A Whispering of Spies by Rosemary Rowe Read Free Book Online

about to speak again but my look silenced him. ‘So I’ll have a little of that food and warm drink while I wait. And you can give a crust of oatcake and some watered mead to this young fellow here – I want him to run the whole way home to take my letter back, and he looks as if he needs a little sustenance.’
    Brianus, who had almost stopped shivering by now and had been watching us wide-eyed, began to make a protest but I waved his words aside.
    ‘Brianus, I give the orders in this house, and I am instructing you to have a drink and half an oatcake. Is that understood? I don’t want you fainting with cold and hunger in the town when you are carrying my confidential correspondence through the streets – anyone might get their hands on it. Now do as you are told while I compose this note.’
    It was the second time that I had spoken sharply and Minimus looked abashed. I do not often speak so brusquely to slaves, and he looked chagrined as he went about his tasks. I’ve never had a meal served to me with more promptitude and I was soon clutching a warm and welcome cup of mead. I took a sip of it. ‘The boy will be embarrassed to eat in here with me – which is no more than proper, since I’m the master here – so Minimus, you can show him into the outer room.’
    Brianus stammered, blushing. ‘Citizen pavement-maker, you are very good . . .’
    I held a hand up to prevent him saying any more. ‘On second thoughts, Minimus, you’d better stay with him – make sure he doesn’t take fright and run away.’
    Minimus looked astonished but he said nothing more. He did as he was told and hustled Brianus away, round the partition, with his humble snack.

FOUR
    J unio had been working in silence all this time but when the slaves had gone he scrambled to his feet and came to stand beside me. ‘You guessed that the slave-boy would decline to eat unless you actually commanded him?’ he murmured, too softly for the lads in the outer room to hear.
    I nodded, my mouth too full of oatcake to reply. But it was true. I’d had the same problem with my wife when we were first reunited after years apart – she had been so long in servitude that she was unwilling to eat anything in my presence. Of course she always shared my table now, and very often the slave-boys ate in the same room as well, especially in the shop. I took a sip of mead. ‘Besides,’ I said, ‘I want to gain his confidence. Bringing him to the workshop was only an excuse. I want to find out what – if anything – he knows about his master, Voluus.’
    ‘You did not succeed in discovering anything while you were at the apartment?’
    ‘On the contrary,’ I said, ‘there is alarming news. But not exactly what I set out to learn.’ I told him briefly about the missing cart and what I had learned about the lictor’s wealthy bride.
    Junio whistled softly. ‘Dear Jupiter! A murdered escort and a robbery. There’s certain to be a lot of trouble, then. I hope it didn’t happen anywhere near us. I would not care to be a suspect with a lictor in the case and no doubt suspicion will fall on everyone within a dozen miles.’
    I hadn’t thought of that – it was not a pleasant idea. ‘I’m going to see Marcus later on tonight and I’ll ask him to get the local garrison to look into it and try to find out who was responsible. It may have been just brigands who struck a lucky cart – but there hasn’t been any banditry on that road for several moons, and I find it difficult to credit that it was merely chance.’
    Junio frowned. ‘More likely someone who knew the value of what was on the cart. Could it be the steward, do you think?’
    ‘I didn’t think so, from his manner. He seemed really shocked, though it had clearly occurred to him he might be held to blame. And now he’s just had word that his master is only days away.’
    ‘Dear Mercury! I should not care to be the steward, in that case. Or is this Voluus not the savage man that we are