Danger in the Wind (5 page)

“Oh, I’m sure you can deal with anything else that needs doing. I must go to her and comfort her. She’s quite shy, poor girl, and having someone killed here will worry her dreadfully. If we go out for our drive, it’ll take her mind off the unpleasantness of it all.”

“But what about…”

“So can I leave the rest to you, Sis? See to the cleansing, get in touch with Hawk. You can handle all that, can’t you?”

“If I must. But you don’t think that having someone killed here might worry
me
dreadfully too?”

His look of surprise gave me my answer. “I agree it’s not very pleasant, but you’re used to dealing with trouble. You can cope, I know you can.”

I let it go. I suppose it was a compliment in its way. “You’ll have to write the report for the army at Eburacum, but I can do everything else.”

“The report can wait till tonight. After we—you—have spoken with Hawk.”

“All right.”

“Thanks, Sis. I’ll just get us some food and wine from the kitchen, then we’ll be off. I’ll see you later.” He strode out.

Margarita asked, “Are you all right, Aurelia? This is a shock for us all. And you’ve been ill.”

“I wish everyone would stop reminding me that I’ve been ill. As if I’m likely to forget! I’m fine, absolutely fine. And if Lucius is too besotted with that precious girl to do his job, you and I will manage perfectly well without him.”

“Of course we will.”

“Oh, sorry, Margarita. It’s just…”

“I know. Don’t worry. Lucius is in love, that’s all. Come back to the kitchen with me and relax for a while. The customers will start arriving soon.”

“There’s one more thing I have to do first. Terentius left a package with me for safekeeping. I ought to open it and see what’s in it. It’s in the safe.”

“You think that’s why somebody tore the room apart like this?”

“I suppose it must be.” I picked up my wine-mug. “I’ll take this with me, in case there are any more nasty shocks to come.”

“You’ve made me curious. May I come too?”

“Yes, if you’d like to.” It was good of her to offer. I knew I’d be glad of her company.

We went to my study, and I pulled the goatskin rug away from the floor-board that hid our safe. It was easy enough to raise the board and lift out the sturdy iron chest, but I felt absurdly nervous as I unlocked it, and was relieved to find Terentius’ package still safely inside.

I took it out and handed it to Margarita while I relocked the chest and stowed it away. She gently turned the bundle over in her hands, and it rattled slightly.

I carefully unwrapped the cloth. Inside was, as I’d expected, a square box made of some light-coloured wood. It had a military seal over the lock, and some sort of design carved on its lid. When I looked closely I realised it was three initials, or rather one initial repeated three times. VVV.

“VVV must be the man who owns it,” I said. “It’s nicely made. Now, to open it. The question is how?”

“You didn’t find the key in the bedroom?”

“No. Let’s see now…” I broke the seal. “We’ll have to get in by brute force, unless…I know. I’ll take it across to the workshop, let Taurus have a go at it. He’s not bad at picking locks.”

Margarita smiled. “I’m not sure I like the idea of a slave who can pick locks. But as it’s Taurus, we don’t need to worry.”

She was right. There never was a more loyal servant than Taurus, my handyman.

We found him outside on the forecourt, whistling through his teeth as he gazed at a dilapidated farm cart that was standing there, or to be more exact, almost falling over. It had a wheel missing. An old native farmer was striding off, shoulders hunched, face flushed.

“’Morning, Taurus,” I said. “Cavarinus doesn’t look very happy. Is this his cart?”

“’Morning, Mistress Aurelia. No, he isn’t. But then if my cart was as much of a wreck as this, I probably wouldn’t be either. I’ve said I’ll try and see to it today, but we’ve one of our own wagons to mend this morning, and that can’t wait, now the boys are haymaking.”

“You’re getting quite a few repair jobs for our neighbours now. You can manage to fit them in with your other work?”

“’Course I can. And I enjoy doing it. The new lad is a help.” For the first time in his life, Taurus had an assistant, and he was proud of it.

“Good. He’s settling in well, is he?”

