To Love Again

sister mine. Offend Aspar, and God knows what might happen to you, and your family. The empire is relatively stable right now, but one never knows when something may set the masses to rebellion and discontent.

'I will tell Aspar that you know his secret, and how you learned it. You will keep that secret, and by doing so our general will be deeply in your debt, Verina. That is far more valuable to you than any momentary satisfaction you might gain by revealing all this to Flacilla Strabo.'

The empress considered her brother's words, and then she nodded. 'Yes, you are correct, Basilicus. Aspar's goodwill is far more important to us than that of his whorish wife. She has a new lover now, you know, and this time she has chosen a man from among our own class.'

'Did she tell you that?' Basilicus asked. 'Who is it, Verina?'

'Justin Gabras! Scion of the great patrician family in Trebizond,' the empress responded. 'He is twenty-five, and said to be very handsome.'

'What is he doing in Constantinople, and how has Flacilla intrigued him into a carnal liaison?' Basiclius wondered aloud, but seeing the sparkle in his sister's eye, he knew she would tell him everything.

'It is whispered,' Verina began, 'that Justin Gabras has a very quick temper. He has killed several people whom he believed offended him. His last victim, however, was a cousin of the bishop of Trebizond. It was necessary, I am told, to remove the murderer as quickly as possible from the scene. They say that the Gabras family was forced to pay the bishop's family a huge bounty for their relative's life. Justin Gabras was expelled from Trebizond for a period of five years.

'Already his reputation in Constantinople grows for its wickedness. He has bought an enormous mansion overlooking the Golden Horn, and an estate in the country. They say his parties and his entertainments rival those at the city's best brothels, Basilicus. Are you surprised that Flacilla should find him?'

'I am surprised that the church does not interfere,' the prince said.

'His generosity to the patriarch's favorite causes has earned him a blind eye in that quarter,' the empress told her brother knowledgeably.

'If this Justin Gabras is all you say he is, I think perhaps Flacilla has gotten in over her head this time,' Basilicus noted.

'If she has, it might solve many problems,' the empress observed wisely. 'The Strabo family would no longer have to worry about Flacilla's behavior, nor would Aspar have to be burdened with her.'

'And then he could marry his beloved Cailin,' Basilicus said casually, looking to see what his sister would say.

'Marry the girl he found in a brothel? No, brother dear, it simply could not be allowed. He need not marry again at all, but it would never do for the First Patrician of the empire, Byzantium's greatest general, to marry a girl who worked in a brothel, no matter how blue her blood is. The empire would be a laughing stock, and we cannot have that,' Verina said.

Of course, Basilicus thought sadly, they would never allow Aspar to marry Cailin. Had he not told his friend so? Still, when he had heard of Flacilla's latest lover, and his rather unsavory reputation, he had thought that just perhaps the empire would reward its favorite son with permission to marry the woman he loved, who would tend him with devotion and love in his old age. Basilicus thought of himself as a sophisticate, but sometimes even he longed for a simpler life.

***

Autumn slipped into winter. The winds blew from the north, and at Villa Mare the shutters upon the portico were drawn tight, while the braziers filled with charcoal warmed the rooms on cold days. Cailin and Aspar lived quietly. They seemed to have a need only for each other. There were no further visitors to the villa after Basilicus's surprise arrival that autumn day. They preferred it that way.

Aspar spent several days each week in the city attending to his duties. He saw his eldest son, Ardiburius, quite often, and one day in the senate Ardiburius boldly asked his father, 'Why did you close our palace?'

'Because I prefer living in the country,' Aspar replied.

'They say you have a young mistress with you,' Ardiburius said.

A small smile touched Aspar's lips, but was quickly gone. 'They are correct,' he told his son. 'Unlike your stepmother, I prefer to conduct my affair in a discreet manner. Cailin is a gentle girl, and prefers the country to the city. It pleases me to please her.'

Ardiburius swallowed hard. 'Do you care for her, Father?'

Aspar stared at his son, wondering just where this was leading. Finally he said, 'Yes, I do, and your mother would have liked her, too.'

'You do not love the lady Flacilla?'

'No, Ardiburius, I do not. I would have thought that obvious to you from the beginning. The marriage was political. I needed the patriarch's approval of Leo, and I gained it by taking Flacilla off her family's hands,' Aspar said. 'What is it you want to tell me, my son? You have never been a man for this many words. You are a soldier, as I am. Speak!'

'You must remove Patricius from the lady Flacilla's care, Father. He should not remain in her house any longer,' Ardiburius said.

'Why?' The word was sharp.

'She has a very evil lover, Father. A man of wealth and great family. He has, I have it on the most reliable authority, debauched children as young as eight. Patricius is almost ten, and grows more beautiful every day. He is a charming child, as you know, and always eager to please. Your wife's lover has not yet violated him, but he has of late shown an interest in Patricius that is not healthy. My source is totally reliable, Father. My little brother must be protected.'

'You and Zoe must take him, then,' Aspar said. 'Sophia is not used to little boys, and he lacks respect for her. Patricius adores you, Ardiburius, and your wife knows well how to deal with rambunctious little boys. I will tell Flacilla that Patricius needs the company of other children, and as there are none in her house, I have decided to give him to you and Zoe. It will not seem like a criticism if I handle it that way. Hopefully her new interest will keep her amused, so she will not take offense. You know I cannot bring Patricius to Villa Mare. Cailin, of course, would adore it. She is meant to be a mother, but it would cause the very reaction I seek to avoid-a scandal. You understand, my son?'

'Yes, Father,' Ardiburius said. 'Will you take Patricius today? It should be done as quickly as possible. I have already discussed the possibility of his coming to us with my family. Your grandson, David, is delighted to have his uncle join us. Being the eldest with two sisters after him, and his brother just a baby, it is hard for him.'

'You spoil him,' Aspar growled, 'but he seems a good lad despite it. He is six now, is he not? He and Patricius will get on quite well.' He sighed gustily. 'As much as I detest having to meet with Flacilla, I shall go now and fetch Patricius from her. Go home, Ardiburius, and tell Zoe that he will be coming to you by nightfall.'

The general left the senate and, mounting his horse, rode unescorted through the streets of the city to his wife's home. He needed no guard to keep him safe, and many recognized him, calling out to him, wishing him well. The gatekeeper at Flacilla's mansion greeted him pleasantly, and the majordomo, after hurrying forward to