Zenobia took a deep breath. As the sweet air filled her lungs, strength filled her soul and her silvery eyes mocked him back. The queen closed her ears to everything about her and, looking straight ahead, took her place behind the emperor's chariot. That was the trick, she realized with sudden clarity, to notice nothing, to hear nothing.
As she walked she sang songs in her head, and focused her eyes upon the chariot ahead of her, never looking either to the right or the left. She did not see the mob with its envious, lustful, pitying, vengeful, and cruel glances. She did not hear the ribald, even filthy comments hurled her way. She was Zenobia, the Queen of Palmyra, and could not be humbled by mere Romans.
Marcus Alexander stood amid the front rank of the crowd near the senate, and when he saw her his heart leapt within his chest. Then, realizing that she had been forced to walk naked before plebes and patricians alike, his anger toward the emperor burned hot, almost consuming him where he stood.
Zenobia! Beloved! Aching with her shame he called to her with his heart. There was much he owed Aurelian for what the emperor had done to their lives; and he intended to repay him in full, measure for measure. Marcus Alexander Britainus could no longer fool himself. He loved Zenobia. He would love her always. Once he had told her that he had loved her from the beginnings of time, and that he should love her until long after their memories had faded from the earth. In his disappointment and his anger he had believed that that had changed. But nothing had changed. He loved her. He- wanted her for his wife still, and by the gods he would have her if he had to strangle Aurelian with his bare hands.
Turning, he pushed his way through the crowds and walked back to his chariot. Grimly he drove back along the Via Flaminia to Tivoli, and to his waiting mother.
"Did you see her?" were Dagian's first words as he entered the villa garden.
"All of Rome saw her," Marcus said furiously. "Aurelian made her walk nude, the bastard!"
Dagian's usually pale skin lightened even more. "The poor thing," she said.
"Poor?" he laughed harshly. "Praise the gods that Zenobia is prouder than Venus herself! She walked like the queen she is, her head held high, her eyes straight ahead. If Aurelian meant to humble her he only forced her to build her defenses higher. She won't forgive him the insult, Mother."
"And you, Marcus? Do you forgive her?"
He had to laugh. "Yes, Mother, but I beg you in the name of all the gods I know, and those that I don't, never to tell her that. You were right. There is nothing to forgive, and I've been a fool. Whatever Aurelian thinks, Zenobia is not his."
"She is not yours either, my son."
"I know that, Mother. I am the one who must ask the forgiveness of Zenobia."
Dagian smiled. "At last you grow wise, Marcus!" she said.
"Do you think I have a chance to regain her, Mother?"
"Who can predict a woman's heart, Marcus," Dagian said wisely. "We must remember all the suffering that she has undergone at Rome's hands. I sense that Zenobia will not forgive that easily."
Had Dagian, however, seen Zenobia at the very moment she spoke she would have been astonished. Having reached the senate buildings, and the end of Aurelian's formal triumph, Palmyra's queen was wrapped in a cloak by the emperor himself, and led inside to hear the senate's judgment on her. The senate, recognizing their captive's bravery, applauded her wildly as she entered their chamber, and with a soft smile upon her lips Zenobia accepted their tribute with all the graciousness she possessed. It had been a far better show than if they had pitted her in the arena against the beasts, and they were all now quite pleased with their decision to grant her life and pension her off. She would be an interesting addition to their jaded social life. Now after she thanked them for their mercy, a faint smile of amusement upon her lips, the emperor bundled her off, then returned to escort the senate to the public games that he was sponsoring this day to honor his triumph in the East.
Taking Senator Tacitus by the arm, the emperor led them forth from the senate. Since the distance between the Forum and the Colosseum was not great, they walked, and the populace gave way to them as they came forward, cheering Aurelian, who had given them this day off, and free food and entertainment.