“He’s very willing, and an extra pair of hands is useful. Only with a lot of jobs, by the time I’ve explained how I want it done, and what to be careful of, I might as well have done it myself.”

I laughed. I know that feeling, so does everyone who’s ever trained an assistant. But I hadn’t time for discussing the finer points of delegation. “I’ve got a small job for you. I need it done straight away, but it shouldn’t take you long. Can you open this for me? I’ve no key, but if you can do it without damaging it,…”

His eyes lit up when he saw the box. “That’s a beauty. Beech-wood, and well made. Even got some decoration on the lid. It’s not local work, I’d say. What’s in it?”

“That’s what I need to find out. Can you open it up without smashing it to smithereens?”

“I expect so. I’ll try and pick the lock, and if that doesn’t work, I can get in through the hinges.”

“Fine. Be as quick as you can, won’t you? I’ll be in my study.”

“You don’t need to go away. If you come over to the workshop, I can probably do it while you wait.” I followed him into his den, with its tidy workbench and its rows of tools hanging neatly around the walls.

The new lad was planing what looked like the leg of a stool. He wished us a polite good-morning as we entered.

“Fetch me the small wooden chest, Tappo,” Taurus said, and when the boy brought it, he began to rummage about inside it. He finally produced a large bunch of keys and a couple of tools I hadn’t seen before. He examined the box carefully. “Quite a simple lock; I should be able to manage. What I need to do…”

But before he could begin, Secundus came striding in. “Aurelia, I’ve just heard the news about Terentius. A bad business. And his lad’s not come back?”

“He hasn’t. It looks as if you’re right, he’s made a run for it. And there’s only one obvious reason why he’d do that.”

“Aye. I came to give you this, in case it’s important.” He held out a shiny iron key on his palm. “We found it in the stall where the missing horse went from. Lucky to spot it in the straw. The boy must have dropped it while he was saddling up. I remember you said something about his boss leaving some valuables in the safe.”

I pointed to the box. “Just in time. Well done, whoever found this. Tell him there’s a jug of beer for him in the bar. Thanks, Secundus. By the way, I want to talk to Hawk today, in case he saw anything unusual in the night. Is his daughter still hanging around the stables? I think she’s sweet on one of your horse-boys, isn’t she?”

“Don’t ask me, I can’t keep up with all their romantic tangles. She’s here now, that I do know. I’ll send her to find him.”

“Thanks.” I took the box from Taurus and slid the key into the lock, and it fitted snugly and turned easily.

“That’s good. I shan’t have to spoil it now. Mistress, will you be needing the box once you’ve looked inside it?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“If you don’t, could I have it please? I’d hate it to be thrown away, a nice little box like that.”

“
If
I don’t need it, you certainly can, but I can’t say for sure yet.”

“Thank you. Now I’ll have Ursulus complaining if I don’t get his wagon mended.”

Back in my study, I opened the box. It contained three items only, all innocent-looking, yet a man had already died for them.

What took my eye first was a curious semicircular token made of silver. When I picked it up I realised it was one half of a coin. Someone had cut a silver denarius neatly into two, and this was one half of it. Where was the other? With the person who had originally given Terentius the box to deliver? No, more likely with the person who was destined to receive it, so he’d know this message was genuine even if he didn’t recognise the bearer.

I put it aside and examined the next item, a small bronze brooch. It was a very ordinary-looking plain disk, the sort of thing a peasant might use to fasten a tunic at the shoulders, except of course such brooches normally come in pairs. Its only distinguishing mark was three letters incised on its surface. It gave me a shock to realise they were the same three as appeared on the lid of the box: VVV.

I showed it to Margarita. “I wish I knew what those letters could mean. Oh well, let’s see if this tells us more.” The last object was a standard wax note-tablet, tied and sealed. I was disappointed when I opened it to see there was only a single line scrawled on it, crude but quite legible.

“The opening performance of the Fall of Troy is confirmed for midsummer at Isurium. As agreed, the Greek is to play Achilles and Eurytus Hector.”

