'Who else will be present at this dinner?'
'It's not a diplomatic function. No Egyptians will be present, only Romans. Beyond that, I know nothing, except that Caesar stressed the informality of the affair. I suppose it may be limited to his inner circle.'
'His inner circle…' I repeated, dully.
Pothinus studied me closely. 'It was your son who presented the golden belt to the king, wasn't it? And later, the same young officer collected the head of Pompey on Caesar's behalf.'
'That young officer is named Meto. At one time he was my son. But no longer.'
'Of course. Shall I relay to Caesar your desire that Meto should not be present if you're to dine with him?'
'I'm hardly in a position to dictate his choice of dinner companions to Gaius Julius Caesar! Besides, I have no desire to dine with Caesar under any circumstances.'
'That seems rather… ungracious of you, Gordianus-called-Finder.'
'Ungracious? How so? Caesar is not my host.'
'Ah, yes, your host is King Ptolemy-and I can assure you that it would be most pleasing to your host if you did accept this invitation.'
I felt a prickling across the back of my neck. From too many similar experiences in recent years, I sensed the drift of Pothinus's insinuation. When he might have had me killed, King Ptolemy had spared my life. He had done me the tremendous honor of allowing me to enter Alexandria on his royal barge. He had given me accommodations far above my station. In return, he had asked almost nothing of me-until now. Caesar wished to dine with me. The king would be pleased if I would accept that invitation. And what would the king expect afterwards? A report on Caesar's state of mind, a precis of the conversation, the names and ranks of those present at the dinner and any opinions they might have expressed?
'And if I decline the invitation?'
'Surely, Gordianus-called-Finder, you won't do that. Here you are, far from home, arriving in Egypt at a time of great uncertainly, even peril, with three young charges depending for their very survival upon your judgment, and by the most amazing happenstance, you find yourself under the protection of the king of Egypt himself! Now Caesar, as another of the king's guests, has asked a favor of His Majesty-that you should dine with Caesar-and the king, eager to demonstrate his beneficent hospitality, desires that you should do so. Short of some… terrible accident… or a sudden, grave illness threatening you, or one of your young charges… I cannot imagine any reason why you should refuse. Can you, Gordianus-called-Finder?' The eunuch's bland expression defied me to detect any threat whatsoever in his words.
I shook my head. 'No, of course not. I have no reason to deny Caesar the pleasure of my company. What time shall I be ready?'
CHAPTER XIII
It was Merianis who came for me that evening. She stood in the doorway and looked me up and down.
'A very handsome tunic,' she said. 'Dark blue suits you, and the yellow border in that sea-horse pattern is very fashionable. But wouldn't your toga be more suitable?'
I had to laugh. 'For a private dinner, in this climate? I think not. Does this mean that you'll be accompanying me?'
'Only as far as the Roman frontier,' she said, jokingly referring to the Roman-occupied quarters of the palace. 'Once I hand you over to the border guards, my job is done.'
'Too bad. A man always feels more confident arriving with a beautiful woman on his arm. But I don't suppose there'll be any women present on this occasion.'
'No women have been… invited,' she said. She seemed to speak with some double meaning, but I could not imagine what.
'Very well, Merianis, if you approve my appearance, then I suppose I'm ready. Rupa, look after the boys. Stay out of trouble, you two!'
We traversed torch-lit corridors, jasmine-scented gardens, and courtyards adorned with Greek statues and Egyptian obelisks. Merianis put her hand on my arm. 'It's sweet, the way you fuss over them.'
'The boys?'
'And Rupa as well. As if he were your child.'
'Technically, he is my son, by adoption.'
'I see. You took him on as a sort of replacement…' She left the sentence unfinished.
'No. I took him into my care because that was the desire of his late sister, a stipulation of her will. It had nothing at all to do with…'
She nodded.
'Will Meto be there, tonight?' I said.
'I think not. Pothinus conveyed your sentiments to Caesar. Nonetheless, with or without Meto, Caesar still wishes to dine with you.'
I sighed heavily. 'I suppose I shall get through the evening somehow. One sits, one eats, one forces a modicum of polite conversation; time passes, and eventually the evening is over, and one may leave.'
'Do you dread this meeting with Caesar as much as that? I should love to meet him! There's no man in the world more famous, or ever likely to be. They say he casts a shadow even over Alexander's accomplishments. To be allowed to say just a few words to him would be…' Unable to find adequate words, she exhibited an exaggerated shiver instead. I looked at her sidelong and wondered how many men in the world, given the choice, would desire to spend an evening with Caesar rather than with Merianis.
'My only hope is that the evening will be relatively uneventful, and that Caesar won't spring any surprises on me.'
She raised an eyebrow. 'I shouldn't worry about surprises coming from that direction.'
'What do you mean?'
She smiled. 'Don't men usually enjoy surprises?'
'That depends.'
'Upon the man?'
'Upon the surprise. Merianis, why do you keep flashing that coy smile?'
'I suppose I'm in a very good mood tonight.'
'And why is that?'
'Ah, but here we are, at the gates of Little Rome.' We had entered a courtyard in what must have been one of the older sections of the palace, for the stonework and statuary were noticeably more worn by time. The doorway through which we had just stepped was flanked by Egyptian guards with spears. Flanking the doorway on the opposite side of the courtyard stood their Roman counterparts.
At our approach, the Roman guards exchanged a glance that had nothing to do with me and everything to do with Merianis. They liked what they saw.
'This is Gordianus-called-Finder,' she said. 'Your master is expecting him.'
The senior of the guards snorted. 'We're Romans. We don't have a 'master.' '
'Your imperator, then.'
The guard glanced at me, then looked Merianis up and down. 'But who's expecting you, my sweet?'
'Don't be impertinent!' I snapped. 'This woman is a priestess in the royal temple of the goddess Isis.'
The guard looked at me warily. 'I meant no disrespect.'
'Then stop wasting our time. Were you not told to expect me?'
'We were.'
'Then take me to Caesar at once.'
The guard ceded his place to another stationed inside the door and indicated that I should follow him. I glanced over my shoulder at Merianis, who flashed a last, mysterious smile as I stepped around a corner and lost sight of her.
This part of the palace was only a short walk away from the rooms I occupied, and yet I seemed to have
