He’s lost his soul and his spirit is searching for it in the darkest parts of his mind.’
A large splash, like a ballista shot hitting the sea, as a particularly chubby citizen jumped into the pool with his arms around his knees, covered them in droplets of cool water.
‘Oaf!’ Paetus shouted at the submerged miscreant. ‘I do think that they should raise the price of admission here; perhaps the standards of behaviour might go up with it.’ He jumped into the pool in the same fashion, right next to the man just as he resurfaced and covered him with water as he drew breath, leaving him choking and spluttering; Vespasian and Sabinus jumped in after Paetus, compounding the fat man’s misery.
‘Well, whether it’s a planned strategy,’ Paetus said shaking the water from his thick brown hair, ‘or whether it’s the result of Tiberius’ inability to think logically, or whether it’s a pleasant mixture of the both, it’s got Sejanus rattled and the Senate terrified, not knowing whom to back in order to stay alive.’ He struck out with an attempted breast-stoke towards the far side of the pool, weaving his way through the bobbing citizenry; Vespasian and Sabinus followed, equally as unproficient in their swimming abilities.
‘What about you?’ Vespasian asked Paetus as they hauled themselves out to sit on the edge with their feet dangling in the refreshing water. ‘Whom are you backing?’
‘That’s the beauty of my position at the moment,’ Paetus replied with a grin. ‘As one of the urban quaestors I just carry out the city’s law business; I’m so junior that no one cares about what I think so long as I perform my duties.’
Vespasian smiled at Paetus, they had become friends during the last few months of working together — as a triumvir capitalis, Vespasian worked directly for the urban quaestors — and they had come to enjoy their regular baths together in the afternoon after the business of the day had been completed. Since becoming a quaestor and entering the Senate, Paetus had taken pleasure in providing Vespasian with all the news and gossip that surrounded it — and then, a few days later, he would with great glee confirm the veracity of some and the utter unreliability of all the rest. Their conversations had provided Vespasian with a diversion from the nagging fear that had haunted him since his return from Capreae, seven months previously. Although Antonia and Caligula had both confirmed the opposite, he could not stop worrying that they had been identified by one of Sejanus’ men and a painful question- and-answer session would eventually ensue. Antonia had also told him, on one of his few and pleasurable visits to her house, that the knowledge of a deputation of unknown origin reaching the Emperor but the lack of information concerning what had been discussed had only added to Sejanus’ unease. She was also confident that Tiberius’ vacillations were, in part, intentional and that the killer blow would be delivered soon.
Paetus, for his part, had never questioned Vespasian as to what had happened to him after leaving Thracia or where he had gone for fifteen days back in March. Vespasian judged that it was because his friend sensibly felt it safer, in this climate of fear and unease, to know as little as possible about the plots and schemes of the powerful.
Having completed all the stages of the baths, Vespasian, Sabinus and Paetus, with tingling skin and lightness of foot, descended the steps in front of the Baths of Agrippa into the graceful gardens that surrounded it: one of the few public oases of calm in an otherwise bustling and thronged city.
‘How’s your young daughter doing, Sabinus?’ Paetus asked as they walked lazily past the small temple dedicated to Eventus Bonus and on through the gardens, enjoying the scent of lavender on the cool breeze. Sabinus had taken to joining them more and more often since the birth of Flavia back in May.
‘She mewls incessantly,’ Sabinus complained. ‘Clementina is thinking of changing her wet nurse.’
‘Yes, I can remember that problem with my boy Lucius,’ Paetus replied sympathetically. ‘Never could understand how the womenfolk tolerated it, but it seemed to keep them occupied, which at least was something to be grateful for.’
‘Well, I’m finding it difficult to tolerate, that’s for sure; I’m hardly getting any sleep. Clementina insists that the child sleeps close by her, and because our house is so small I can’t move her to a bedroom far enough away from mine so as not to hear the noise unless she goes into the slaves’ quarters, which she has flatly refused to do and I’m too soft-hearted to insist.’
