Danger in the Wind (33 page)

“Gods,” Lucius said softly, almost to himself, “I can’t help thinking maybe I could have prevented Eurytus’ death if I hadn’t been sent away up to Morbium. Guarding him should have been my job.”

I opened my mouth to throw back the remark he’d flung at me, about not being much help to the person I was supposed to be guarding. But I didn’t say it. Instead I said, “There are some things that can’t be helped, brother, however hard we try. Jovina and Eurytus are dead, and we each feel responsible. But it’s the people who did the killing that are truly responsible. All we can do is make sure justice catches up with them.”

He nodded, then looked me in the eyes, and I felt an understanding pass between us, the way it used to when we were children and each knew what the other was thinking.

“I’m sorry I shouted at you, Sis.”

“And I’m sorry Vitellia is in trouble now. I hadn’t foreseen anything like this.”

“I know.” He reached out and briefly touched my hand. “Friends again?”

“Of course. We need one another, and Quintus needs both of us.”

I looked round as Titch came riding up. He didn’t say anything, but from the way he dismounted I could tell he was very angry.

“I need to talk to you in the office, Lucius,” he said.

“Can’t it wait? You can tell me on the way.”

“No, it can’t, and Aurelia needs to hear it too. Now, please.”

Titch wasn’t usually so brusque, or so incandescent. Lucius and I followed him to our little office and closed the door.

“That Trebonius…” Titch let loose a torrent of curses. “He’ll get this fort destroyed, and all of us along with it. D’you know what he’s doing? He’s assuming Eurytus was killed by Brigantians, which is fair enough. He thinks Brennus probably knows who’s done it. Again, fair enough. So he’s sending out men to take twenty Brigantians hostage. When the killer is handed over, they’ll be set free.”

Lucius said, “That’s not such a bad idea.”

“Wait, I’ve not done yet. If the killer isn’t handed over, Trebonius will execute two hostages a day until, as he says, they come to their senses.”

“What?”
Lucius almost shouted.

“Once the hostages are rounded up, he’ll send out messengers to announce the news to Brennus and the other leaders, and make a proclamation in the forum. If nobody’s given any useful information by tomorrow, the first two will die at dawn.”

“And then the whole village will erupt,” Lucius growled. “What does the fool think he’s doing?”

“What about the Fall of Troy?” I said. “If we’ve read Terentius’ message right, there are plans for an attack on the fort today, as well as on Eurytus himself. So the conspirators will be prepared anyway, probably raring to go. We might just have stopped them by patrolling every street. But once Trebonius begins killing natives…”

“Didn’t you tell him Quintus is still in the village? And Vitellia and Chloe could be anywhere?”

“Of course I did. But he wouldn’t change his mind, and he’s the commander, when all’s said and done, I couldn’t force him.”

“So we’ve got till tonight to bring everyone in.” Lucius glanced up at the sun. “It’s not long to noon, so let’s get started. How many men did he give us for escort?”

“None.”

Now it was Lucius’ turn to swear. “But we’ve still got the two who came with us to Jovina’s house, I suppose?”

“No, they’ve already been ordered out on patrol.”

“Then we must join forces with Quintus and search together. We’ll go to Brennus’ house first, warn him what’s about to happen, and then all go out to look for the girls.”

Titch nodded. “Aye, that’s the only option we’ve got really. Gambax is there with Quintus and a couple of soldiers. We can take them with us to the river, find the girls, and bring them in. We should be strong enough.”

“We’d better be.”

“I’ll come too,” I suggested. “I can ride, and…”

“No!” they said in unison.

“But this is urgent. I want to help.”

“And if you stay here, you will be helping,” Lucius said. “No, don’t look like that, I’m not fobbing you off with something unimportant, quite the reverse. You’re our contact point. We’ll probably have to split up, but if we can get messages back here, or send here for information, you’ll know what’s going on, and be able to keep the whole group informed.”

