Nobilissima (45 page)

I nodded. “And I’ll stay away from him. If I’m never alone with him, there’s no harm he can do to me.”

For the next few days, I avoided the audience chamber, and worked in the library with Tertius, reviewing papers and signing edicts. When I returned to my rooms one afternoon, a large wooden box awaited me. I opened it to find a stunning ruby necklace nestling on a bed of silk. The rubies were cut into ovals and surrounded by perfect white pearls. I was used to receiving gifts from people who wished to thank me for my help or from supplicants hoping to receive my assistance. Whoever had sent this obviously wanted to attract my attention; the craftsmanship on the necklace was superb. I picked it up and held it against my neck, feeling the warmth of the gold on my skin. Putting it down carefully, I searched through the silk for a note and my heart sank when I read it.

“Dear Placidia, I am sincerely sorry for what took place the other night. I was drunk and gave no thought to what I was doing. If you wear this, then I will know that you have forgiven me. H.”

I sent a messenger to fetch Aurelia, and paced the room while I waited. When Aurelia arrived, I showed her the necklace and the note. “What do you think?” I asked. “Can I trust him? Do you think he’s really sorry?”

Aurelia picked up the necklace and looked at it for a while before answering. “I wish I could assure you that he is, but it’s impossible to be sure. He’s charming one minute and raging the next. This could be a sincere apology but I doubt it.”

I nodded. In my heart I knew I couldn’t trust Honorius. I hadn’t seen him since the night that he attacked me and didn’t want to, but I couldn’t continue my work without being in his company for some period of time. Part of me wanted to believe in that apology and the chance it would give me to forgive him. Then we could continue to rule together as we had before. But I knew it was unlikely that this was more than an empty gesture. Even if he was remorseful now, who knew what the next day would bring. I determined to send the necklace back to him without a response.

The following morning, Bishop Ursus arrived early at the palace and requested an interview with me. I welcomed him in my sitting room and we chatted about parish matters for a few minutes. Ursus seemed uneasy and played with the gold cross on the chain around his neck.

“So what is it that brings you here so early?” I asked him.

His face reddened and he cleared his throat several times before answering. “In my position, I hear things. People talk about their sins in church in hope of receiving absolution from God.”

He stopped and coughed. I called for some wine to be brought for him. “So what is it that you’ve heard?” I prompted him.

“Something that pains me deeply,” he answered. “Since it concerns you, Augusta.”

I sat back in my chair, surprised at his words. “Me?”

He nodded and took a swallow of wine. “There’s a woman whose husband is a member of the court here in the palace. She says that… oh dear, I’m finding this very hard to say.”

“Spit it out at once, Ursus,” I said.

“This woman is deeply religious and she comes to pray for you, Augusta. I found her in a state of great distress yesterday evening and when I tried to console her, she cried out that your soul is in peril.”

I felt cold. “My soul? What would she know of my soul? How dare she say such a thing?”

“Incest is a sin against God, as we all know.”

I stood up, although the movement made me feel faint. “Are you accusing me of incest? With Honorius?”

An expression of fear passed across his face. “Augusta, it is understandable that you don’t wish to talk about this but you can confide in me. I can pardon you if you truly repent.”

Speechless, I sat down again. Words refused to come and I felt my stomach heaving. I knew I shouldn’t be angry with him for telling me what he’d heard, but I hated him for saying it.

“You don’t believe this rumor, do you?” I asked. “That’s all it is. A rumor. This woman you speak of has no right to repeat mindless gossip and it’s not her place to pray for me. Tell me, Ursus, that you don’t believe me capable of such a sin.”

Ursus squirmed in his chair. “I tell you only what I’ve heard,” he said. “I’m sorry, Augusta, deeply sorry. But it’s better that you know what people are saying.”

He stopped talking and went pale when I stared at him. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “I believe you. Of course I do. But I fear for you that such frightful rumors are being spread. Why would anyone say such things about you?”

I hesitated. I couldn’t tell him about the night that Honorius had assaulted me. It was dangerous to criticize the Emperor in front of anyone, even an ally like Ursus.

I stood up. “Thank you for coming, and for your honesty,” I said. “I’ll do what I can to stop these malicious and unfounded rumors.”

As soon as Ursus had gone, I called for Sylvia and told her what had happened.

“You have to listen and let me know who is saying what about me. This is spiraling out of control. I can avoid Honorius and my guards will keep me safe from another attack, but I can’t live with these accusations…” My words caught in my throat and I felt nauseous again.

Sylvia wrapped her arms around me. “Don’t you worry, Placidia. We’ll find a way to sort this out. Give me some time and I’ll find out who is doing the talking. Then you can deal with them.”

“I wish it would be that easy,” I replied. “But do what you can. And please arrange to have that returned to Honorius.” I pointed to the box containing the ruby necklace. “I can’t bear to have it in the room a minute longer.”

Chapter 40

I kept to my rooms for a few days, working as much as I could, but finding myself distracted. I kept the children close by and told Valentinian that his uncle was too busy to spend time with him. He pouted and said Uncle Horius always wanted to see him, which I knew was true. But I refused to give in, and so Valentinian spent his days sulking in corners or tormenting his sister.

I sent the children away with the nannies when Sylvia arrived one afternoon with two kitchen servants in tow. They were both women of middle age, dressed in brown tunics, with hands reddened from years of washing pots and dishes.

“Augusta,” Sylvia said formally. “These ladies have something they want to tell you.”

The women stood still, gazing at me. Sylvia nudged one of them hard with her elbow and the woman hung her head.

“You may speak,” I said.

“I can’t say it,” she said. “You do it.” She poked at the taller woman standing next to her. The second woman nodded and began to speak. Her accent was strong, and I guessed she was from the rural south.

