wiser than I. Do you think it matters, the numbers of exposed children?’
Clearly he did not think so, even if he did favour her with an enthusiastic nod. ‘That is one of the pillars of the state, Claudia. We Romans always have a clear notion of what is happening in the lands we control.’
‘And yet that information is not, as far as I know, available.’
‘No?’ he replied suspiciously.
‘What if I continue my work, record the number, though not the names of exposed children, then you could present the figures to the Senate, neither praising the practice nor condemning it, to shed some light on a murky area of behaviour. Perhaps they would be impressed. They would certainly name the survey after you, if they were.’
Nothing interested Sextius less than babies, especially ones exposed to die on barren hillsides. ‘And I would do everything that’s required,’ Claudia continued, ‘but of course, as a mere woman, I would not dare to seek any credit.’
That appealed mightily to her husband; in his mind he could see himself standing in the Curia Hostilia, men gasping at his profile and equally amazed at his noble purpose. ‘Sextius,’ they would say, ‘we all thought was a bit of a dilettante, and all the while he’s been beavering away at this. Here stands a true Roman.’ All that praise and no work to do for it!
‘But I thought I’d already said that to you, my dear, or did I just imagine it?’
As he journeyed to the villa, which sat just outside the Servian walls, Cholon was actually afraid, though there was nothing Quintus could do to him. But somehow he had found out about the Greek’s role in the affair of the juries, and had thus commanded him to attend upon him to explain; being still in his consular year, it was a summons that could not be refused. He was not afraid of physical violence, but he disliked confrontation, even with people for whom he did not care. There was no doubt that this was a triumphal general’s headquarters; soldiers, not lictors, guarded the occupant, and the trophies that would not suffer from the elements were stacked in the courtyard. Cholon deliberately delayed his arrival in the consul’s study by an over-elaborate interest in the numerous decorated chariots.
‘Am I to be asked to sit down?’ he asked, when he was finally commanded to attend, wondering if the trembling in his voice was obvious.
Quintus just waved his assent. His eyes had been on Cholon since he entered the room and they stayed there, as if, by boring into the Greek, he would get the information he wanted without the need to ask a question. Intended to intimidate his visitor, it had the opposite effect; the ploy was so obvious it nearly made him laugh and he felt the tension in his mind evaporate.
‘You’re getting fat, Quintus,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘Soldiering normally slims a man down. That is, unless he’s prone to gluttony.’
‘Do you have any loyalty to the Cornelii family, at all?’ asked Quintus, his eyes blazing with anger.
‘I esteemed your father, I like Claudia and I am friends with Titus.’
‘You’d be penniless without us!’
Cholon refused to let his annoyance show; he had learnt, a long time ago, that Quintus found it difficult to deal with a purely rational argument. ‘I’m sure you would have given me everything that your father bequeathed, out of the pure goodness of your heart.’
‘I would have left you to rot in the gutter.’
‘My word, Quintus,’ he replied, with affected languor. ‘Have a care. Do you realise that you’ve just told the unvarnished truth?’
The thought occurred to him that Quintus, as he shot out of his chair, was going to hit him. The knot of fear returned, but he remained still, determined to keep the smile on his face. Instead the other man slammed his desk.
‘You work against us, and what’s worse is that you’re using our money to do it.’
‘Don’t you mean your money, and your interest, Quintus?’
‘It amounts to the same thing.’
‘Hardly.’
‘You persuaded my brother to this foolish act. Damn it, Titus will do anything you tell him.’
‘How did you ever manage to command an army?’
That shocked him, especially as he was busy, at this very moment, preparing for his triumph. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Well, for one thing, you’ve got a very high opinion of my capabilities. And secondly, your brother does what he wants. No man tells him what to do, including, if I may say so, you. If you are such a poor judge of character, I think it is dangerous to entrust you with a military command.’
‘I wish we were in Spain now, Cholon,’ he hissed. ‘I’d feed you to the wolves.’
The Greek stood up abruptly. ‘I don’t know why I came! Even with your consular imperium I should have refused. Let me give you some advice, Quintus.’ The consul opened his mouth to speak, but unusually for him, Cholon actually raised his voice to cut him off. ‘Listen! The law has been passed. You’ll never get anyone to believe you had no hand in it. If you want to salvage anything for yourself, make a virtue out of necessity. The first time you see Titus in public, embrace him.’
‘I’d like to embrace him between two axes.’
‘I give you that advice because you’re Aulus’s son. Personally, you can go to Hades in a papyrus boat, for all I care.’
Marcellus Falerius, still wearing his tribune’s uniform, was waiting to see Quintus. He nodded to Cholon as he came out, not alluding at all, even with an eyebrow, to the raised voices he had just heard. Quintus was still fuming when he went in, but the consul smiled, putting the words the Greek had used to the back of his mind.
‘I am honoured that you choose to visit me,’ he said, as Marcellus sat down.
‘I am troubled, Quintus Cornelius.’
The consul’s face took on a look of deep concern. ‘Troubled?’
‘Yes. As you know, the next governor of Hispania Ulterior is to be Pomponius Vittelius.’ Quintus nodded, but said nothing. ‘I had approached him about returning to Spain as one of his tribunes.’
‘Go on,’ said Quintus, as the young man paused.
‘I had good grounds to believe he favoured the idea. Indeed he seemed positively enthusiastic, yet this morning when I called on him, his manner had totally changed. I was brusquely informed that such a posting was impossible.’
Quintus opened his hands, in a gesture that said he understood the problem, but was at a loss to know what to do about it.
‘Well, I was wondering if you could intercede on my behalf. I believe you have some influence with Pomponius.’
‘I have a little, but I doubt that I have enough to change his mind.’
Marcellus’s face fell. Quintus actually leant forward and patted the young man’s hand and his voice had an unctuous tone that would have made an older man suspicious. ‘You do not need any Pomponius to aid you. I am your patron, so I will see you get proper postings and in time I will help you towards all the necessary magistracies.’
‘I am aware of that, Quintus Cornelius, but I would wish to go to a place where there is some fighting.’
‘Commendable, Marcellus, very commendable,’ Quintus replied, inwardly glad that Pomponius had taken the hint. ‘But with your wedding coming up in a few weeks, surely it would be better if you let the matter rest.’
Valeria Trebonia had become a Vispanii while he had been away in Spain; her marriage to Gallus Vispanius had, of course, been arranged by her father, though the girl had, in a manner almost unique to the Trebonii household, been consulted in advance as to her preferences. It hardly seemed to bother her that Gallus, her future husband, was a dissolute rogue, a regular customer of half the brothels in Rome, prone to turning up blooded and drunk on his doorstep, with the contents of his dinner all over his clothes. Gallus was not Marcellus’s type at all, but he decided to call nevertheless, his excuse being that he must congratulate Valeria. Advance notice to the Vispanii house was required of his intentions, which he saw to before setting out to visit Quintus, so he was therefore annoyed, on arrival, to be told that Gallus was absent — which was nothing to his surprise when he was invited to enter anyway, and then shown into Valeria’s private apartments.
