Scandal takes a Holiday

I can see Privatus is raking it in."

Privatus hasn't even started," moaned Petronius. He wants to redevelop the whole bloody town. So tell us, Falco, was there any unacceptable pushing and shoving at this fire you witnessed?" I guessed he and Bru

Now Lucius, old pal, if you're so keen to jump out of bed with Privatus, why did you ever agree to be put up here in his house?"

Rubella." Rubella was the tribune of the Fourth Cohort, Petro's chief. Rubella knew that Petronius Longus was a damn good officer, but suspected him of subtle insubordination. Rubella would not usually provide letters of introduction.

Rubella's a joke to you!" Petronius pretended to have a nervous tic, brought on by stress due to mention of his senior officer. But then he said, Have to admit, he fixed me up very nicely."

What's he up to?"

Official initiative to improve relations with the builders. Rubella asked me to fraternise."

So where have you been fixed up to socialise?" I asked, turning to Bru

We're not that fraternal. I have to rough it at the station house." There was a pause, during which we all fraternised mentally with the wealthy Privatus by swigging more of his fine wine. Go on, Falco what upset you about the bastards on fire duty?"

Well, be fair; they were rough lads and it was an emergency situation."

Being rough was justified?"

All they really did was jostle the donkey Gaius was riding." Petro and Bru

With Gaius Baebius tied upside down under it," elaborated Bru

I do." We let the subject drop. r

XVIII

The naval man was older than I expected, a white-haired, fussily dressed type, with a meticulous way of speaking. He looked like a freedman who had previously worked as the Emperor's wardrobe master. when the Emperor was not the old soldier Vespasian, but one of the dissipated young divinities, Nero or Caligula, who liked incest and murder. The marine came laden with hostess-gifts to beg forgiveness for his late arrival; he carried in a whole armful of garlands for our womenfolk, who were unimpressed.

Charming," I murmured to Petro, who grumbled back under his breath. Caninus was the sea biscuit's name. We were not surprised that a contact recommended by Bru

I hope the cook can find you something that's still warm," Maia called after us sarcastically.

Your sister's a dour piece!" observed Caninus, too loudly.

Bit of a drink habit," Petronius lied, in a more cautious undertone.

Try bringing her a half-amphora of Falernian next time…" Unfortunately for him, Maia had not disappeared yet, but was leaning on a faux marble column with a purse-lipped intensity that reminded me of our mother as she overheard the libel. It was a good di

We hear you're a pirate specialist." Petro was hoping to pick Caninus" brains, then shed him. No such luck; he liked to talk too much.

Oh I'm your man!" Caninus intoned, flinging his right arm madly towards the ornate figured plasterwork of the ceiling and its coving above, like some slurred orator in the afternoon court session. He was left handed. I noticed that. He kept his left hand clamped firmly round his goblet, so the brimming wine barely rippled, despite the frenetic posing. My physical trainer, Glaucus, was a devotee of keeping your main body still while exercising legs and arms until your eyes watered; he would have loved Caninus.

Naturally, it depends how you look at it," Caninus raved. Let us land and beat up the locals. you are a pirate; I am a heroic warrior with expansionist pretensions on behalf of my city-state… Goes back at least to Athens."

The Greeks. Great seafarers," Petro agreed. From him this was no compliment. Caninus seemed not to notice. Piracy was the fast alternative to diplomacy. Same with the damned islands. Rhodes, Crete, Delos Delos in particular, nothing more than enormous free markets where plunderers could sell off their booty, no questions asked. Think of the Delos bloody slave market, ten thousand souls shifted daily, in peacetime or war. They say prisoners are sold as soon as a captain unloads them, and nobody asks were these once free men and women, who never ought to be in chains."

Still?" I managed to get in.

Still? What do you mean still, Falco? Has some joker told you the slave trade ever stopped?"

No, Rome's enormous appetite for slaves has kept the Delos market going."

With donkey bells on!"

Tingaling! I meant, are pirates still the slave merchants who supply the bodies?"

Who else?" Caninus slammed down his cup. He could do this in safety because it was now empty. Bru

Tell us more," I croaked, although I was now so drunk I had lost interest in research. Caninus obliged happily, like some awful philosopher groaning into the next part of a three-hour lecture. Let us have some definitions. piracy, characteristics of

We can send out for a slate if you need to do diagrams." Bru

Especially death," intoned Petronius. He was lying on his back on the dining couch he shared with me, inspecting the ceiling. Petro's dough-coloured tunic with the rope patterned braid, his favourite off duty wear, had crumpled around the armpits. He had a glazed expression that I had not seen since our last night in Britain, the night we left the army. A story in itself. I felt sick. I told myself it would pass.