Valeria’s Cross (24 page)

Peace negotiations with the Persians began in the spring of 299, with both Diocletian and Galerius presiding. Their
magister memoriae
, Sicorius Probus, was sent to Narses to present the terms of the peace treaty, which were stringent, with Rome securing a wide zone of cultural influence in the region. The fact that the empire was able to sustain such constant warfare on so many fronts was taken as a sign of the essential efficacy of the Diocletianic system and the goodwill of the army towards the tetrarchic enterprise. As a special gift to Valeria, Galerius returned the wife, children, and servants of Narses to the grateful king.

“This means more to me than all the jewels in Persia,” Valeria declared.

With Galerius’ victory over the Persians came an abundance of power and clout. He became rude and obnoxious, not to Valeria, but to Diocletian. Valeria assumed he was taking revenge for the humiliation Diocletian had forced upon Galerius when he was defeated in Syria. However, his treatment of Diocletian deeply hurt Valeria and Prisca, so much so that Valeria dared speak to him about it.

“Your father?” Galerius responded when Valeria told him of her concerns. “Syria was my victory. I earned it. It is time for your father to retire. How long must I be Caesar?”

“That is my father’s decision and not yours,” Valeria reminded him.

Galerius glared at her. “Whose side are you on anyway?”

“I take no sides,” she declared, turning away. “Why can you not allow things to run their natural course?”

Galerius grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. “Because I am king of the world,” he declared, his eyes making it clear that he meant every word.

F
ollowing the victory in Syria, the Roman Empire enjoyed a time of great prosperity and peace. Diocletian lived and entertained lavishly in Nicomedia, as did Galerius in Thessalonica. After his victory over the Syrians, Galerius became haughty to everyone else, though he was usually kind and loving to his wife. It seemed he appreciated her attentiveness and care for him, his son, and the members of their court. Valeria had written to her mother that her life was happy and fulfilling. The one thing she feared was Galerius’ ambition, but she was uncomfortable expressing her sentiment in writing. With no one in whom to confide her fears, Valeria continuously prayed about the matter.

Valeria also enjoyed the responsibility of running her own household and the affairs of the palace, though she missed the close companionship she had lately shared with her mother and had shared with Eugenia. Overall, however, she was managing well … until the day Daza approached her in the garden, where she strolled with her new personal servant, Dorthea, who had replaced Eugenia.

“May I have a word with you?” Daza asked.

“Certainly,” Valeria replied, hoping her fear was not evident.

“Alone?”

“There is nothing you cannot say to me in front of Dorthea.”

“This concerns my father, and it is a private and sensitive matter. Will you take a short stroll with me?”

Valeria glanced nervously at Dorthea. “You may be dismissed. Wait for me on the garden bench at the pond.”

When they were alone, Valeria turned to Daza. “What is this urgent matter concerning my husband?”

Without pause, Daza leaned close. “My sweet Valeria, I have missed you desperately. Since the day we parted at the wedding in Venice, I have thought of nothing but you. The sweetness of your kisses, your heart beating as one with my own—”

Valeria held up her hand. “The only reason I agreed to see you is that you said you had news concerning my husband. What is it?”

“I am sorry. With all my heart, I believed that you shared the feelings I have for you. I was in hopes that you still burned with the passion of our brief time together.”

Valeria did not wish to be harsh, but she had to be firm in order to drive him from her. “We were never together. It was only a brief kiss … or two. It meant nothing.”

“You can never make me believe that,” he protested. “Your kisses were fueled with passion and desire. I know that you love me as I love you. While I was away in Syria, I thought of your sweet fragrance, the tender touch of your hand, the burning heat of your kisses, the softness of your—”

“Stop! You tempted me and took advantage of me at a time when I was weak in my faith and strong in defiance of my marriage.
Shame on you, Daza! Never speak these words in my ear again. Never!”

