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As Cassius stood, Indavara locked a hand on his wrist.

‘Wait.’

Cassius shook his hand away.

‘Sorry,’ continued Indavara. ‘It’s just . . .’

He sighed and brushed his hair away from his face. Cassius sat down again.

‘There were women. But it was all so . . . rushed. I never knew when they were coming. Or
who
would come. Then they would disappear. I never had a chance—’

‘—to get good at it.’

Indavara shrugged.

Cassius waved a hand at him. ‘That’s natural. It takes time, training – just like anything. Listen, these girls are professionals. You’re in capable hands. In any case, don’t feel you have to go all the way, so to speak. I won’t be. They may look like goddesses but they can carry all manner of pox. My cousin got the most awful fright when – well, perhaps it’s best not to go into that. Let me put it this way. There’s no need to sheathe the sword, but that doesn’t mean the blade can’t be touched. See what I mean?’

Indavara nodded.

Cassius stood again, then leaned closer to him.

‘Don’t take too long to choose. The ones you reject will be angry. And don’t forget to enjoy yourself.’

Cassius still hadn’t made up his own mind; so it didn’t particularly concern him that when he arrived back at the room, the voluptuous girl was alone. She was sitting in front of a lamp, examining her face in a mirror. Cassius held the token up. She smiled and came to him, then led the way back down the corridor to another room. As Cassius went inside, she turned and locked the door. The room was small, half its space taken up by a substantial bed covered in fine cotton sheets. The only other features were an oriental-looking rug and a hexagonal wooden table. On the table was a pile of clean towels and a large bowl of water. While the girl lit a lamp by the bed, Cassius bent down, untied his boots and took them off. The girl then led him over to the table. She put his hands in the perfumed water and began to wash them. He looked down at her and reflected that he’d perhaps judged her a little harshly. Her face was too chubby ever to be considered beautiful but she was certainly pretty, with a full mouth and big brown eyes. She glanced up at him and smiled. She had finished washing him, and now examined his fingers.

‘Someone looks after you well.’

‘My attendant.’

‘He attends to all your needs?’ she asked with a provocative smile.

‘No. For that I need a woman. What’s your name?’

‘Athena.’

‘That’s your real name?’

‘Does it matter?’ she replied, unbuckling his belt.

Cassius shrugged as she laid the belt on the table.

‘And your name, sir?’

‘Cassius.’

Athena ran a finger down his chest. ‘Well, Cassius. What are we to do tonight?’

‘I shall tell you. I shall tell you precisely what to do and when to do it. You can start by helping me undress.’

Cassius bent forward. Athena took hold of the tunic and pulled it off over his head, leaving him in only his loincloth. He always wore underwear if there were likely to be attractive women around – to avoid embarrassing bulges under his tunic. Athena took off the loincloth and dropped it on the table with a smile.

‘Now go and sit at the end of the bed,’ Cassius told her.

‘Shall I take my robe off?’

‘Did I ask you to?’

Athena smiled. As she walked away from him, Cassius stared at the transparent cloth clinging to her bottom. He waited for her to sit down, then joined her at the bed. He lay down, and adjusted the pillows until he was comfortable.

‘Now, come and sit on my chest.’

Athena clambered along the bed, then lowered herself on to him. She pushed her dark tresses of hair away from her face.

‘Pull your robe down.’

Athena loosened the robe and eased it down over her shoulders, first one, then the other.

‘Further.’

Now the robe cut a line across the swell of her breasts.

‘Slowly.’

Cassius watched the hem as it descended past her cleavage.

‘Stop there.’

He reached up, took the material in both hands, then slid it down, revealing as fine and full a pair of breasts as he had seen.

‘Ah,’ he said. ‘Antioch.’

Indavara returned to the table just after Cassius. He slumped down in the chair, a bottle of wine in his hand. It was almost empty. He looked more relaxed, more at ease with himself, than Cassius had seen him.

‘I hardly need ask, but how was it?’

Indavara shook his head and grinned. ‘She’s so lovely. Her skin’s so soft.’

Just as he spoke, what Cassius had previously thought were two separate groups of men stood up together and made for the back of the room. As well as Magistrate Quarto there must have been a dozen others. They filed out through the right-hand corridor, moving quickly and quietly, strangely purposeful.

Indavara was staring into space over Cassius’s shoulder. He took a hefty swig from the wine bottle.

‘Are you drunk?’

The way in which the bodyguard’s eyes took time to re-focus was all the confirmation Cassius needed.

‘No. I just – her skin, it was –’

‘Yes, yes, so soft. I heard you the first time.’

Cassius took the bottle of wine and placed it on the far side of the table. ‘That’s quite enough for you.’

Indavara nodded towards the rear of the room. ‘There’s Octobrianus.’

‘What’s he doing?’ asked Cassius without turning round.

‘Just kissed a girl. Now coming towards us. I think he’s leaving.’

‘Then try to reclaim your wits, bodyguard, because in a moment so are we.’

By the time they got outside, Octobrianus had vanished. They ran back down the street to the corner. The procurator was there, thirty yards away, swiftly retracing his steps. As they followed, Indavara stumbled off the kerb.

Cassius tutted. ‘Don’t tell me I’m going to have to teach you how to drink too.’

‘I’m fine.’

