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"Yes."
"Will you take it?"
"Probably."
"There!" Narcissus exclaimed, like the na
Unable to bear any more of this, Caenis was determined to go home. Narcissus embraced her as he usually did when she left. He said to Vespasian (so Caenis began to wonder just how many conversations about her these two had held), "I'll have to fix her up with a nice tolerant widower; somebody brave, someone the Empire owes a favor to—"
Caenis broke free. "Oh, you brass-necked cretin! Being saddled with a half-baked widower is not what I require at all."
Even Vespasian crackled, "Great gods, Narcissus—leave the poor girl alone!"
For a second she felt they were haggling over her, as Vespasian had once done with Antonia. They talked across her, about her, at her, with men's knowing air. They liked to flatter themselves they could help in her business affairs. They liked to fidget when she showed distress. Because they were men they were competitive. Neither wanted her. Neither wanted to know anything of her private aches. But neither wanted the other to show he knew her best.
Vespasian held out his hand. In front of Narcissus, she really had no choice; Caenis gave him her own. A Consul probably shook hands with hundreds of people every day. But not crushing most of them in such a deliberate grip. "Antonia Caenis."
When he spoke her name she had to look away.
* * *
After she had gone, Narcissus agitated primly, "Thanks. Anything happen?"
"We had a brief but bloody fight." Vespasian was staring at him. "Nothing unusual."
"Actually, I was afraid that seeing you might upset her."
Some grim jest twitched at one corner of the Consul's mouth.
"She's all right," he said. Helpless, Narcissus realized the full extent of the mistake he had made. "She's used to it," Vespasian stated drably. Then, after the faintest pause, "No doubt one day I'll get used to it myself."
TWENTY-FIVE
Claudius had married Agrippina on the New Year's Day immediately following Messalina's death. On that occasion Caenis made an excuse not to attend the wedding. She could not in conscience offer her support.
On the day Claudius was married, Lucius Silanus, who had been betrothed for years to the Emperor's infant daughter, Octavia, accepted the inevitable and committed suicide (a heavy hint that he was in disgrace had been dropped when he was struck off as praetor with only one day of the magistracy left to serve). Agrippina's son by her previous marriage, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, was betrothed to Octavia instead.
At Agrippina's urging, Ahenobarbus was soon also adopted by Claudius. This raised some eyebrows. No outsider had ever been adopted into the patrician Claudian house, and besides, the Emperor had a son of his own; the adoption u
One of the arguments used by Pallas to secure Nero's adoption was that Claudius ought to arrange a protector for his own boy. Ironically, from then on, even during his father's lifetime, Brita
Next, Claudius agreed that Nero should be declared of age early, and start his public career. He became a consul designate without holding other positions, and was styled Prince of Youth. There was a difficult scene when Brita
At the age of sixteen Nero married Octavia. This made Octavia his sister, his cousin, and his wife; Claudius was both his father and father-in-law. Even by the contorted standards of the Julio-Claudian house it was unusual. Nero arranged celebratory Games in honor of the Emperor, appearing himself in full triumphal robes while Brita
There was now a most unfortunate change: Brita
Brita
* * *
Caenis and Brita
She was giving Brita
She had never seen him before, but she recognized the Other Boy at once.
Her protégé, Brita
"Aha! New ladylove?" he cried, stopping in surprise. Brita
Caenis tried to adopt the air of a sophisticated, extremely expensive witch. "You must be Titus!" she divined coolly. "Titus Flavius Vespasianus, son of Titus, voting tribe Quirina, citizen of Reate."
Both children were deeply impressed.
"This is the face-detector?" Titus demanded of Brita
Brita
Caenis endured the odd experience of being eyed appraisingly by Vespasian's teenaged son.
* * *
It turned out that Narcissus was still worrying over his dynasty, pointless though that was begi