Below were, yet again, the three letters VVV.

It was meant to look like the announcement of a play. There are plenty of dramas about the fall of Troy. But this couldn’t be literally a theatrical performance. That wouldn’t need secrecy, and knowledge of it wouldn’t be worth killing for.

The reference to Troy must be the clue. Hector met his death at Troy. This message was threatening or perhaps warning that someone called Eurytus would die at midsummer, at Isurium…the same time and place as my cousin’s birthday party. Terentius and whoever killed him believed this knowledge was urgent and valuable.

I didn’t know what to make of it. I was out of my depth, like a swimmer in a fast current. All I did know was what I must do.

“Fetch Lucius, please, Margarita. He must see this.”

“He and Vitellia are just setting off for their drive. He may not want to be disturbed.”

“I don’t care what he wants. This is urgent. Just get him here, and don’t take no for an answer.”

Chapter IV

Lucius came storming into the room. “What do you want, Aurelia? Whatever it is, it’d better be good, I’ve lost quite enough time…”

“Shut up and read this.” I handed him the note. “It’s what Terentius died for, and it looks as if someone else might be going to die too.”

He read the tablet and his anger evaporated at once. He stood still for a few heartbeats, then flopped heavily down into my chair. “I’m sorry, Sis. You were right to call me. But of all the lousy luck! As if we didn’t have enough trouble with a murdered soldier, he turns out to be a traitor too.”

“A traitor? So you think it’s some kind of death threat?”

He nodded. “It’s not just the note itself. It’s those letters at the bottom, VVV. And on the brooch too, and even the box.”

“What do they mean? I can’t think of anything except ‘Veni, vidi, vici.’”

“This isn’t a joking matter, I’m afraid. The letters stand for ‘Vivat Venutius Victor.’”

“Long live Venutius the Victor? Who’s Venutius?”

“Venutius was a Brigantian prince who made trouble quite soon after the original conquest of Britannia. There was a scandal among the native royalty because the queen left him and ran off with one of her bodyguard.”

“But that was ages ago, long before our family settled in Oak Bridges. Surely he can’t be still alive? If he is, he must be about a hundred and fifty.”

“No, he’s dead. But the slogan Vivat Venutius Victor has been taken up by his grandson, another Prince Venutius. He has quite a following among the young Brigantians, and it’s rumoured he wants to put on his grandfather’s armour, so to speak, attacking the Roman garrisons in his area, trying to drive the army out of Brigantia.”

“His area? Does that include Isurium?”

“It does.”

“So this message has something to do with a native conspiracy. What was Terentius doing carrying it all the way from Londinium?”

“That’s the other worrying thing, the mention of Eurytus.”

”I’ve never heard of him. Is he someone important?”

“Very. He’s a senior tax official, one of Caesar’s most influential freedmen. He’s come out here from Rome to do Imperial audits all over Britannia. Apparently someone at court thinks that not all of Caesar’s taxes are finding their way into the Imperial treasury. So this Eurytus is investigating. He’s powerful and rich, and also a real bastard by all accounts.”

“We’ve heard nothing about tax audits in this area.”

“That’s deliberate policy. He keeps his itinerary secret, to give as little advance warning as possible to anyone who’s up to no good. Usually any town or fort he visits gets just one day’s notice. He started in Londinium in the spring and is working his way north, and he’s made himself very unpopular wherever he goes.”

“So this note is a warning that he’ll be visiting Isurium at midsummer, and someone will kill him while he’s there. It says ‘as agreed…’ which must mean they already have some kind of plan ready, they’re just waiting for confirmation.”

Lucius nodded. “And the other things, the half-coin and the brooch, are to prove to whoever the message is for that it’s genuine.”

Margarita spoke, making me jump because I hadn’t realised she had come back into the room. “What does it mean about Achilles and Hector? I’m a bit hazy when it comes to the Trojan War, but they were on opposite sides, weren’t they, and Achilles killed Hector in single combat?”