To Love Again

be denied.

'We would prefer, my lord, if the gold were delivered here to us. I do not think either of us relishes returning from beyond the city walls laden with such a treasure,' Phocas explained. 'When the purse is brought to us, we will gladly send the girl to you.' He bowed politely.

'Very well,' Flavius Aspar answered, and then seeing Jovian's downcast features, he said, 'Do not be sad, my old friend. The Virgin and the Barbarians was becoming quite commonplace. Shortly no one will believe that your little protege-what did you call her?-is a virgin. Create a new playlet for your audience, Jovian. You will lose nothing by it. Those who have not seen this playlet will be twice as eager to see the next one, and those who have seen it will be equally eager to see what is next.'

'Cailin. Her name is Cailin. She is a Briton,' Jovian said. 'You will be kind to her, my lord? She is a good girl fallen on hard times. If you ask her, she will tell you her tale. It is most fascinat- ing.'

'I did not purchase her to hurt her, Jovian,' the general told him. Then he said, 'Gentlemen, no word of this transaction is to be gossiped about, even to my friend Basilicus. I do not want anyone to know of my purchase.'

'We understand perfectly, my lord,' Jovian said smoothly, now beginning to recover his aplomb. Knowing Cailin's history, he had always secretly felt a bit guilty about making her the centerpiece of his entertainment. He realized that as General Aspar's mistress she would be far safer, and possibly even happier. 'We will see less of you now, I expect,' he finished.

'Perhaps,' Aspar answered. Then nodding to the two men, he departed the chamber, closing the door behind him as he went.

'The gods!' Phocas exclaimed. 'We have had the girl in our possession less than three months, brother dear. Her performances made us fifteen thousand solidi, and her sale has brought us another fifteen hundred solidi. An excellent return on a slave who only cost us four folles to begin with, even considering the cost of her keep, which was really quite negligible. I salute you, Jovian Maxima! You were correct!'

Jovian smiled broadly. A compliment from Phocas was as rare as finding a perfect pearl in an oyster. 'Thank you, brother,' he said.

'You will tell the girl?'

'I will speak to her in the morning. On the nights she gives her performance, she bathes, and goes to her bed immediately following it. She will be sleeping now, and she always sleeps like the dead afterward.'

Sleep. It was her only escape. Cailin had believed she was strong. She had almost convinced herself that she could do what they asked of her. But she did not think she could bear much more. It was not that anyone was unkind to her. Indeed, everyone went out of their way to make certain she was comfortable. She was pampered and fussed over by everyone at Villa Maxima. Jovian was almost devoted to her. Apollo, Castor, and Pollux adored her openly. They had even gone as far as to show her a lion designed in a mosaic, point to it, tap their chests, and then point to her. They were telling her, in the only way they could, that she had the courage of a lion. It was flattering, but it was not enough. She had recently overheard Jovian speaking about a new entertainment he was conceiving for her. It surely couldn't be any worse than what was happening to her now.

To her surprise, Jovian joined her the following morning for the first meal of the day. 'I could not sleep,' he told her, 'and so I went early to the marketplace. See the fine melon I have brought you. We will enjoy it together while I tell you that you have had the most incredible piece of luck, Cailin.'

'Fortuna is not a goddess who has been kind to me of late,' Cailin told him, handing the melon to Isis to split.

'She smiled quite broadly on you last night, my dear,' Jovian said archly. 'Flavius Aspar, Byzantium's most powerful man, was in the audience.'

'I thought the emperor was your most powerful man,' Cailin replied.

'Flavius Aspar is the empire's most famed general. He has personally chosen the last two emperors. Both the late emperor, Marcian, and this emperor, Leo, owe their positions to Aspar.'

'And what has your general to do with me, my lord?' Cailin took a slice of melon offered her by Isis. It was wonderfully sweet, and the juice ran down her chin. She flicked out her tongue to catch it.

'I have sold you to him,' Jovian said, biting into his own piece of the ripe fruit. 'He paid fifteen hundred gold solidi for you, my dear. Did I not tell you that your value would increase?'

'You also told me that I should be able to purchase my freedom eventually,' Cailin said bitterly. 'Did I not say I should trust no one? But you swore to me that you could be trusted, my lord!'

'Dear girl,' Jovian protested, 'we did not solicit your sale. He came to us aftet last night's performance and said he wished to putchase you. He is truly the most powerful man in the empire, Cailin. There was no way my brother and I could refuse him and continue to prosper. To deny Aspar what he wanted would have been tantamount to suicide.' He patted her arm. 'Do not be afraid, my dear. He will be kind to you. I do not think the general has ever kept a mistress. When he wished to have a woman other than his wife, he would come here, or to some other respectable house such as ours. You should feel honored.'

Cailin glared at him. 'How will I ever get back to Britain to take my revenge on Antonia Porcius now?' she demanded furiously.

'A clever woman-and I do believe you are clever, Cailin- would see the great opportunity offered her. Aspar will lavish gifts upon you if you please him. He may even free you one day,' Jovian said.

'I have none of the skills of a courtesan,' Cailin told him. 'Those lessons were to come later. All I am capable of doing is…' She flushed angrily. 'Well, you know what I can do, my lord Jovian, for you conceived the Hades I have been living in for the past weeks! Will not your powerful general believe he has been cheated when he finds out that the woman he bought last night is not at all skilled in the arts of erotica?'

'I do not think it is a trained courtesan he wants, Cailin,' Jovian told her. 'He is a strange man, Aspar. For all his military skills he is a very kind person in a very cruel world. Make no mistake about him, however. He is a man used to being obeyed. He can be hard.'

At that moment Phocas came bustling into Cailin's small chamber. 'The messenger has arrived with the gold,' he said, attempting to restrain his glee. 'I have counted it, and it is all there to the last solidus, brother dear. Have you told Cailin? Is she ready to leave us now?'

'I must wash my hands and face first,' Cailin answered for Jovian, 'and then I am ready to leave, my lord Phocas.'

There was nothing else left to say. Isis brought a basin of water, and Cailin removed all traces of the melon from herself. Then bidding Isis farewell, she was escorted by the two brothers to the courtyard, where a litter was waiting. She wore a simple white chiton belted with a gold rope. The sleeves of the garment flowed gracefully to her mid-arms. Her feet were bare, for she had needed no sandals within Villa Maxima, and none had been given her.

Casia came out into the courtyard and said, 'You cannot allow her to leave without these.' With a small smile she fastened amethyst, pearl, and gold dangles in Cailin's ears. 'Every woman deserves some jewelry. The gods go with you, my little friend. I do not think you realize how fortunate you truly are.'

'Thank you, Casia,' Cailin exclaimed. 'I have never had lovelier earrings than these; and thank you for the rest.'

'Be yourself, and you will succeed admirably with him,' Casia promised.

'I will call on you soon,' Jovian told Cailin brightly, and helped her into the litter. ''lake Casia's advice. She knows.'

Cailin felt a momentary panic as the litter was lifted and the bearers moved off through the gates of Villa Maxima. Once again she was facing the unknown. It seemed so odd after the quiet life she had lived in Britain that within the space of two years her fate had taken such twists and turns. Cailin leaned back and closed her eyes as they hurried through the city. At the Golden Gate the litter stopped in the line of traffic waiting to be passed through. She heard a rough voice say, 'And what have we here?'