Zenobia awaited Aurelian at the Colosseum, and together they entered the imperial box. Seeing them, all Rome rose to its feet and cheered the handsome emperor in his purple and gold robes; his beautiful captive queen, an exquisite vision now in a simple white silk kalasiris, a jeweled collar of silver set with rich turquoise-blue Persian lapis resting upon her chest. She had dressed to please the Roman crowds, with carved silver snake bracelets on her arms and chunks of Persian lapis hanging from her ears. They would never forget her nude beauty of this morning, but her magnificent attire equally pleased them. Her fantastic cloth-of-silver cape blew in the afternoon breeze, and once she and Aurelian had finished acknowledging the crowds, she removed it.
Suddenly at the back of the box a small commotion arose, and Zenobia turned to see a woman being helped into the box by Senator Tacitus. She was of medium height, and had a faded prettiness about her. "Who is that woman?" she asked the emperor.
He turned, and swore softly beneath his breath. Then he rose and assisted the woman forward to seat her at the front of the box.
"Majesty," he said to Zenobia, "may I present my wife, the Empress Ulpia Severina."
Before Zenobia could speak Ulpia said, "Welcome to Rome, Queen of Palmyra."
"Thank you," Zenobia replied.
"You should not have come, my dear," Aurelian scolded gently. "She has not been well," he said then to Zenobia.
"I saw your triumph," Ulpia said, ignoring Aurelian's concern. "I requested that the Buteo family, who have a large home along the triumphal way, allow me access to see the procession. I was shocked, my lord, at the way in which you displayed this captive queen. All decent people were. Had not Queen Zenobia the dignity she has it would have been far worse."
Zenobia instantly felt a liking for the empress and, reaching out, she put a hand upon the woman's arm. "It is over now, Ulpia Severina, and I would not have you distressed on my account."
Ulpia's sad brown eyes met those of Zenobia, and instantly the two women understood one another. Poor soul, Zenobia thought. She loves Aurelian, and although he may respect her, and be kind to her, he does not care for her one way or the other. How hard it is to live without love!
Zenobia found the games boring, and the blood lust of the Roman population quite disgusting. She had never been afraid in battle, but watching the Colosseum audience leaning forward in their seats so as not to miss any of the gore was revolting. There they were, for the most part a useless, lazy bunch living off the dole, almost salivating with delight as they condemned the losers in the games to death. Turning from the games, she spoke for some time with the elderly Tacitus, until finally she demanded of Aurelian:
"Must I remain through this whole thing?"
"You are part of the spectacle, goddess," he said, forgetting about Ulpia, who sat listening.
"I would have thought that I had provided enough of a spectacle for your Romans today," she snapped at him. "I find your games tedious and appalling, Roman. Let me go to wherever it is you are sending me. I far prefer the quiet of the country to this pesthole of a city."
Aurelian looked annoyed, but he realized that Zenobia had taken as much as she was going to this day. To further impress his will upon her was going to result in a scene, and when Zenobia chose to make a scene he invariably ended up looking the fool. This morning burned yet in his memory. He turned to the empress. "You prepared a pleasant villa in Tivoli for the queen, my dear?"
"I have seen to it, my lord," Ulpia replied smoothly. "Although I could not oversee the preparation personally." She turned to Zenobia. "I trust you will be happy there, Majesty."
"It is not Palmyra," Zenobia said softly, "but I shall never go home, so I suppose that I will be happy in your Tivoli. I thank you for all your kindness, Ulpia Severina."
>
Ulpia smiled at Zenobia, and the queen rose, discreetly saying to the emperor, "There is no need for you to leave your games, Roman. Gaius Cicero can easily escort me, can you not, Gaius?"
"With pleasure, Majesty," the emperor's aide said.
"I bid you good day, Marcus Claudius Tacitus. I have enjoyed your company greatly, and if I am permitted visitors I hope that you will visit me often at my villa in Tivoli."
The elderly senator rose and bowed in a courtly fashion to Zenobia. "My time with you has been far too short today, Majesty. I will come and visit you whether you are allowed visitors or not. I have a villa in Tivoli myself, and the heat in Rome will soon be too much to bear. I will see you soon, I promise you."
When Zenobia had left the emperor's box the senator turned to Aurelian, and said, "You are right, Caesar. She is too lovely and too intelligent to die. What a waste had we followed Valerian Hostilius's obscene suggestion."
Ulpia turned to Tacitus. "And just what did Senator Hostilius suggest?" she asked.
