He was almost at the door when he heard her voice, low and urgent. 'Nobody knows who Saufeia's letter is to, my Lord. Nobody knows what it says. To ask questions is to dig in a wasps' nest where there is much danger and nothing to eat at the end of it. Saufeia is gone to the other world. Leave her in peace.'
As Ruso pulled up his blankets and pinched out the lamp it occurred to him that he was lucky to be blessed with a sensible friend like Valens. And a strong sense of logic. Otherwise, he might be thinking that the fire had not been an accident or a haunting but the work of someone who did not like him asking questions. Someone who had forced open his ill-fitting shutters and tossed something burning onto his bed.
57
'No file copy, sir?' Albanus looked surprised. 'Just one for me. I'll have the notes back with it when you've finished.'
Albanus turned over the top leaf of the Concise Guide. 'There's quite a lot of work here, sir.'
'I'll see you're rewarded,' promised Ruso, reminding himself that it was only three days until payday.
'Oh, I didn't mean that, sir!' Albanus seemed genuinely shocked. 'Three pages is nothing. What I mean is, I wouldn't recommend keeping the only fair copy and the notes together in one place. If there's a fire, or the roof leaks over them, you could end up having to start all over again.'
'Are you telling me,' said Ruso, incredulous, 'that you keep file copies of everything?'
Albanus shook his head sadly. 'No, sir. There isn't room. We have a list of priority items to keep, which end up in HQ-men's records, that sort of thing-and the rest is stored for a time depending on what it is, and then burned.'
Something stirred at the back of Ruso's mind. 'And is that just the hospital, or the whole fort?'
Albanus blinked. 'I think that's what everyone does, sir. You simply can't keep everything, there wouldn't be space.'
'So a letter that came in would be kept for-how long?'
'I don't know, sir. I could find out. I suppose it depends on what it is.
And obviously there's no control over personal letters to the men.'
'Ah.' Of course. Even if Saufeia had addressed her mysterious letter to a legionary boyfriend, she was hardly likely to have been corresponding via the official post. He was not thinking clearly.
'They just go on the daily lists,' added Albanus.
Ruso stared at him. 'Daily lists?' he repeated. 'Are you telling me someone sits down with the post sacks and makes a list of every letter received in the fort?'
Albanus nodded. 'Ever since a letter got lost that told the camp prefect his mother had died, sir. There was a bit of a fuss. So now if it comes through the gate, it gets noted down-recipient and sender-and signed for.'
'And who has access to these lists?'
'The HQ clerks, I suppose, sir. To be honest I don't think anybody looks at them much. It's one of those things you don't need because you've got it.'
Ruso scratched his ear. 'And how easy would it be,' he asked, 'for someone to make a discreet inquiry?'
'For someone like you, sir? I think the clerks would want to know why you were looking. In case you were going to put in a complaint about them.'
'I see.'
'But you wouldn't need to do it, would you, sir?' Albanus's face brightened. 'You've got me.'
58
Ntilla had deliberately left the baker's for last and now, as she rounded the corner, there was Lucco sweeping the opposite pavement in front of the drawn shutters and the red writing on the wall. The boy sloshed a bucket of gray water across the stones, picked up the broom, and chased trickles of bobbing dirt down crevices toward the street drain.
Tilla glanced up and down the street and checked that the upstairs window of Merula's was shuttered. 'Lucco!'
The boy gave the broom a final swish and looked up. 'You've missed them,' he said. 'They've gone to the baths.'
The goddess had granted her prayer: Bassus was safely out of the way. She moved closer to Lucco so she would not be overheard, 'Do you know if Phryne was with them?'
The boy shrugged. 'Dunno.'
'No,' said a voice. Strong fingers clamped around her bandaged arm and Bassus slid out from behind the shutters. He told Lucco to get lost. The boy scuttled into the bar. 'Phryne's feeling a bit under the weather this morning,' said Bassus.
Tilla felt a stab of pain as he squeezed her arm.
'Nice of you to ask, though.'
She dared not move. She had thought the goddess would keep her safe. Now it seemed she was expected to manage on her own.
'Surprised to see me, are you?' he asked. 'Stich took the girls out this morning.'
Two women with baskets were standing chatting at the bakery counter across the street. Tilla announced loudly, 'You are hurting my arm!'
One of them turned.
'I am not afraid of you!' she added, ashamed that the words were not true.
Bassus followed her gaze to where everyone had now stopped talking to watch what he was doing.
'If you hurt me,' added Tilla, struggling to keep her voice level, 'my master will have you punish with the law!'
There was a sharper stab as he pulled her against his chest. ' 'Round here, girl,' he hissed, 'I am the law.'
Before she could decide whether to scream, Bassus burst into laughter and released her. 'It's all right, ladies,' he called to the audience across the street, holding up both hands in mock surrender. 'Just a lovers' tiff.'
He turned back to Tilla. 'Cheer up, gorgeous. You're worth too much to damage. Me and your doctor friend done a deal, did you know that?'
'You are lying.'
'Am I? I'm going to introduce him to some people I know. We should get a good price for you.'
She stared at the man's heavy, seamed face. She took a deep breath.
'My master will never deal with a man like you!'
Bassus shrugged. 'Ask him yourself.' He cocked his head to one side and examined her face. 'What's the matter?' He smiled and shook his head. 'Oh dear, oh dear. Gone soft on him, eh? You thought he was going to keep you, didn't you?'
59
'Here you are!' declared Valens, settling himself on the wooden lid of the row opposite Ruso in the hospital latrine. 'I'll tell them I haven't seen you.'
'Who?'
'Apparently the second spear wants your balls roasted on a spit.'
Ruso washed the sponge out in the water-channel, shook it, and tossed it back into the bowl. 'Any particular