“Sylvia said we had to tell you, Augusta. There are stories going round the servants’ quarters and I would ignore them ‘cept that I know the girl in question and so I know they’re true. She’s a wicked girl, always has been, though it’s not her fault that she was chosen for this task, I suppose.”

Bursting with impatience, I asked her gently to go on.

“Well, this girl, her name is Trellia, she’s been seeing the Emperor most nights.”

“And most days,” interjected the other.

“She wears one of your dresses, you know, one of those that you had put out for being taken apart and re-used, and she changed her name to Placidia. She says the Emperor told her she had to.”

“It’s outrageous,” exclaimed Sylvia. “I can’t believe it.”

“Hush,” I said. “Let her continue.”

The women looked at each other. “It is true, Augusta,” the shorter one said. “I swear on my life. We’d never make up something like this nor nothing that would hurt you. Sylvia heard us talking about it this morning and said we had to come to you. This Trellia flaunts her relationship with the Emperor, sweeping about the kitchens in that fancy dress and telling people to call her Augusta. She says the Emperor doesn’t really …” she broke off, her face suffused with red and looked at Sylvia for help.

But Sylvia was implacable. “Keep going,” she ordered.

The woman hesitated, wringing her hands together before speaking again.

“Trellia says that the Emperor doesn’t perform but that he likes to kiss and cuddle and makes her hold him all night so that he can sleep.”

“How many people know of this girl’s association with the Emperor?” I asked. The women looked at each other, shoulders raised in a shrug. “Everyone in the kitchens knows because that’s where Trellia does all her showing off. But she’d never dare to say a word in front of anyone else, like the gentlemen or the guards. She’s a little slut but she’s not stupid. If anyone in authority heard about it, she’d be in big trouble, wouldn’t she? I mean, taking your dress and pretending to be you?”

I nodded. “Yes, she would. So you don’t think many people know about this… this behavior on the part of the Emperor?”

Sylvia interrupted. “Augusta, you know that my former husband is a chamberlain. I asked him what he thought of this story, because he knows the guards and the other chamberlains. He reckons that some of the guards must know as they let the girl into the Emperor’s rooms but that a lot of people believe that it is you in there. They hear the Emperor calling your name.”

“And a lot of talking and giggling,” added one of the woman.

“Thank you both,” I said politely to the two women. “ Go back to your quarters and Sylvia will make sure that you are rewarded for your cooperation. Sylvia, please bring Aurelia and Marcus here as soon as you can.”

I waited for them to close the doors behind them. Stunned at what I had heard, I sat at the desk that used to be my father’s, running my fingers along its smooth surface, searching out the long groove that he had made with a knife when he heard of my mother’s death.

The story the women had told seemed incredible, beyond belief, but I sensed they were telling the truth. They had no reason to lie. My skin crawled at the thought of what Honorius was doing.

Aurelia arrived first, and I told her what the women had said.

She pressed her hand to her mouth. “It’s odious,” she breathed.

Marcus burst in a few minutes later and sat heavily on a couch.

“Sylvia told me.” He took a deep breath. “It is clear that many people believe that the woman in the Emperor’s room is you,” he continued. “Even if the servants know the truth they will not betray one of their own to their lords and ladies. We need to find out how widespread this misconception is among the courtiers and senators.”

“But what can I do?” I asked. “If Ursus has heard the rumors even in the Bishop’s residence, then it’s certain that everyone in the palace has too.”

“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” said Marcus reassuringly. “If necessary, we’ll force Honorius into issuing a general statement of the truth. The girl can be hung for impersonating you and I’ll make sure that happens if it helps to clear your name.”

“We should challenge Honorius first,” I said. “The two women can be brought in as witnesses and the girl will have to speak the truth if called on in front of the senators and lawyers.”

Marcus stood. “Let’s go. There’s no time like the present.”

Honorius’s guards kept us waiting, but finally admitted us all to his chambers. The Emperor sat, surrounded by all of his advisors, who huddled around the throne as though warming themselves at a fire.

He dismissed them all when Marcus requested a private audience, and sat motionless when Marcus relayed the story told by the washerwomen.

“I don’t know what you’re accusing me of,” Honorius responded. “If I wish to have relations with some wench from the servants’ quarters, that is hardly your concern. And I can’t be blamed for not remembering her name or for calling her any little nickname I wish.”

“Our concern is that this woman is dressing as herself as the Augusta Galla Placidia,” Marcus said. “She calls herself Placidia. Impersonating the Augusta carries the death penalty, as you well know, Your Imperial Highness.”

Honorius jumped up from his throne. “Are you threatening me? Threatening the girl? You leave her out of this or you’ll be sorry. I’ll have you stripped of your titles and powers and you’ll be out patrolling the Rhine again. Do I make myself understood?”

Marcus started to argue but I pulled him back by the arm. “No, Marcus, leave it. There’s no point. Let’s go.”

We left the room and I thanked Marcus for his efforts. “I need to clear my head,” I said. “I’ll walk in the gardens for a while, but let’s eat dinner together this evening and decide what our next action should be.”

In truth, I knew there was no action to be taken. Honorius held ultimate power and he could change Marcus’s life with a single command. I couldn’t let my friends suffer on my behalf.

Walking the tiled path to the center of the garden, I breathed in the scent of the lilies that filled the flowerbeds. When I reached the shell-shaped fountain in the middle, I scooped up a handful of water and dabbed my cheeks to cool them. Then I closed my eyes and turned my face up to the sun.

A rustling sound sent the blood pounding in my ears and I opened my eyes to see Honorius. He appeared through a narrow opening in a clipped hedge and stood watching me.