Antonia smiled pleasantly at Herod. ‘So, Herod, your copies are the last ones left that link this grain with Sabinus.’ She gave the bankers’ draft back to the Cloelius brothers, who each signed it; that done she offered it to Herod. ‘The grain is worth a lot less than this draft. I suggest that it would be in your interests to swap.’
Corbulo’s mouth dropped open in outrage; with a sharp motion of her left hand Antonia silenced him before he could express his opinion.
Herod took the bankers’ draft. ‘I will send over my freedman, Eutyches, with my copy of the bill of sale and the certificate of ownership as soon as I get home. The grain is now yours.’
‘As is your loyalty, Herod, if you still wish to see Judaea reinstated as a client kingdom with you as king. That is within my gift, not Macro’s.’
‘I can see that now. On my way here I passed through the Forum; it seems that Poppaeus is dead on the day that he was due to do a certain deal with your son.’ He looked around the table. ‘I don’t know how you did it but I assume that deal has not gone through and Macro is not in a position to offer me what I want.’
‘I did nothing, Herod; any unfounded suspicions that you may have that I had a hand in this you will keep to yourself.’ Antonia picked up the third scroll. ‘Macro is not in a position to cancel your debt to me, which, if I were to call it in, would send you fleeing back to the desert again; and believe me, this time you won’t return.’
‘As always, dear Lady, it’s a pleasure negotiating with you.’
‘It’s a pleasure taking my money, you mean.’
Herod inclined his head and smiled. ‘That I can’t deny.’
‘Now get out of my house.’
‘With pleasure.’ Herod got to his feet and bowed graciously. ‘Good day to you, gentlemen.’
Antonia brandished the debt marker at him as he turned to leave. ‘Never forget, Herod, I will always have this.’
‘Dear Lady, my lips are sealed,’ Herod said over his shoulder as he walked from the garden waving his bankers’ draft in the air.
Antonia turned to the two bankers. ‘Primus and Tertius, I know that I can rely on your discretion in this matter.’
‘We deal in figures not tittle-tattle, domina,’ Primus replied, rising while his brother collected up their scrolls and abacus.
‘Very wise; a far more trustworthy commodity, especially when the tittle-tattle could involve your names. Now, as to that other matter?’
Primus took another scroll, the fourth, from the fold of his toga and handed it to Antonia. ‘This is the final thing that you asked for, domina; our copy of the deceased gentleman’s certificate of ownership from the other deal that interested you. You must understand that this is very irregular.’
‘So is taking a ten per cent cut of an illegal grain deal, Primus, which, thanks to my discretion, shall now remain just between us.’
‘Our humble thanks, domina. In the circumstances we will not be sending a note of our fees.’
Antonia unrolled the scroll and glanced at its contents with a satisfied smile. ‘That would be appreciated, Primus, I know how adventurous you can be with arithmetic when it comes to calculating fees.’
‘We have no sense of adventure, domina, we are bankers.’
With curt nods of their heads the Cloelius brothers departed.
‘That was very expensive, thanks to you, Sabinus,’ Antonia said as their footsteps disappeared, ‘but by no means a disaster.’
Sabinus flushed and bowed his head in shame.
‘Dealing in grain while being the grain aedile!’ Corbulo finally exploded, his face puce with aristocratic ire. ‘I should report this.’
‘Of course you should but you won’t, will you, my dear Corbulo?’ Antonia said soothingly. ‘That won’t get us anywhere.’
‘But he’s trying get elected as a praetor; what he did goes against all the ancient principles that govern the behaviour of senators.’
‘And what you did this morning doesn’t?’ Antonia snapped. ‘Stop behaving as if you’re one of the founding fathers of the Republic. Sabinus made a costly mistake but I have rectified it in a way that will protect us and do Herod a lot of damage; I don’t trust him not to talk to Macro so I’m going to ensure that he can’t. Pallas, bring Eutyches to us as soon as he arrives.’
‘And you can swear to that?’ Antonia asked Eutyches who stood before her. She laid the two scrolls that he had brought from his master on the table next to a pile of gold coins.
‘Yes, domina,’ Herod’s freedman replied, ‘my master said to your grandson Caligula: “I wish the old man would hurry up and die so that you can become emperor.” I was driving them both in Herod’s carriage; I heard it clearly.’
‘And what did my grandson reply?’
Eutyches looked greedily at the pile of gold coins and then back at Antonia. ‘What do you think he replied, domina?’
‘I see that we understand each other, very good. I’m sure that he said: “Herod, that is treason; may Tiberius live forever. The next time you speak like that I shall report you.”’
‘That is exactly what he said, I’d swear to it.’
‘My little grandson was always too forgiving.’
‘A noble fault, domina,’ Gaius agreed sadly.
‘Let’s hope that it doesn’t get him into trouble some day,’ Vespasian added, looking at his uncle and nodding in agreement.
‘Thank you, Eutyches, you may have the money once this matter has been dealt with. You will remain here until then; Pallas, show him to where we keep our guests.’
Vespasian watched the unsuspecting freedman being led towards Antonia’s private underground prison and wondered how long he would be kept incarcerated.
Antonia collected the money and slipped it back into a purse. ‘I feel that it’s my duty to correct my grandson’s fault and report this. Macro’s gone to join the Emperor at Antium for young Gaius’ wedding so we should act now while he’s away. Senator Pollo, I will have this written up and would be obliged if you would read it out at the next meeting of the Senate.’
‘Of course, domina.’
A sudden burst of hysterical screaming from the atrium interrupted them.
‘Get out of my way, I will see her; I know she’s in there.’
A short, broad-hipped woman, in her late twenties, with ripped clothing and dishevelled hair came running into the garden brushing off Felix’s attempts to restrain her. ‘Antonia!’ she screeched. ‘I know what you’ve done!’
‘My dear Poppaea Sabina,’ Antonia said rising, ‘calm yourself.’
‘Calm myself? How can I be calm when I’m looking at my father’s murderer?’
‘I have only just heard about your father’s death, these senators were just telling me about the tragedy.’
‘Tragedy?’ Poppaea screamed, looking intently at each of the men around the table. ‘You killed him, and these men probably helped you. I know Senator Pollo and his nephews have always supported you against my father, he told me. You killed him, Antonia, because he was trying to remove your hated family from the throne. You killed him to protect yourself. I don’t know how but if he died of natural causes then why was his lip swollen and cut? It wasn’t this morning when I saw him. My family’s reputation is impeccable and people will listen when I demand justice.’ She spat on the ground, turned and, pushing past Felix, walked with dignity out of the garden.
‘I’m sorry, domina, she…’
‘That’s all right, Felix, she was determined to see me. Did the other business go well?’
‘Yes, domina, the body and the chest are in the Tiber; the head has been destroyed.’
‘Good. Follow her out and see that she does no damage and send a message to Asiaticus to come here as soon as possible.’ Antonia turned back to her guests around the table. ‘It would seem that we now have two reputations to besmirch if we are to prevent Poppaea from gaining any sympathy in the Senate for her view. Gaius,
