Taurus (13 page)

The soldier hesitated.

“Yes?” Caius inquired impatiently.

“They don’t seem typical messengers.” The soldier shrugged as Caius signaled to admit the men from Panua. The first man, large and portly, looked more like a wine steward than a messenger. He held a leather case containing a scroll. A short and nondescript boy accompanied him. They were dressed in rough tunics, with caps covering their heads. The big man doffed his cap and bowed low to Caius.

He fixed his gaze on the man. “What news?”

The soldier took the scroll and handed it to Caius.

“Out,” he ordered. Caius unfurled the scroll while Captain Ovidius watched the two guests for sudden moves.

Caius lowered the scroll and gazed at the big man. “What is the meaning of this?” He narrowed his gaze in suspicion. The scroll dropped to the floor, blank, without one blemish on its pristine paper.

“The message is for you alone. It comes from the Lady Virga and must be delivered by my companion.”

Caius bid his captain leave. A message from Virga could prove either welcome or unwelcome. Ovidius raised the tent flap and held it open as he and the large man stepped outside. Caius turned to face the boy, curious over the message and its possible contents. He assumed word had leaked out that he was Caius and not Calvinius. Perhaps the thought of a life with an emperor disagreed with her temperament. After all, Lidia—a woman who hated Gregorian with the deepest core of her being—had raised her.

The boy moved forward and stood directly in front of him, looking up at Caius with pale blue eyes. Caius reached forward and instinctively removed the boy’s cap. Long blonde hair tumbled out from underneath. “Lady Virga! What in the name of the gods are you doing here, alone?”

With an impish smile on her face and dirt smudges on her nose and cheeks, she gazed up at him.

“I am borrowing your sister’s ways.” Virga’s face flushed with excitement, her icy blue eyes shone in defiance.

“The governor refused to consider my offer?”

“He will not release your sister, although she has no wish to leave, so it can hardly be called captivity.” Virga explained Kallie and Taurus lived as man and wife, and Caius nodded, preoccupied with other thoughts.

“And what of you? Has he given permission for you to marry?”

“Will you send me back to Panua if I come without consent? My brother will never agree to Rome and Panua joining forces through our union.” Virga sighed. “You came to me as Calvinius, but as the emperor perhaps you feel differently after revealing your true persona.”

Caius grinned. His mind lit in wonder at her presence. “I acted foolishly back in Panua. I put you at risk. The moment I laid my eyes on you I longed to take you with me.”

Virga’s eyes opened wide.

Caius reached for her hand. “If I were to lose you now, after finally meeting and realizing we two are perfect together, I would be mad with frustration.” He pulled her nearer. “I want you as my wife. Did you understand my purpose?”

“I hurried away before the governor had time to block any chance of an escape. What does all this mean?”

“I am Caius Gregorian, Emperor of Rome. My father rescued my mother from your grandmother’s tyranny, and they have been fierce enemies ever since. Calvinius is the name I use to voice ideas too new and untried for the old guard in Rome to consider. As Emperor I must provide stability and security for my people, but over time my ideas will take root and grow throughout the empire—Virga, my empire and yours!”

Caius looked deeply into her eyes, assured this woman was the right one for him. “If you choose to be my wife, we will leave this place bound together as one.”

He burned with a passionate desire to change the world and a passionate desire to share his life with her. He offered her something no other man would or could give her—the choice to become his wife. It was hers to make, right here, right now.

“Caius or Calvinius, whoever you choose to be, I will be your wife.” Virga smiled up at him as he watched her in fascination.

“As soon as we reach Rome we will be married. Afterward, a huge celebration will be arranged for the people of Rome to welcome you into their hearts.”

He took her to sit by the warm coals sizzling in the metal brazier and passed her a small cup filled with the best wine. She sipped from the cup and then he took a sip. They passed it back and forth, sharing the delicious drink, symbolizing their unity of purpose. He placed his arm around her, and she tucked her head in under his chin.

“My escort must return soon. His absence will be noted if he is gone too long,” Virga murmured.

Caius called to Ovidius, who guarded the doorway of the tent. His confident voice resonated with authority. He instructed a few men to accompany Virga’s companion to Panua.

“Is there anything you need or want to make this parting from Panua easier on you?”

“I have everything I need,” she said, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

“I drew up our marriage contract, even though I knew it would likely be rejected by your brother.” Caius grinned boyishly at her.

“Were you confident I would accept your offer?”

“Hopeful,” Caius said. “But doubtful you would be agreeable once my true identity came out, given our family’s history.”

“Your sister told us who you were after she recovered from her swoon, afraid you had taken Panua and had come to fetch her in person.”

“Hmm,” Caius mused. “She is free to do as she pleases.”

Virga slid her hand into his. “Taurus has no plans to free your sister. He will not mention your edict decreeing her freedom from the satrap.”

Caius shifted slightly. “Kallie is able to handle her situation and will leave when ready. She has a way of achieving her wants.”

“Is that a Gregorian family trait?”

Caius grinned, absurdly happy with the woman sitting next to him. At thirty-three years of age, never once in all his years of scholarly learning had he thought love would come to him as quickly or surely as it had now.

“When our contract is signed, then I will truly answer yes, Lady Virga.”

They kissed, innocently sweet and tender, as Caius held her in his firm embrace. His hands slid into the long blonde hair hanging freely over her shoulders.

“I love you,” Caius whispered, and Virga melted into his arms as they dreamed of the life they would share together.