But Daza seemed determined. “My sister has two babies at her breast, and your womb is yet empty. Surely I can give you the children you want. In their veins would run my father’s blood, and no one would ever have to know they were mine. We can be discreet. Besides, your husband will not live forever. I will wait for you, and one day, we can be together. I will make our children Caesars, and they will rule the empire as a Christian nation.”

The mention of children stung Valeria’s heart and brought tears to her eyes. She clutched her chest as she answered. “Galerius has accepted my inability to give him children. He loves me unconditionally.” Biting her lower lip, she added, “I love my husband, and I would never, ever betray him. Please go … at once!”

Daza touched her face, blotting her tears with his finger-tips. “I am sorry, Valeria. I beg your forgiveness. Your tears have torn my heart. I did not mean to make you cry or to hurt you over the reminder of your barrenness, but I have known women who were barren but then birthed children with other men. I truly believe I can make you happy, not just by extinguishing the burning desire and passion you have for me so you will be satisfied, but to give you a lapful of children as well.”

Valeria swallowed, fighting to control her breathing. “I admit I once had passionate feelings for you. I was tormented by them, but I have matured in my faith, and I am no longer tempted.”

But even as she protested, the man’s beautiful green eyes held her captive. Her heart began to pound so furiously that she became lightheaded. Daza had been unfair to tempt her with hope of children, the greatest desire of her heart. When
she felt herself sway, she also felt Daza cup his hand around her waist to steady her. At his touch, and with his tempting words swirling around in her head—a baby, a Christian nation, her passions satisfied by a handsome and virile young man—Valeria felt weakened.

It was almost more than she could endure as he gently pulled her body closer to his, and yet, had God not promised in the Scriptures that no one would be tempted more than they could bear?

“Stop!” she begged, struggling to pull away. “Please.”

He dropped his hand, and she nearly stumbled backward. “I have my answer,” he whispered.

A hint of irritation began to rise within her. “And what answer might that be?”

“That you still desire me.”

“Why, you despicable, arrogant, boorish—” Valeria stopped mid-sentence, summoning all her determination. “Leave at once,” she demanded.

Daza’s jaw tightened. “I will leave as you say, but remember that I possess the power to give you the world.”

“And what good is the world if I lose my very soul?” Valeria asked, her reply paraphrasing a verse of Scripture Father Marcus had taught her.

As Daza swaggered away, he called back over his shoulder, “Live for the moment, Valeria, my love. It is the only happiness you will ever find in this life and beyond. For one day all that will remain of you are a few particles of dust.”

A battle raged in Valeria’s heart, and she longed for her mother’s comfort. As angry as Daza had made her, his enticing words and tantalizing touch had tempted her. In her weaker
moments, she would muse,
Perhaps I could bear a child with him.
No one would ever know.
She was well acquainted with the voice of Satan who whispered in her ear. Then, for the remainder of the day, she would be consumed with guilt over her considerations and justifications for sinning.

At night she refused any thoughts of Daza in her bed. When she lay down with Galerius, she focused only on her husband, concentrating on his every touch and pleasing him with hers. She refused to allow herself to fantasize that it was Daza making love to her, or even Mauritius, for that matter.

Sadly, Valeria did not have the power to lock Daza from her dreams. His face had replaced the face of Mauritius. From the time she fell asleep until the sun rose the next morning, he tormented her heart and mind. No matter how she prayed or thought on other things before drifting off to sleep, it was Daza who dominated her sleeping hours. Some nights she was so distraught that she refused to sleep, to the point that it was making her ill.

Galerius soon noticed Valeria’s lethargy, commenting on her pale complexion and dark-rimmed eyes. Concerned, he called in the court’s physicians to examine her. When they found nothing physically wrong, they told Galerius that perhaps it was her anxiety over her inability to bear a child.

“I am perfectly content with the way things are,” Galerius assured Valeria. “I know how badly your arms ache for a baby, but truthfully, I do not have a burning desire to fill my quiver with children. My desire burns for you and your great passion and beauty. Candidianus and Daza are the best sons a man could ever hope to have. And Valeria Maximilla is a wonderful daughter, who has already given me two grandsons.” He pulled her close. “I like having my wife’s attentions focused almost entirely upon me.”

