The Forgotten Legion

There she aroused Brutus so much he was able to take her again.

'By all the gods, you are insatiable!'

'You make me like this, Master.'

'What a liar!' said Brutus as he got dressed. He touched her cheek. 'Good to hear it, all the same. And a pleasure to see such beauty. Gaulish whores are either hags or crawling with disease.'

'Stay in Rome, Master.' She batted her eyelashes. 'Come and see me every day.'

'Love to,' he replied with a smile. 'But I could not afford it! I will visit when possible. You satisfy me. What was your name again?'

'Fabiola, Master.'

Brutus removed an aureus from his purse and placed it on the table. 'This is for you. Don't let the old crone near it.'

Fabiola picked up the gold coin, clutching it tightly. 'I'll be waiting,' she said.

Brutus caressed one of her small breasts before leaving her alone.

A few moments later, Jovina was beaming at the bloody sheet. Her rapid arrival made Fabiola wonder if she had been waiting outside the door. The madam rubbed wrinkled hands with excitement.

'Brutus had the look of a satisfied man! Even said the price had been worth it. Well done, child.'

'You and Pompeia taught me what to do.'

'Teaching's not the same as practising something,' Jovina replied. 'Keep every customer as satisfied as Brutus and you'll go far.'

Fabiola nodded. There had been no choice about being sold, but she was determined to make the most of her new situation. Becoming the Lupanar's best prostitute would grant the power and influence Fabiola craved. She was not going to be just another whore in a brothel. There were so many things she needed to achieve, and having men in her thrall was the only method available. Freeing her mother from Gemellus was the most urgent task, although well nigh impossible. The merchant would never sell Velvi

Or killed.

She was brought back to reality by Jovina's voice.

'No point daydreaming about Brutus. One pleased customer doesn't run the Lupanar,' she said briskly. 'Have a wash and be at reception in half an hour, wearing a clean dress.'

Fabiola forced a smile. Clutching the tip, she pulled on her robe and left the madam calling for Docilosa to clean the bed.

The confident ma

'One of Caesar's officers? The gods must be in a good mood. My first one was old and dirty.' The redhead made a face. 'Had to wash him for an age just to get rid of the smell!'

'Brutus gave me an aureus.'

Pompeia nodded in approval. 'Will he visit you again?'

'I think so.' A trace of doubt entered Fabiola's mind. 'He's returning to Gaul in two months.'

'Plenty of time!'

'Sure?'

'Make his next visit even more amazing,' Pompeia whispered, 'and he 'll be infatuated. Men are like that. Brutus will come ru

Fabiola listened carefully.

'They say Caesar's star is in the ascendancy. So Brutus' will be also.' Pompeia gave her a sly wink. 'Just remember that.'

'I will,' Fabiola replied, delighted that her hunch had been correct. She resolved to do her utmost to win the young noble 's affections if he did return as promised.

Gemellus returned from the Lupanar in the foulest of moods. He had been outwitted by Jovina and his pride was wounded. To add to the embarrassment, the merchant had been publicly ejected from the brothel for the second time. The idea of visiting the madam with a gift of jewellery and sweet-talking his way to a percentage of Fabiola's earnings had only seemed fair. After all, the brat was making her a fortune.

The plan had gone spectacularly wrong.

Jovina had accepted the present readily enough, even serving some acceptable wine. They had talked politely about the state of the Republic and the economy before Gemellus had brought up the topic of Fabiola.

Jovina's face had gone cagey the moment the girl was mentioned. A queasy feeling had flared in his stomach, unsettling him, and he'd started badly by immediately demanding a cut of Fabiola's earnings. The sharp skills at bargaining which had been honed over two decades seemed to have evaporated overnight. Jovina had refused point blank and Gemellus had lost his temper. Beleaguered now on all sides by creditors, he had not forgiven the madam for duping him out of thousands of sestertii.

Gemellus hadn't even had the satisfaction of wrapping his fingers around Jovina's scrawny neck. Before he could lay a hand on her, the enormous doorman had again materialised as if from thin air. Benignus had plucked the merchant bodily from his seat, and carried him to the door. The colossus had held Gemellus' arms while Vettius drove two powerful punches into his solar plexus, winding him completely. A moment later, he flew out the door to land face first in a fresh pile of mule dung.

'Next time I'll tell them to cut your balls off!' Jovina had yelled.

Scandal did not take long to move through the city. It would only be a matter of time before Gemellus' enemies heard the news of his public disgrace. The merchant's poor standing with certain influential members of Rome's financial underworld would be damaged even further. The frantic attempts he'd made to keep his lenders happy were all going wrong. Gemellus had managed to placate Crassus, his biggest creditor, but a number of the Greeks in the Forum had threatened to break his legs if he couldn't meet their extortionate weekly payments.

If he wanted to fund the bestiarius' expedition, Gemellus would have to sell the house in the Aventine or even his beloved villa in Pompeii. This realisation darkened an already black mood. He stalked along stone-floored corridors to the room Romulus and Fabiola had shared with their mother. Throwing open the flimsy wooden door, Gemellus found Velvi

'Useless bitch. Why aren't you in the kitchen?'

'I am sick, Master.'

Gemellus was filled with disgust. Velvi

'Get up and do some work!'

'My children, Master. Where are my beautiful twins?'

Gemellus pursed his lips. He was sick of Velvi

There was not even the satisfaction of a whimper in response.

'With any luck the boy is dead,' he spat. 'I didn't do so well with the little vixen though. She's making her new owner a fortune in the whorehouse.'

Velvi

Gemellus laughed. The idea that she would have a reason to exist was most amusing. She belonged to him – he could sell or even kill her without any legal implications. Whether Velvi

'I'll get a few hundred sestertii for you instead. The salt mines will take anything that breathes,' he said. 'I should have done it the same day as the brats. Now get back to work.'

'And if I won't?'

The merchant was so shocked that he released his grip on her.