To Love Again

father misunderstood you. That all you offered was to give Quintus a start in Britain. If Cailin eventually fell in love with him, then a marriage could certainly take place. You did not actually make a marriage contract with Manius Drusus, Gaius, did you?' She looked anxiously at her husband.

'Nay, I did not.'

'Then we will have no problems,' Kyna said, relieved. 'We will give young Quintus that little villa with its lands by the river, the one you purchased several years ago from the estate of Septimus Agricola. It's fertile and has a fine apple orchard. We'll supply him with slaves, and with hard work he can make it quite prosperous.'

Gaius Drusus smiled for the first time that day. 'It is the perfect solution,' he agreed with her. 'I could not manage without you, my dear, I fear.'

'Indeed, Gaius, I am most certainly of the same opinion,' Kyna replied.

The rest of the family laughed.

When they had recovered from their mirth, Cailin said, 'But do not make a new mattress, Mother. We want Quintus Drusus gone from this house as quickly as possible, remember.'

There was more laughter. This time Gaius Drusus joined in, relieved that a potentially difficult situation had been resolved by his beautiful, clever wife. He had not made a mistake all those years ago when he had married Kyna, the daughter of Berikos.

***

Two days later, exactly as predicted, Quintus Drusus arrived at the villa of his cousin. He came astride a fine red-brown stallion that his father had gifted him with when he departed Rome. Quintus Drusus's sharp black eyes took in the rich, newly turned soil of his cousin's farmland; the well-pruned trees in the orchards; the fine repair of the buildings; the good health of the slaves who were working outdoors in the spring sunlight. He was well-pleased by what he saw, for he had not been overly happy with the plans his father had made for him.

'You have no choice but to go to Britain,' his father had told him angrily when he had protested the decision. His mother, Livia, was weeping softly. 'There is nothing for you here in Rome, Quintus. Everything I have is distributed among your siblings. You know this is to be true. It is unfortunate that you are my youngest child, and I can offer you neither land nor monies.

'Gaius Drusus Corinium is a very wealthy man with much land in Britain. Though he has two sons, he will dower his only daughter very well. She will have lands, a villa, gold! It can all be yours, my son, but you must pay the price for it, and the price is that you exile yourself from Rome. You must remain in Britain, work those lands you receive. If you do, you will be happy and comfortable all your days. Britain is most fertile, I have been told. It will be a good life, I promise you, Quintus,' his father had finished.

He had obeyed his parents, although he was not happy with the decision they had made for him. Britain was at the end of the earth, and its climate was foul. Everyone knew that. Still, he could not stay in Rome, at least not right now. Armilla Cicero was becoming most demanding. She had told him last night that she was pregnant, and that they would have to marry. Her father was very powerful; Quintus Drusus knew that he could make life most uncomfortable for any man he thought had made his daughter unhappy. It was better to leave Rome.

Armilla would have an abortion, as she had had on a number of occasions. He was not the first man she had cast her nets for, nor would he be the last. It was really quite a shame, Quintus thought, for Senator Cicero was a wealthy man, but his two other sons-in-law lived unhappily beneath his thumb. That was not the kind of life Quintus Drusus envisioned for himself. He would be his own man.

Nor, it occurred to him as he approached the villa of his cousin, Gaius Drusus Corinium, did he have in mind a lifetime spent farming in Britain. Still, for now there was nothing else he could do. Eventually he would think of a plan, and he would be gone, back to Rome, with a pocket full of gold coin that would keep him comfortable all of his days.

He saw a handful of people come out of the villa to greet him, and forced a smile upon his extremely handsome face. The man, tall, with dark brown hair and light eyes, was like no Drusus he had ever seen, but was obviously his cousin Gaius. The woman, tall, with a fine, high bosom and dark red hair, must be his cousin's wife. The older woman with white hair was her mother, no doubt. His father had told him that their cousin Gaius's Celtic mother- in-law lived with them. The two almost-grown boys were images of their father. They were sixteen; close to manhood really. And there was a girl.

Quintus Drusus was close enough now to see her quite clearly. She was tall like the rest of her family, taller, he thought irritably, than he was himself. He did not like tall women. Her hair was a rich auburn, a long, curly mass of untidy ringlets that suggested an untamed nature. She was very fair of skin with excellent features; straight nose, large eyes, a rosebud of a mouth. She was actually one of the most beautiful females he had ever seen, but he disliked her on sight.

'Welcome to Britain, Quintus Drusus,' Gaius said as the young man drew his horse to a stop before them and dismounted.

'I thank you, cousin,' Quintus Drusus replied, and then politely greeted each of the others as they were introduced. To his amazement, he sensed that his proposed bride disliked him even as he did her. Still, a man did not have to like a woman to wed her, and get a proper number of children on her. Cailin Drusus was a wealthy young woman who represented his future. He didn't intend to let her get away.

For the next few days he waited for his cousin, Gaius, to broach the matter of the marriage contract and set a wedding date. Cailin avoided him as if he were a carrier of the plague. Finally, after ten days, Gaius took him aside one morning.

'I promised your father that because of the bonds of blood binding our two families,' the older man began, 'I would give you the opportunity to make a new life for yourself here in Britain. I have therefore signed over to you a fine villa and farm with a producing orchard by the river. It has all been done quite legally and filed properly with the magistrate in Corinium. You will have the slaves you need to work your lands. You should do quite well, Quintus.'

'But I know nothing about farming!' Quintus Drusus burst out.

Gaius smiled. 'I am aware of that, my boy. How could a fine fellow like yourself, brought up in Rome, know anything about the land? But we will teach you, and help you to learn.'

Quintus Drusus told himself he must not lose his temper. Perhaps he could sell this farm and its villa and escape back to Rome. But Gaius's next words dashed all his hopes in that direction.

'I bought the river farm from the estate of old Septimus Agricola several years back. It has lain fallow since then. I was fortunate to get it cheap from the heirs who live in Glevum. Property values are down even further now for those wishing to sell, but they are an excellent value for those wishing to buy.'

There was no quick escape, then, Quintus Drusus thought gloomily, but once his marriage to Cailin was settled, they would at least be monied. 'When,' he asked his cousin, 'do you propose to celebrate the marriage between your daughter and myself?'

'Marriage? Between you and Cailin?' Gaius Drusus wore a puzzled face.

'My father said there would be a marriage between your daughter and myself, cousin. I thought I came to Britain to be a bridegroom, to unite our two branches of the family once again.' Quintus Drusus's handsome face showed his barely restrained anger.

'I am so sorry, Quintus. Your father must have misunderstood me, my boy,' Gaius said. 'I but offered you an opportunity here in Britain where there was none for you in Rome. I felt it my duty because of our blood ties. Now if you and Cailin should fall in love one day, I should certainly not object to your marrying my daughter, but there was no contract for a marriage enacted between our two families. I regret your confusion.' He smiled warmly, and patted the younger man's arm. 'Cailin is still just half grown. If I were you, my boy, I should seek a strong, healthy woman from amongst our neighbors' daughters. We are celebrating the festival of manhood, the Liberalia, for our twin sons in a few days. Many of our neighbors and their families will be attending. It will be a good time for you to look over the local maidens. You are a good catch, Quintus. Remember, you are a man of property now!'