There was sense in that. “And I can keep an eye on what the garrison is doing, and I hope, get advance warning of what they’re planning.”

“Good. We’ll see you later then.”

I wasn’t happy to be left behind. Still, at least Lucius and I were friends once more, and as long as they reached Quintus in time he’d be safe. But what about Chloe and Vitellia, and Baca? The silly girls were exposing themselves to real danger, and maybe leading the men who searched for them into danger as well. I thanked the gods for Baca’s quick thinking in leaving me a note and sent a prayer to Diana asking her to look after the runaways until help could get to them.

I went back to the office to wait, and to think over what I’d learnt from the conversations I’d had at the fort today, and last night. Now that we’d discounted Mallius’ foolish confession, it seemed clear that Jovina’s killer was either her former lover or her current one, either Nikias or Trebonius. But which?

Both men had reasons for wanting her dead. Both men could have persuaded Jovina to meet them in secret by sending her a message. Both men had been missing for a while yesterday, out of the public view while the party was happening. Both men had been seen alone by the river, as if waiting for someone. That someone must surely have been Jovina. And then there was the brief snatch of a quarrel that Gambax and Chloe had overheard. The words Jovina had used could have been addressed to either man. “No, I won’t. I can’t. You know I can’t give you up, I love you. Then why are you tearing me in two? If you really loved me, you wouldn’t put me through this. No, talk all you like but I shan’t change my mind.” She could have been pleading with Nikias to resume their previous relationship, but at Isurium, not in some faraway place. Or she could equally well have been appealing to Trebonius not to finish with her, but to continue the affair they’d only just started.

A knock at the door made me jump. I looked round nervously, then pulled myself together. “Come in.”

Selena opened the door and stood hesitating on the threshold. “They said I’d find you here.”

“What can I do for you?”

She stepped in cautiously, and I could see how uneasy she was. She perched uncomfortably on the very edge of a stool, nervously fidgeting with a fold of her tunic, not meeting my gaze. And she should be uneasy, I thought. Much as I liked her I couldn’t help feeling angry with her. She shouldn’t have let Chloe and Vitellia go out unsupervised from the house on a day like this. How could she have been so careless?

The silence lengthened. Eventually she said, “I’m sorry, Mistress. I’m so sorry. They were too crafty for me.”

“Chloe and Vitellia, you mean?”

“Yes. They must have planned and schemed and worked out how to leave the house without me knowing.”

“You’d no idea what Chloe intended? I assume Chloe’s responsible really, and Vitellia…well, she’s easily led.”

“Yes, I’d say so.” She sighed. “There was some wild talk last night, Miss Chloe saying she wanted to run away because now my lady isn’t there, the master will make her marry Statius. I didn’t take it seriously—you know how she likes to make a drama out of everything. But I didn’t foresee anything like this.”

Her words, the very same ones I’d spoken to Lucius, dispelled my anger. This poor woman was as shocked and upset by the girls’ disappearance as I was. And like me, she felt guilty.

“None of us foresaw it, Selena. You mustn’t blame yourself. All we can do is try to put it right. First tell me all you can about what happened after we left this morning. The girls were still in the house then, presumably…or at least Baca was, and she said they were in bed.”

“When it began to get light, they were certainly in bed. I looked in on them and they were asleep. Or that’s what I thought. Baca suggested I should get some rest—she could manage for a while. I was bone-tired—we’d been up all night—so I was glad to. I thought once it was day; we could relax a bit. I went to my room and slept for a couple of hours. The rest did me good.”

“You woke up after we three had had breakfast and left for the fort?”

She nodded. “About an hour after you went, I’d say. Baca wasn’t about, and I knew she wouldn’t have gone to sleep, so I thought she must be in the girls’ room and went to see. That’s when I realised they’d gone. I found the note Baca left for you, but I didn’t like to read it. I sent a couple of the lads to the fort to fetch Master Philippus, but they found he’d left already. I didn’t know what was best to do. I wondered if I ought to go out and look for them myself, but then I thought, perhaps they’d just gone for a short while and would come back again soon, and I ought to be there if they did. I knew we were all supposed to be going to stay at the fort. Lord Statius went into the village to see what he could find out…”

“Statius? By himself?”