"His suggestion was that we dress Queen Zenobia in animal skins, give her a spear, and have her fight a pack of wild beasts in the arena."
"Hostilius was ever a fool!" the empress snapped in a rare show of irritation.
"Then you are glad that the senate spared the queen's life, my dear?" Aurelian asked.
Ulpia looked directly at her husband, and said, "Yes, my lord. I am glad that they spared her life." Her level gaze told the emperor what he wanted to know; that she was giving him permission to amuse himself with Zenobia. Dearest Ulpia! Aurelian mused in a generous burst of fondness. She was so thoughtful! So discreet! He regretted that she was dying, but then perhaps he would take Zenobia for his second wife. He was certainly not going to let anyone else have her. He saw the envy in the eyes of the men who looked upon her. He knew that they hoped he would toss her aside, as he had done with so many others; and when he did, then they would vie for her until she chose another protector. It would not happen, though. He would marry Zenobia when Ulpia died. There was no need to divorce his wife, for she would be dead soon enough and Zenobia was going nowhere. She was his imperial captive, and would be safe in Tivoli.
The imperial captive could hardly wait to leave the city. She found Rome overwhelmingly dirty and noisy. She would be happy to live in a quieter setting, one much better suited to raising Mavia.
"How long will it take us to reach Tivoli?" she asked Gaius Cicero.
"It will take several hours, Majesty," he answered her. "It is almost twenty miles from the city, and the litter bearers can only go so quickly."
"What about a chariot, Gaius Cicero?"
"A Chariot, Majesty?"
"Yes, a chariot. I drove my own war chariot in Palmyra, and if I might have a chariot now we could get there in half the time or less, couldn't we?"
He thought a moment, and then said, "Indeed we could, Majesty. The emperor only ordered that I escort you. He did not say what sort of vehicle we should use."
Gaius Cicero drove as they left the city, but once they were safely on the Via Flaminia, he let Zenobia have the reins. The horses, however, almost drove themselves, as the road was straight and well paved.
Zenobia was fascinated by the landscape around her. It was so very, very different from what she had known all her life. The desert was endless; but here the land was broken up by hills and rivers. The desert landscape was golden and blue; but here the land was lushly green with summer as well as gold and blue. Here and there were patches of bright-red roof tiles, or black earth in newly tilled fields where second crops were already being planted. Even the air was different. The desert air was dry, but this had a soft moistness to it that felt good on her skin.
They drove in silence for what seemed a very short time, and then Gaius Cicero was taking the reins from her. "We will soon be entering Tivoli," he said loudly over the wind that rushed past their ears with the speed they were making.
She nodded. The road now wound up into the mountains, the Sabines, he told her, and below them stretched the Campagna di Roma: a vast and undulating plain filled with many jewel-like little lakes, most within the craters of extinct volcanoes. Zenobia caught her breath at the beauty of it all. Then they were entering the town of Tivoli, perched on a slope of the Sabines with a magnificent view of the Campagna and, beyond it, Rome itself.
Zenobia was delighted, for Tivoli was exquisite, a white-marble town surrounded by olive groves. Tivoli, Gaius Cicero told her, was famous for its vast deposits of Travertine marble. The quarries were located in the mountains just behind the town, and although the marble was exported to the rest of Italy, the entire town had been built of it. Zenobia was pleased to see that it was a busy place with several attractive open-air markets, an arena, and a theater located along the River Anio, which edged one side of the town.
"Your villa is located just outside the town, Majesty," Gaius Cicero told her. "It is on the river itself. All the imperial villas are."
They were shortly there. As Zenobia was dismounting the chariot, Bab and Adria appeared, and Mavia, who came running with her arms outstretched to her mother. "Oh, Mama, it is so beautiful here!" the little girl exclaimed. Mavia was now six. "It is not at all like Palmyra."
"Can you be happy here, my pigeon?" Zenobia asked, hugging her daughter.
"Oh, yes, Mama!"
"Then we will have to stay," Zenobia teased, taking the child's hand and entering into the house. "Gaius Cicero, you will take some refreshment with us, and if I may I will offer you hospitality for the night."
