To Love Again

Perhaps, Cailin thought, but she still felt that the three girls being dangled before Quintus were silly creatures. She wandered through the crowd of her neighbors filling the gardens of the villa. No one was paying a great deal of attention to her, for this was not her day, but rather her brothers'. Cailin could smell spring in the air at long last. The ground was warm again, and the breeze mild, even if the day was not as bright as they might have wished. Then she saw Antonia Porcius, but before she might turn in another direction, Antonia was hailing her noisily, and there was no avoiding her.

'How are you, Antonia?' Cailin inquired politely, bracing for the flood of words to come, for Antonia Porcius could not answer the simplest query without going into great detail.

'I have divorced Sextus,' Antonia announced dramatically.

'What?' Cailin was astounded. This was the first she had heard of it.

Antonia put her arm through Cailin's and said in confidential tones, 'Well, actually, he ran away with that little Egyptian slave girl of mine. Father was furious. He said I must not remain married to Sextus Scipio under those circumstances. Then he granted me a divorce!' She giggled. 'Sometimes having the chief magistrate of Corinium for a father isn't such a bad thing. I got everything, of course, because Sextus wronged me publicly. Father says no honest magistrate would allow a good wife and her children to suffer under those circumstances. If Sextus ever comes back, he will find he has come back to nothing, but I hear they took flight for Gaul. Imagine! He said he was in love with her! How silly of him.'

Her blue eyes narrowed a moment. 'I hear your cousin has come from Rome, and that your father has given him the old Agricola estate. I hear that he is divinely handsome. My estates match those lands, you know. My father wanted to buy them for me, but your father got to the heirs in Glevum first. What is his name? Your cousin's, I mean. Will you introduce me, Cailin? The gossip is that he is looking for a wife. A rich woman such as myself would not be a bad match now, would it?' She giggled again. 'Wouldn't it be nice if we were cousins, Cailin? I've always liked you, you know. You don't say cruel things about me to the other girls behind my back. I think you must be the only friend I have, Cailin Drusus!'

Cailin was astounded. They were hardly friends; at seventeen, Antonia was her senior, and had rarely given her the time of day. Until today.

Why, the silly cow, Cailin thought. She really wants to meet Quintus! I suppose snatching him from beneath the noses of the others would give her a double victory of sorts. She would best those who spoke unkindly of her, and she would prove to the world that she was still a very desirable woman; that Sextus Scipio was a cad, and a fool.

'How kind you are, dear Antonia,' Cailin heard herself saying as her mind raced with delicious possibilities. Antonia might be plump, but she was more than just pretty. By marrying her, Quintus would gain a wife rich in both lands and money. She was her father's only child, and she would inherit everything he owned one day.

She was also foolish, and selfish. Sextus Scipio must have been absolutely miserable with her to have left everything his family had built up over the last few hundred years. Antonia Porcius certainly deserved her cousin, and most assuredly Quintus Drusus deserved the daughter of the chief magistrate of Corinium.

'Of course I will introduce you to my cousin Quintus, Antonia. You must promise me, however, that you will not swoon,' Cailin teased her companion. 'He is as handsome as a god, I vow! I only wish he found me attractive, but alas, he does not. It would be exciting indeed if you and I became cousins.' She pulled Antonia about and said, 'Come along now! My mother has already begun introducing him to every eligible girl in the province. You do not want them to steal a march on you. But I think, mayhap, when Quintus sees you, dear Antonia, both your lives will change. Ohh, wouldn't it be wonderful!'

Quintus Drusus was very much in his element, surrounded by attractive, nubile girls who were all fawning over him. He saw Cai-lin's approach with a plump little blond, but he waited until she spoke to him before acknowledging her.

'Cousin Quintus, this is my good friend, Antonia Porcius.' Cailin pulled the simpering woman forward. 'Antonia, this is my big cousin from Rome. I'm certain that you two have much in common. Antonia is the only child of the chief magistrate in Corinium, Quintus.'