Octobrianus turned another corner. They sped up; and had almost reached it when a large group of men appeared out of the darkness ahead. Cassius spied several well-dressed figures and numerous attendants and bodyguards behind them. Like the men in the brothel, they too were silent and seemingly intent on reaching their destination quickly.

Cassius cut right into an alley. ‘Quick. In here.’

‘What are you—’

‘Quiet.’

Cassius turned to face the street, knelt down and untied one of his boot-laces. He was retying it as the group passed and was able to get a good look at them. He saw Ulpian’s huge African bodyguard, then the general himself. Neither was in military attire. A couple of the bodyguards took a cursory glance at Cassius and Indavara but said nothing. The group turned left into a side street behind the square.

‘Was that—’

‘Yes,’ replied Cassius. ‘Ulpian and your dark friend.’

‘We should hurry – Octobrianus.’

‘Chances are he’s going home. I’m rather more interested in where the general and his friends might be headed at so late an hour with so great a sense of purpose. Come.’

Cassius led the way down to the side street. The men were just passing the back of the brothel, where the group from inside had already gathered. After a few hushed greetings, they all moved off together, now swollen in number to twenty or more.

‘Curious,’ Cassius whispered. He and Indavara had to move carefully as they followed; there was only the moonlight to guide their way, and all manner of refuse in the side street to avoid. Cassius made sure they kept their distance. There would be serious consequences for himself, Abascantius and the investigation if they were discovered following Ulpian’s party.

Thankfully there wasn’t far to go. After crossing two more streets that ran down to the river, the men came to a stop by a gate at the front of a high-walled villa. Cassius and Indavara got as close as they dared, then waited and watched. They heard the chime of a bell, then a few murmured comments. A lantern appeared, illuminating the gate and the faces of the twenty-six men Cassius counted filing inside. The lantern-bearer walked out on to the street, took a brief look around, then joined the others, locking the gate behind him.

‘Most curious,’ said Cassius. ‘We shall make a circuit of the walls.’

The left side of the villa ran along the street they had just crossed. They started up the shallow slope and, about fifty feet along the wall, came to a second gate. They kept walking until they reached another large, walled villa. Unlike the first building, it was flanked by a row of high poplars.

A bark of laughter from behind them; and they turned to see two men emerge from an alley.The laughter faded quickly as the pair hurried across to the gate.

Cassius tugged on Indavara’s tunic and nodded at the trees. They ducked through the stiff branches and soft leaves into cover. Once again they heard a bell ring. Cassius made his way back down the slope, rounding each tree carefully in turn. Indavara followed; and just as they came to the last poplar, a light appeared. The elongated shadows of the two new arrivals stretched back across the street.

‘State the number,’ said an impassive voice from behind the gate.

‘7-6-9-1-3-5.’

‘Enter.’

The shadows disappeared, then the light. The gate clanged shut. Indavara was already whispering the number to himself.

‘Relax,’ said Cassius quietly. ‘I’ve got it.’

They tiptoed back up the street.

‘So – we going in?’ asked Indavara.

‘We can’t risk it,’ replied Cassius.

‘But we heard the code. They didn’t even ask for names.’

‘Perhaps they know their faces. Whatever’s going on in there, I doubt surprise guests will be welcome.’

‘I can take care of the guards,’ said Indavara.

‘I’m sure. But then what? We walk up to the front door and ask what’s going on? And we have to get back out.’

‘Let’s at least try it. If you didn’t want to know what’s going on, you wouldn’t have followed them here.’

‘You seem very adventurous,’ said Cassius. ‘I think you’re still drunk.’

‘Not at all.’

‘What if we do get in and something goes wrong? You can’t use your dagger.’

Indavara held up his fists.

‘All right,’ said Cassius, ‘but listen. We’re going in there to find out what this lot are up to, not for you to practise cracking heads. Understood?’

Indavara nodded.

‘Leave the talking to me. If we run into trouble . . . do what you do.’

Upon reaching the gate, Cassius looked through the bars and saw a faint light behind some trees. In an alcove by the gate hung a small bell on a string. He rang it. Indavara moved up next to him but Cassius gestured for him to take a pace backward.

A man carrying a lantern pushed his way through the trees, closely followed by another. They came up close to the gate and inspected the newcomers. Both had clearly been selected with intimidation in mind; they were broad six-footers with short hair and light beards. Even without the century tattoos on their forearms, Cassius would have known them for ex-legionaries.

‘State the number.’

‘7-6-9-1-3-5.’

One of the guards produced a key and unlocked the gate. As he opened it, the other – an older man – whispered something to him. The guard with the key stopped, the gate still only half open.

‘Is the number incorrect?’ Cassius asked.

‘No,’ said the younger man.

‘Perhaps you hesitate because you haven’t seen me here before.’

The guards said nothing.

‘My uncle seemed to think the number would be sufficient. I thought names were not usually given here. Well, I’ll be prepared to make an exception as this is my first time. Titus Rufus Ulpian. Does that help you?’

The guards looked at each other. The older man shrugged, then nodded. The younger man opened the gate and stood aside. Cassius went in first.

‘Thank you.’

The branches of the trees formed a natural barrier that hid the villa from the street. The guards shut the gate, then held the branches out of the way so that Cassius and Indavara could pass through.

‘The main door is that way, sir,’ said the older guard, pointing along a tiled path that ran across open grass to the front of the villa.’