"The wine I will accept, Majesty," Gaius Cicero said, "but your hospitality I must decline. The emperor said I might go home after I did my duty by you. I have not seen my wife and children in over a year, Majesty."
"I understand, Gaius Cicero," Zenobia said politely, and then she nodded to Bab to see that the emperor's aide had refreshment. He quaffed it down with almost indecent haste, and quickly took his leave. Zenobia chuckled. She did not doubt that he wished to be with his wife tonight. Gaius Cicero was one of the few imperial officers who did not indulge himself with the camp whores. Neither had he kept a mistress. Then, too, she could imagine his position if he should spend the night under the same roof as her and Aurelian found out. His military career would be destroyed, not to mention the danger to his personal safety.
"Well," she said to her servants, little Mavia having been taken off by her nurse, Charmian, "is it livable?"
"It is not the palace in Palmyra," Bab said, "but we are lucky not to be in prison or in our funeral urns."
"Is it habitable?" Zenobia said, looking about, for it certainly appeared a pleasant place.
"It is somewhat smaller than we are used to, Majesty," Adria said. "There are two stories to the house," she continued. "On this level is the atrium, where we stand, and there is a nice interior garden beyond. It should be a pleasant place on winter days. There is also a fine large garden out back that goes down to the river. There is a kitchen, a dining room, and a small library. On the second level there is a bath and two bedchambers."
"What of the servants' quarters?" Zenobia asked.
"They are separate from the house, Majesty."
"It will not do," Zenobia said. "You and Bab cannot live in slave quarters."
"There is a nice room off the kitchen, Majesty, but the cook tells me that the slaves use that room to eat and rest when they are not going about their chores."
"More than likely they use that room to hide from their duties," Zenobia noted.
"Just what I thought," old Bab said. "They're a lazy lot from what I've observed so far, my baby."
"Then we shall have the emperor replace them," Zenobia said with a laugh. "That room off the kitchen sounds just perfect for you and Adria. I hope you will not mind sharing a room, but we are obviously cramped, and I want you both here with me."
"Shall I give orders to have the room cleared, and beds brought for Adria and me?" Bab asked.
"Send the majordomo to me,
" the queen said, and a few minutes later when the man stood before her Zenobia gave the orders to remove whatever furniture was in the room by the kitchen, and bring sleeping couches for her two serving women.
"Why can your women not sleep in the slave quarters like everyone else?" the majordomo demanded.
"Because," Zenobia said, "they are not slaves, and I want them here in the house with me. Hear me well, Crispus. If you should ever question my orders again I will punish you. My orders will be obeyed without question! Go now and do my bidding!"
"Will the emperor be coming tonight?" Bab asked.
"I do not know, old woman, but if he does not I shall send him a message tomorrow demanding that all the slaves in this villa be replaced. I will not suffer rudeness from a slave."
"Come out into the garden, Majesty," Adria said, "and see how fair it is. It will cool your anger."
Zenobia smiled at the girl. "Let us go, Adria, and see this garden that so delights you."
The three women walked through the villa's interior garden and out into the rear of the building. Zenobia gasped with delight. At the foot of the garden the blue river flowed merrily by, and across it the mountains rose green and fair. Upstream a magnificent waterfall ran white and frothing over the high rocks, and plunged in a wide crystal ribbon into the river below.
The garden itself was neatly laid out in colorful flower beds, all accessible by the crushed white marble paths. Zenobia saw roses and lilies in profusion, along with sweet herbs and small fruit trees. There were violets, both purple and white, and sweet pink stock and brightly colored wall flowers within the beautiful garden. It would be a' lovely place for Mavia to play. There were several large shade trees nearer the river, and some marble benches for sitting.
"You are right, Adria. It is lovely."
"You will see, Majesty, that we are separated from the neighboring villas by a low wall, and although we can see our neighbors, no one may intrude unless we invite them."
"Good day to you," came the voice from across the wall, and the three women turned, startled. There stood a tall and very beautiful woman. "I am Dagian, the empress's friend. It was my pleasure to prepare the villa for you, Queen Zenobia. I hope it is satisfactory." She walked over to the waist-high wall.
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