Well, well, well, he thought. Little cousin Cailin is being most helpful indeed. I wonder what mischief she is up to now? Yet, he was curious. She had quite clearly signaled him that the blond girl was the daughter of a powerful man, and an heiress to boot. He couldn't understand why Cailin would want to do him a favor. She had made no secret of her dislike of him since they had first laid eyes upon one another. Her candidate for his hand must have a flaw of some sorts. Then he gazed into Antonia's limpid blue eyes, and decided whatever that flaw was, he would certainly enjoy ferreting it out.

His hand went to his heart, and he said, 'The sight of you, my lady Antonia, gives me comprehension at long last of why Britain's women are so famed for their beauty. I prostrate myself at your feet.'

Antonia's mouth made a small round O of delight, while the other girls pressing in on Quintus Drusus gaped with surprise. Then the handsome young Roman took Antonia Porcius by the arm and requested that she show him the gardens. The couple walked slowly from the group, seemingly enraptured by each other's company, while those left behind stared in amazement.

'Is there madness in your family, Cailin Drusus?' Nona Claudius asked, her tone one of a young lady most put out.

'Whatever possessed you to introduce Antonia Porcius to such an eligible man?' demanded Barbara Julius.

'And whatever does he see in her?' Elysia Octavius wondered aloud. 'We are younger and prettier by far.'

'I did not mean to distress you,' Cailin said innocently. 'I simply felt sorry for poor Antonia. I just learned that she is divorced. Sextus, her husband, ran off with a slave girl. I but sought to cheer her up by introducing her to my cousin. I certainly never thought he would be attracted to her. She is older than all of us, and you are correct, Elysia, when you observed that we are all prettier.' Cailin shrugged. 'There is no accounting for men's taste in women. Perhaps Quintus will quickly become bored with her and come back to you all.'

'If your villa were not the most remote of all of our homes from Corinium, Cailin, you would have known about Antonia's divorce,' Barbara told her irritably. 'Frankly, none of us blames poor Sextus Scipio. Antonia is selfish beyond bearing. Whatever she sees and desires, she must have. Sextus claimed he was being driven to poverty by her. If he denied her anything, her father would upbraid him. She is not a good mother, and she is cruel to her slaves, my father says. Ohh, she is sweet and charming when she gets her own way, but when she doesn't, beware! She wanted Sextus Scipio because he was the most handsome and the richest man about. Once she had lured him into her trap, however, she became once more what she really is, a spoilt little bitch. You should really warn your cousin.'

'I hear,' Nona Claudius said, lowering her voice so the other girls were forced to lean forward, 'that although Antonia got her husband's estate, his goods, and chattel, that Sextus Scipio and his little mistress escaped with much gold and other coin. My father was his banker, you know. He says that Sextus Scipio had been transferring funds abroad for months now. Antonia's not telling anyone that. She's put it right from her mind. The thought of her husband getting away to live happily ever after in comfort is frankly more than she can bear.'

'She is obviously casting her nets for a new husband,' Barbara said in annoyed tones, 'and once again it is the most handsome man in the province. I suppose he is rich, too. I don't know why Antonia has all the luck!'

'He's not rich at all,' Cailin told them, hoping to frighten them off and further Antonia's cause. 'He is the youngest son of my father's cousin in Rome. It is a very big family. There was nothing left for poor Quintus. Father felt sorry for him, and asked his cousin Manius to send Quintus to us. Then he gave him the river villa along with all its lands. Of course, he will loan him slaves to work the lands and keep the orchard, but my cousin Quintus has very little but his handsome face to recommend him.'

'Antonia's lands match those of the river villa,' Nona said. 'When your gorgeous cousin learns that, he will be even more intrigued by her. Antonia's a rich woman. Frankly, Quintus Drusus would be a fool not to have her. There is no hope for us, I fear.'