Beloved

had touched no woman since me, for you wanted no other. Now you tell me the same thing again, and I am ashamed.'

'Because of Aurelian? I understand why you have taken him as a lover, Zenobia. As an imperial captive you had no choice in the matter short of death. You are not a woman to take the easy way, my darling.'

For a brief moment she thought of all that had passed between herself and the emperor. No, she would not have willingly accepted him as a lover, lust or no, had he not forced her.

A brief shadow of worry crossed her beautiful face, and he instantly asked, 'What is it, beloved?'

'There is now,' she said, 'but what of tomorrow?'

'I do not know,' he answered her honestly.

'So I must remain a choice bone to be fought over by the two of you,' she said softly.

He sighed. 'My love for you cannot put you in such a terrible position, beloved.' Then he groaned. 'Zenobia, is there nothing for us? I cannot go on like this. I dare not be seen with you publicly. I cannot even see my daughter except across a garden wall. I must not speak to the child lest she make some innocent remark to the emperor and compromise us both. It is not to be borne!'

Compassionately she put her arms around him, holding him close. He offered her the chance to walk away from this encounter. To remain meant that once more they would become lovers, and then when Aurelian returned and she welcomed him to her bed, she would truly become a whore. It isn't fair, she thought angrily. None of this is of my making, yet I am a pawn. Suddenly his voice cut into her thoughts.

'Zenobia, once I asked you to marry me secretly, but you refused for the sake of your son, and your position. Now will I ask you again. There are many forms of Roman marriage, but legally all that is necessary is that we consent to live together as man and wife. If we make this consent before several witnesses- my mother, old Bab, and your younger servant, Adria-then our union is legal. Will you marry me, beloved? Now? Tonight?'

'But what of Aurelian? He is already on his way back from Gaul. How can I be your wife and his mistress? I do not think that I can do it, Marcus. Not even for you, my love.'

'You won't have to, beloved. I promised Gaius Cicero that I should look in on his wife while he was away; and when I visited with Clodia today she read me his latest message to her. Aurelian plans to stay in Rome but a very short time when he returns from Gaul. His next campaign must begin almost immediately. He goes east again toward Byzantium. There are rumblings there of extreme discomfort, and unless he can quell them he will have a great deal of trouble on his hands.'

'A winter campaign? Your rumblings must be serious.'

'He will be in Rome less than a month. You can hold him off by claiming to be pregnant. Not only will it keep him off you, but it will prevent him from taking you with him on campaign.'

'Yes,' she said slowly, 'I could do that. The emperor desperately wants a child; but Marcus, when he returns from this war with Byzantium? What will we do then?'

'We will not be here then, Zenobia. None of us are kept under guard any longer, a mistake on Aurelian's part. While he marches his army across Macedonia, we will be making our way to Britain. Winter travel is dangerous, but we will survive. No one will come after us, I swear, for who will know we are gone? You do not entertain, nor do you socialize with fashionable Rome. It could be that you will not be missed until Aurelian returns, and our trail will long be cold by then.'

'He will know we have gone to Britain,' she said, 'especially if you and your mother are missing, too.'

'We will be where he cannot find us, beloved, I promise you that. We will not go to my mother's people, but rather to a group of small islands at the very tip of Britain. I visited them once when I was a boy. My grandfather owned one of those little islands-it was a dowry from one of his wives. It belongs to Aulus now, but I know that he will give it to us. It is very tiny, but it is warm almost all the year long, and there are palm trees there. Not our beautiful Palmyran palms, but palm trees nonetheless. The Romans have never been seen upon those islands, Zenobia. Aurelian will not find us there.'

'My son is in Cyrene,' she said. 'What will Aurelian do to him, Marcus?'

He smiled. There were so many barriers to their being together, but he would dismantle them one by one until she was content. 'If I swear to you that I will arrange to see to your entire family's escape, will you marry me tonight?'

'Yes!'

'Then I promise you, beloved. Everything shall be as you want.'

Suddenly Zenobia began to giggle, and when he looked somewhat puzzled she stopped and explained. 'How can I ever explain to our children that their father proposed marriage to me while we both knelt naked in a cave?'

A dark eyebrow waggled dangerously at her. 'You plan to give me children, my beauty?' he queried.

'Of course!' she exclaimed indignantly. 'I may be past thirty, but I can yet give you children!'

'Then let us start now, beloved,' he said, and pulled her down upon his cloak with him. 'I have hungered for you, Zenobia, for two years. I am no longer interested in talk.'

'Then be silent, Marcus Britainus,' she commanded him, and drawing his head to hers she kissed him a long and sweet kiss.

Although his head was spinning, he still managed to place an arm about her shoulders and cradle her against him. His big hand caressed her full breasts, and Zenobia felt a thrill run through her. She had never again thought to be loved by him, and now as his passion grew her own rose to match his. He bent his dark chestnut head to nuzzle at her breasts, and shifting so that she lay upon her back, she drew him as close to her as she could, murmuring softly as his tongue encircled her taut nipples. She threaded her fingers through his thick hair, and with one hand rubbed the sensitive back of his neck.

'Oh, Marcus,' she murmured, 'you will think me wanton, but I am so filled with desire for you, my darling. Do not play long with me, I beg you.'

With a low rumble of deep laughter, he lifted his head from her ripe breasts and, shifting his position slightly, gently entered her. Simultaneously they sighed, and then as he began to move in a slow and sensuous rhythm against her, she nipped him lightly upon his shoulder.

Little wildcat,' he whispered, 'I love you.'

'I love you,' she whispered back, and then Zenobia gave herself over to the storm of passion that built quickly within her, sending her moaning and thrashing against him as her desire peaked over and over again. Still he would not give her release, and when she roundly cursed him in her childhood Bedawi dialect he laughed aloud, but continued the pleasure-pain until he knew from her mewlings and whimperings that she would bear no more. Only then did he tumble with her into that dark abyss of passion, already longing to possess her again.

With the saucer lamp flickering low, and the chill of the little, damp cave licking at their naked flesh, the lovers did not stay long that night. They now desired only one thing: to pledge themselves quickly in matrimony before witnesses. Neither would feel safe until that sacred promise had been made to the other. Alone each was helpless, together they were invincible.

Silently, hurriedly, they dressed and left the cave, walking swiftly back down the pebbled beach and up the cliff staircase. Although they had been gone less than an hour, night had fallen, and had it not been for the quarter moon they would have had a hard time finding their way. Dagian dozed, her head nodding against her chest as she sat waiting on the marble bench. Gently Marcus kissed her, and she awoke with a small start.

Before she could speak he said, 'Zenobia and I intend to marry tonight, Mother. Will you go to her house, and bring old Bab and Adria here to us? We will pledge ourselves here beneath the night sky for all the gods to see. Let Diana, the goddess of the moon, and the hunt, be our chief witness.'

If Aurelian learns of this…' Dagian said quietly, but Zenobia cut her short.

'Tonight we have learned that there is no life for us apart. We should rather face the emperor's wrath than ever be separated again, Dagian.'

'Besides, Mother, he is not going to know. Trust me, for this time I have a foolproof plan.'

Dagian could see that there was no reasoning with either of them. The light of their shared love shone in both their eyes, and she realized that further argument would be useless. Obedient to her son's wishes, she rose from her marble bench and hurried off to Zenobia's villa to fetch the queen's two faithful servants. When she was well out of earshot Zenobia turned to her beloved, and said softly, 'I cannot tell Aurelian that I am with child, Marcus. Not when he first returns, at least. He is no fool for all his passion for me. If I say I am to bear his child, he will call in a physician to examine me. He will want to be assured that both the child and I are in good health; he will want