Cletus had visited young Darius’ townhouse and would know where to find him.
It took Flavius a long time to reach the tavern. The torches had been lit, but he still felt uneasy walking the streets in this part of the city after dark. He had his dagger with him, but he wasn’t in the mood for a fight.
The seedy tavern was full of patrons when Flavius walked into the building. He didn’t know what Cletus looked like, but he knew the man smelled and had black teeth. Unfortunately, there was more than one man of that description seated at the tables.
Flavius walked over to the barkeep and asked for Cletus by name. The barkeep pointed to a table near the wall where Cletus sat in all his glory. He was nursing a cerevisia, and Flavius ordered another before taking it to the table and placing it in front of Cletus. Cletus gestured, indicating Flavius could take a seat. As he sat down, Flavius breathed through his mouth.
“My name’s Flavius. I’m looking for someone you know.”
“You must be Quintus’ lapdog.”
Flavius’ face was set in stone, but Cletus could see the slightest ripple in his cheeks as Flavius clenched his teeth.
“I’m nobody’s lapdog, cretin. One more remark like that and your teeth will be down your throat.”
Cletus sniffed loudly. “Relax Flavius, my mistake. So, who are you looking for?”
“A certain young nobleman, Cletus.”
“That wouldn’t be Darius now, would it? That one’s not allowed to borrow from us anymore.”
“But you do know where he lives?”
“I’ve been there a few times. They weren’t very pleased to see me, though.”
Cletus gave Flavius Darius’ address and Flavius got up to leave the table. Cletus grabbed his arm and Flavius turned around.
“He doesn’t spend his nights there anymore. He’s found himself a new sponsor, someone else to finance his habits.” Flavius shook Cletus’ hand off his arm. “Besides, he’s right over there.”
Flavius turned and saw Darius on his knees among several men throwing dice.
“Some never learn, do they, Flavius?
Flavius walked toward the dice circle. He watched Darius as he threw the dice over and over, never winning a toss. He could see Darius was down to his last denarii, so he walked over to him and held out his money pouch. Darius looked up and saw Flavius. He blushed, got up off the floor and left the tavern, with Flavius following him out the door.
“What do you want, Flavius? Have you come here to humiliate me?”
“You’ve done a good job of that on your own, son. You don’t need any help from me.”
“Then why are you here?”
“You broke her heart, you know. She’s asked me to find you.”
Darius walked away from Flavius, but couldn’t shake him.
“It’s no use running away. I know where you live and I’m going to tell her.”
Darius stopped walking and turned around.
“Tell her I don’t love her. Tell her to find someone else. Tell her anything you want, just don’t tell her where to find me,” he said, and again started walking away with Flavius close at his heels.
“She won’t believe me. She didn’t believe me the first time I told her. She has to hear it from you.”
Darius stopped and looked at Flavius. Flavius could see the boy was in pain. Perhaps he really did love Cassia.
“It’s no good; it will never work, and you know it. Please tell her anything, but keep her away.”
Darius ran away from Flavius, who agreed with Darius that it was for the best. Now he just had to convince his Cassia.
The First One
Darius ran until he reached Lydia’s home. He was out of breath and shaking from the cold. Anthony had been gone for weeks and Darius had managed to stay away from the tavern, until tonight. He had found another source of income, and for the first time since he’d met his benefactress, Lydia, he felt tawdry.
When he saw Flavius hovering over him with a bag of money, for one second he almost took it. Then he remembered Cassia, and the thought of her seeing him this way forced him off the floor and out the door of the tavern. His embarrassment soon gave way to a fear that Flavius would tell her what he had seen.
Darius looked at the lady’s house. He didn’t feel he could face her right now, so he decided to check in on an old friend, Amara. He walked past the villa toward the city.
Amara was a former prostitute whom Darius had known since he was thirteen. She had a small townhouse of
her own, through a senator who kept her nicely. Hopefully, the senator was out of town.
Darius had met Amara when his father had taken him to a brothel. Pius had doubts regarding Darius’ masculinity and brought him to the brothel to verify his preference for females. Amara was 15 and had been a prostitute for three years. She was lovely and buxom for her age, and she liked the sight of Darius instantly. Darius was small, skinny boy, but even then his face was handsome. Pius found him too feminine, but Amara thought he was just right. She took his hand and led him to her room.
Amara was gentle with Darius. Being thirteen and never having seen a girl naked before, Darius didn’t quite make it into Amara’s inviting young body. He spilled his seed and turned away, embarrassed. Amara took his face in her hands and kissed him. She smiled and told Darius that it was natural for someone to do that the first time and she used her hands to arouse him again. That time Darius performed well.
He also performed well the second and third time. He fell in love with Amara that day, and for the next five years he would see her regularly. When he was eighteen, Amara told him she would be leaving the brothel to live with a senator. Darius’ heart was broken. He had planned to set Amara up in a house when he came of age, and now his dreams were dashed. She told him he was always welcome to visit her at the senator’s townhouse, but not for lovemaking. Amara was an honest woman, and she wouldn’t cheat the man who gave her such a lovely home.
As Darius approached Amara’s house, he saw a light in the window. He walked to the door and rang the bell. A servant answered and told him to wait in the atrium.
Darius sat on a couch facing the pool. He looked at the water and thought of the Tiber River. He hadn’t been there lately, not since it had advised him to ruin Cassia. When he looked up, he saw Amara standing near the couch, and she looked beautiful.
Pello Island: Cassia Page 11