“With his two men, of course. I thought he was foolish but he insisted, and he wasn’t gone long. He didn’t find any trace of them, or anyone who’d seen them. I was really worried by then. I was so relieved when your brother arrived to take charge.”

“I don’t think Baca was involved in planning how to get away.” I told her about the note. “I trust her. I believe she really thinks she’s doing the best thing, going with them, though the gods know three girls are no safer than two as things are. Anyhow, we’ll know for sure when we find them.”

She looked up at me. “You truly believe we’ll find them?”

“I do. My brother and Victor are already out searching.”

“I pray you’re right. This family’s in more than enough trouble. The mistress dead, the master saying he killed her, Miss Chloe swearing she’ll run away. As for Master Philippus, I don’t know what’s to become of him now my lady isn’t here.”

“There’s one bit of news that might comfort you.” I told her about what Mallius had said this morning, and how he was now a free man, though a sick one.

“That’s a relief, at least. We were right, you and I. We said he hadn’t killed her.” She smiled at me. “Now all we’ve got to do is find the bastard who did.”

“From what you told me last night, I think we may have found him,” I said. “But proving it, that’s something else entirely.”

“I’m sure if anyone can do it, you can.” She rose to go.

“One more thing. What made you say that you don’t know what will become of Philippus now his mother is dead?”

“Nothing really. Only that he’ll be sad. He loved his mother.”

“Selena, I thought we’d agreed you must tell me everything, and I know there’s more to it than that. Jovina was worried about him, wasn’t she? She told me about finding a bronze brooch with VVV on it among his things, and being anxious because he was spending more than he could possibly be earning.”

She sat down again and nodded. “He gambles far too much. Sometimes he wins, but more often he loses. My lady had to pay off his debts more than once.”

“Did he get money from anyone else? His father, for instance?”

“Never. He was too proud to ask, and anyhow his father would never have given him anything.”

“Then how did he manage? My cousin told me she was afraid he was taking payment from the Brigantians. Was he involved with this silly VVV business?”

“No, at least not the way you mean. He’s no traitor, Master Philippus. But he’s always trying to make a few extra sestertii any way he can. When Terentius was here, it was even worse—they used to encourage each other to spend money like senators. I’m pretty sure they had some minor rackets on the go, disposing of surplus army stores from Cataractonium, selling them to traders and no questions asked, that sort of thing. He’s in charge of the tannery there now.”

“I know. Some sort of punishment, I understand. What had he done to deserve a demotion like that?”

“Word got around that he and Terentius had a fight. They quarrelled over money, so the story went, but I don’t know the details, and of course it was meant to be secret. But you can’t keep secrets for long in a fort. The commander didn’t want to dismiss either of them. They’re good soldiers, and both Roman citizens, which is more than most of the men are. So he sent Terentius down to Londinium for three months, and Philippus was posted to Cataractonium. He made a great fuss about not wanting to be there, but I don’t suppose it’s very hard for the officer in charge of a place like that to sell a few raw hides privately, even some tanned leather.”

“It’d be fairly unusual if there was no stealing at all,” I agreed. “But making enough money out of it to pay for serious gambling…that’s a different matter.”

“You think he was up to something else as well? It could be so. But you know, Mistress, really I can’t believe he’d do anything too terrible. He was a loving son to my lady, and he’s good with his children, even though their mother’s only a village girl.”

“That’s as maybe.” I couldn’t think what else to say. Selena was right. It was hard to keep secrets long in a fort, but there was one big secret which Philippus had managed to keep from his mother, and it was a great deal more serious than petty thieving at a tannery.