‘Get a bigger house,’ Paetus suggested, in the manner of a man who did not have to worry about money.
‘I’ve got the biggest one that I can afford at the moment,’ Sabinus replied gloomily. ‘And having failed this year, yet again, to get elected as a quaestor I’m forced to wait until next year when I surely will be elected and be able to use the position to bulk up my finances.’
‘Quite so; but until then you’re stuck, eh? Unless you would consider a loan,’ Paetus offered. ‘I wouldn’t miss a hundred thousand or so for a couple of years; I wouldn’t charge you much interest, say ten per cent for the duration of the loan.’
‘That would be most kind, Paetus.’
Vespasian was shocked by the proposal. ‘Sabinus, you can’t!’
‘Why not?’
‘Well, for a start senators aren’t allowed to participate in banking and I’d say that charging interest on a loan breaks that rule.’
Paetus guffawed. ‘Vespasian, old chap, I don’t know of one senator who’s taken any notice of that since Marcus Crassus’ excesses; he had almost everyone in the Senate in debt to him at one time or the other and his rates of interest were exorbitant. Besides, this is just a private agreement between friends.’
‘What happens if you can’t repay it?’
‘You let me worry about that,’ Sabinus said tersely, ‘it’s nothing to do with you. As Paetus said: it’s a private agreement. If the idea of taking a loan offends your miserly scruples then fine, don’t ever take one out; I, on the other hand, have no problem with it. I intend to live comfortably and at the moment that means taking advantage of Paetus’ kind offer, which I accept with thanks.’
‘Live comfortably, yes, but live within your means. How will you be able to sleep at night knowing that you owe so much money?’
‘I’ll worry about that when I can’t hear Flavia mewling.’
They walked in silence through the Gate of Fontus, in the shadow of the Capitoline Hill with the Temple of Juno towering on the Arx above them; here Vespasian bid a sullen farewell to his brother and Paetus, leaving them to go on to Paetus’ house on the Esquiline Hill to draw up the agreement.
Walking quickly up the Quirinal to dissipate his anger he reached Gaius’ house soon after. Upon entering the atrium he found his uncle sitting by the impluvium eating sweet pastries.
‘Ah, there you are, dear boy,’ Gaius boomed, spraying crumbs all over his lap. ‘Have you heard the news?’
‘No, Uncle, I’ve been at the baths.’
‘Then I’m surprised that you haven’t heard; it’s finally happened, Tiberius has gone really mad.’ Gaius wiped his moist lips with a napkin. ‘He’s asked the Senate to meet at dawn tomorrow at the Temple of Apollo. I think that I’ll feign an illness.’
‘Why, Uncle?’
‘Because, dear boy, I don’t want to be seen opposing a motion that I cannot in all conscience vote for; the rumour is that Tiberius has written to ask the Senate to confirm tribunician power upon Sejanus.’
An hour later, Vespasian and Gaius had just been called to dinner when there was a knock on the front door. After a quick look through the viewing slot the attractive new doorkeeper opened up; into the vestibule stepped Pallas and, much to Vespasian’s surprise and delight, Caenis.
‘Pallas, what brings you here at the dinner hour?’ Gaius exclaimed, as always happy to see Antonia’s steward but slightly nervous lest it should mean that she required a difficult favour. ‘And in such beautiful company,’ he added, casting a sidelong, knowing look at Vespasian.
‘Good evening, masters,’ Pallas replied bowing, ‘we’re here, as you may well guess, on our mistress’s business.’
‘Then we shall discuss it over dinner,’ Gaius replied, keen not to be parted for too long from his repast.
‘Would that be appropriate, master?’
‘Pallas, my friend, you know as well as I that now you’ve passed the age of thirty Antonia will reward you with your freedom sooner rather than later. When that day comes I have no doubt that you will become a man of considerable influence and it’ll be I who will be honoured by your presence at my table; so dine with me this evening as a friend and let us forget our relative status.’