Valeria was greatly comforted by her husband’s words, but she also trembled, for if he knew the true genesis of her deep troubles, he would be furious and deeply hurt. Her infertility was a great part of it, but her passion for Daza tormented her more, especially since he had nearly convinced her that she would be able to have a child with him.

A few weeks later, when Galerius informed her he was traveling to Bithynia for a meeting with her father, who was wintering there with Prisca, Valeria insisted on going with him, secretly terrified of what she might do if left alone with Daza.

“But the journey will be too hard on you in your present health,” Galerius said.

“A change of scenery, away from the day-to-day routine, would provide a refreshing tonic for my present ills.”

“Very well. I will confer with the court doctors, and if they give permission for you to travel, I will consider it.”

Later that day, Galerius told her he had received clearance from her physicians. Valeria was relieved, but then she was caught off guard when she ran into Daza in the hallway. Before she could protest, he pulled her into an alcove and pressed her up against the wall, his body nearly crushing hers as he whispered into her ear.

“Galerius leaves for Bithynia in a few days, and I have convinced him that I should remain at the palace in Thessalonica to look after his affairs here, including your care.”

“But—”

He kissed her before she could say another word, and then moved his lips to her ear, though she still could not speak because he placed his hand over her mouth. “Soon, my love,” he whispered. “I will come to you in the night and give you the baby you have wanted for so long.” When he pulled away and looked into her eyes, he warned, “You must invite your
husband into your bed every night before he leaves and when he returns, so there will be no suspicion whatsoever. Do you understand?”

Valeria opened her mouth to chastise him but instead went straight to the point. “I am traveling to Bithynia with my husband.”

Valeria felt his body convulse with disappointment, mirroring her true feelings exactly. How she longed to be the recipient of the promises he had whispered in her ear!

He composed himself and said, “Then I shall wait my turn. Your husband cannot remain at your side forever. I do not care how long it takes; I will wait for you.”

Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Valeria trembling and longing for his touch.

When Galerius and Valeria arrived in Bithynia, they were greeted with the usual fanfare. To Valeria’s disappointment, Romula was in her father’s court.

“I am surprised to see your mother.”

“She is here at your father’s invitation, not mine.”

Valeria had sensed friction between Galerius and his mother of late over the name of Romulus. Since his victory at Syria, Galerius had wanted to take the name of Romulus, believing he was the actual god, but his mother had refused to give up the name for she too believed that she was the female goddess, Romula. She had argued that Galerius could take the masculine name while she retained the feminine version, but because of Galerius’ boulder-sized ego, he had refused to share the honor. How Valeria despised the machinations of the pagans!

Curious, Valeria mused, “Why would my father desire Romula’s presence?”

Galerius sneered. “Your father is timorous and obsessed by his fears of what tomorrow will bring. He constantly consults the gods on the future. My mother is the high priestess who assists him in the divinations that will supply Diocletian with the prognostic of events.”

Valeria shook her head. “When I was a child, my mother shielded me from these sorts of things.”

“Would you like to come to one of the ritual ceremonies with me to satisfy your curiosity about the divinations? There is one about to take place in the temple now.”

“No, thank you,” Valeria replied. “I am tired from our journey, and I promised the physician that I would get my rest while I was away.”

Galerius’ face clouded over, and a glint of determination shone in his dark eyes. “I want you with me. Afterward, we shall retire to the bedchamber and enjoy a long nap together.”

Valeria tried to make excuses. “But I have not yet visited my mother, and I also have to pay my respects to the ladies of the court.”

“You can do that later. I insist you come with me.” He took her hand and led her downstairs where most of the members of the court had already gathered in Jupiter’s temple. They no sooner appeared in the temple than Diocletian spotted them and hurried to their side. “Welcome, my darling,” he said, planting a kiss on Valeria’s cheek. “What a nice surprise that you would indulge your old father with your presence in the temple. Please, take a seat; the ceremony is about to begin.”