A DYING LIGHT IN CORDUBA

'Of course he's inexperienced-' I had realized what was coming. 'I could still use a friend to look at the estate.' Sensing that I preferred her not to overhear, Helena sped up and reached us. By that time her father was unstoppable: 'The oil problem in that quaestor's letter sounds like something a man like you could clear up in a matter of weeks if you were out there on the spot, Marcus!'

Julia Justa removed a grape pip from her elegant lip fastidiously. Her voice was dry. 'Well it's not as if he's needed here. Having babies is women's work!'

I didn't stop to look at Helenas expression: 'Baetica is off-limits. I promised Helena I would be here when the child is born. It's more than a promise; it's what I want.'

'I'm only surprised you don't suggest taking her with you!' her mother sniffed.

This was unfair when I had already taken the decent line. Helena Justina's smile was dangerously quiet. 'Oh taking me away to Baetica is out of the question!' she said.

That was when I knew for sure that Baetica was where I would be when I let Helena down.

SIXTEEN

I kept him alive,' snarled my mother. 'You never said I was expected to make him sensible as well. If I know men, he never was.' She glanced at Helena, whose eyes gleamed warmly in agreement.

Apparently Anacrites was now lurching in and out of consciousness. He could yet lurch the wrong way and die. Once I would have been glad. Now the bastard had made me feel responsible. Meanwhile, whenever he opened his eyes, Ma pulled his mouth open too and spooned in chicken broth.

'Does he know where he is?'

'Not even who he is. He doesn't know anything.'

'Has he spoken?'

'Just mumbles like a hopeless drunk.'

There could be a reason for that. 'Are you giving him your brothers' wine?'

'Only a dribble.' No wonder he wasn't lucid. Uncles Fabius and Junius, who shared a farm when they were not trying to tear each other's throats out, produced a harsh red Campagnan rot-gut with a kick that blew the wax out of your ears. A goatskin or two was enough to lay out a whole cohort of hard-living Praetorians.

'If he can survive that, you must have saved him!'

'I never knew what you've got against your uncles,' grumbled Ma.

I loathed their awful wine, for one thing. I also thought the pair of them were illogical, moody clowns.

Helena and I inspected the invalid. Anacrites looked unpleasantly pale, and already much thinner. I could not tell whether this was one of his conscious phases or not. His eyes were nearly closed, but not quite. He made no attempt to speak or move. Calling his name caused no reaction.

'Ma, I've found out more about what's been going on and I've decided it's too dangerous keeping him. He's part of the Praetorian Guard; I reckon they can be trusted to look after one of their own. I've spoken to a centurion I know, and Anacrites is going to be taken into the safety of the Praetorian Camp. A man called Frontinus will turn up and whisk him away secretly. Then don't mention to anybody that you had him here.'

'Oh I see!' complained Ma, highly affronted. 'Now I'm not good enough!'

'You're wonderful,' Helena soothed her. 'But if his attackers find out where he is, you're not strong enough to fend them off.' Actually, if I knew my mother she would have a damned good try.

Helena and I sat with Anacrites for a while, so Ma could have a rest. My mother's idea of having a rest was to gather five shopping baskets and rush out to the market, pausing only to shower Helena with rude comments on her appearance and dark advice on managing her pregnancy. I watched Helena bite her tongue. Ma scuttled off. If she met any of her witchy cronies, which was quite likely, she would be away for hours. This made a mockery of us coming to visit her, but was typical in my family. At least it prevented quarrels. I knew we had just narrowly avoided yet another one.

Anacrites, Helena and I now had the apartment to ourselves. Without Ma whirling to and fro it felt unnaturally quiet. She had stashed the invalid in a bed that had belonged at various times to my elder brother and me. Sometimes when we were boys we had shared it, so this had been the scene of much lewd talk and a multitude of ludicrous plans-plans that were now doomed to be forever unfulfilled. I left home, and ended up as an informer. My brother was dead. Before he was killed in Judaea Festus had dossed here on trips home from the army. The gods only know what scenes of surreptitious debauchery our little room had seen then.

It seemed odd to be here with Helena. Odder still that the familiar old bed, with its rickety pine frame and twisted webbing, now possessed a brown checkered cover that I did not recognize and a spanking new pillow. Before long my eyes were sending messages that had Anacrites not been inconveniently in possession I would have grabbed Helena and renewed my own acquaintance with the bed…

'Don't push your luck,' murmured Helena, with what I hoped was shared regret.

Since there was no hope of persuading Anacrites to contribute usefully, the choice of conversation was ours. Its was the morning after our dinner at the Camillus house. I had reported the latest facts to Helena, but we were still chewing over the story.

'Someone's been stupid,' I said. 'There may be a commercial conspiracy in Corduba. Presumably Anacrites and his man were attacked in a feeble attempt to deter investigation. The way that group of Baeticans left Rome immediately afterwards certainly makes it look as if they knew something about it. But our officials are aware of whatever's going on; Claudius Laeta can take whatever steps he thinks necessary from this end. He's made himself acting Chief Spy, apparently. It's his decision. I'm certainly not going out there.'

'I see,' replied my beloved, ever queen of the unexpected. 'There is nothing to discuss then.' Her brown eyes were thoughtful; that tended to precede trouble. 'Marcus, you do realize that you may have had a lucky escape the night of the dinner and the attacks?'

'How would that be?' I made an attempt to act the innocent.

'You're known as an imperial agent, and you had been talking to Anacrites. I expect you also found a reason to meet the beautiful dancing girl-' I pished. Helena carried on regardless. 'And you spoke to Valentinus. You were probably seen doing that, then when you both left the dinner at the same time, it must have looked like more than coincidence. But unlike Anacrites and Valentinus you didn't leave the Palatine alone. You came home to Fountain Court with two palace slaves, carrying your garum jar. Perhaps if it hadn't been for them you would have been set upon too.'

'I had thought of that,' I admitted. 'I didn't want to worry you.'

'I was worried.'

'Well don't brood on it. This must be the first recorded incidence of a man having his life saved by an amphora of fish-pickle.'

Helena was not laughing. 'Marcus, you're involved whether you want to be or not.'

We were silent for a while. Anacrites seemed to be fading right before my eyes. I felt a surge of anger again. 'I'd like to get whoever murdered Valentinus.'

'Of course you would, Marcus.'

'Fellow feeling.'

I know.

Helena Justina always spoke her mind and let me know exactly where I stood. If there was any chance of an argument she set about it briskly. Sounding meek was worrying. It meant she might be planning some big surprise.

'Helena, I'm not going to let these killers get away with it. If they are still in Rome-'

'They won't be,' said Helena.

She was right. I had to swallow it. 'Then I'll be wasting my time as usual.'

'Laeta will ask you to be the man who goes to Baetica.'

'Laeta can go red in the face and burst a blood vessel.'

'Laeta will make the Emperor or Titus order it.'

'They'll be ordering trouble then.'

She gazed at me somberly. 'I think you ought to be prepared to go to Spain.'

Helena's offer seemed out of the question-and yet straight away I began to wonder if it might be