Chapter Ten

Kallie sat on the huge bed she shared with Taurus, her fingers plucking at the sheets while he raged over the marriage of Caius and Virga. A month ago Virga had secretly fled the fortress in disguise and run off to meet the emperor. He was supposed to be waiting for Taurus’ decision on the matter, but apparently the Lady Virga had made up her own mind and now they were wed.

Taurus growled. “A Gregorian and a Paulinus married. This is the blackest day for my grandmother and my ancestors, who have been sorely mistreated by Rome.”

Kallie laughed with scorn. “You share a bed with me, and I am a Gregorian. I have finer blood running through my veins than you. My grandfather was an emperor, and now my brother rules. Do you not think it is a black day for Rome?”

He turned in annoyance. “My sister should have married a man from Panua. It is imperative we keep our blood pure.”

Kallie stretched her stiff back, bored by his complaints.

“That’s Lidia talking, not you. Your parents were minor nobles who sold you to Lidia for a good price.”

Taurus’ look of fury scorched her. “Who told you such a lie?”

“I made inquiries,” Kallie said imperiously. “You are a country boy brought here to fulfill the wishes of an old woman casting her net of revenge against Rome.”

“Hmm,” Taurus grunted. “I am the blood of Paulinus, even if distantly related. My mother’s cousin was connected to his family.”

“Hardly a lineage to fuss over.” Her lip twisted with scorn.

Taurus swigged his watered wine and tore off a crust of bread, chewing vigorously.

“And,” Kallie continued, “My mother and your father were supposed to be wed. Lidia thought her a fine choice at the time.”

The Governor rolled his eyes. “Until she ran off, pregnant with your father’s brat.”

Kallie laughed at the outrage on his face. “You say it as if you have never seduced a maid!”

Taurus reached out and managed to catch her before she scrambled away, and she squealed with laughter as he pinched her rear end.

“Don’t you dare,” she giggled, dark hair tumbling around her shoulders.

“If your mother was half as beautiful as you, then I understand your father’s compulsion to have her.”

“My mother should have tossed my father aside for his lack of manners.” She wriggled out of his embrace and made a weak attempt to leave the bed. He gathered her in his arms and pinned her under his weight in the blink of an eye.

“I have a few compulsions of my own,” Taurus breathed hotly on her neck.

“Mmmm.” Kallie sighed as his lips pressed against her cheek. “Show me,” she murmured in a haze of delicious want.

“Is my blood good enough for you, Lady Gregorian?” Taurus took off her shift.

Kallie wasn’t listening; she was already halfway to blissful fulfillment.

****

The bed stayed warm and comfortable long after Taurus had left. Kallie stared into the center of the room, tired and hungry. A bag of herbs lay hidden in a drawer, given to her by the wise woman. She took a measure of the herbs and swilled them into weak wine while listening to the servants’ gossip about Lidia and her grand marriage plans for Taurus. His edgy and short-tempered demeanor these last few days hadn’t gone unnoticed. The old woman pressured him relentlessly.

I must leave this place.

Kallie called for the servant girl, Mira, who passed messages to young Verragius on her behalf. Any hope of Caius sending word to release her from the betrothal had died. He was too busy enjoying his new wife.

She admired Virga and hoped she made a wonderful companion for her brother. Both brilliantly educated, they liked nothing better than to study and write the day away.

Not her! Married and tied to a life of domestication seemed a sure way to lose the essence of one’s self. Freedom remained the only option for happiness.

The room with the straw came to her mind. Taurus had left it as a private joke that he could send her back to an uncomfortable prison anytime he chose, though it seemed unlikely he would ever follow through on his veiled threats of punishment, given the pleasure they brought one another. If only the rest of the world would go away and leave him alone. Unfortunately, he too believed he must marry and produce a Paulinus heir, a son, to carry on his name and his lineage. Kallie cared not about future generations. Living in the here and now was the most important thing to her. But she would not and could not allow him to keep her as his mistress while he took a wife. Her nature did not permit such a blatant transgression.

She had always known their relationship was fleeting and fragile. He was too strong and powerful for her to break free without careful planning, and she had the arrangements in place. Atticus would be waiting for a signal. Tonight!

She retrieved the key for the tower door leading to the top of the fortress. Nothing but flags waved in the breeze on a narrow turret. She had stored the knowledge of the hidden key for weeks. The time had come to use it, and now Kallie tiptoed to the room with the straw. Mira gathered it into a large blanket and tied the corners into a bundle, and Kallie took it, along with a lamp, and started for the tower stairs. Mira kept watch in the hallway for the steward while Kallie rushed up the tower stairs and dumped the straw below the flag.

After hurrying back she picked a piece of straw from her hair as the steward arrived with a message.

“The Governor has requested you dine with him and the Hestonius family tonight at sunset.” Kristokus left as quickly as he had come.

Kallie ran to the chest to gather the clothes she had worn on the journey to Panua and collected a few other things for her escape.
It has to be tonight!
Atticus could wait no longer. It had been simple to pass messages through young Verragius. He ached to defy Taurus and knew the pathway to reach her uncle, although she doubted he had direct knowledge of where Atticus hid. Her last coded message had been to watch the fortress for the next few nights and when the signal was given Atticus must meet Verragius at the appointed place.

A wave of nausea passed through her like a gust of wind. She ran to the washhouse, but by the time she reached it, the moment was gone. After eating bread and a sip of wine, her head spun dizzily for a few moments but again the moment passed and she returned to the task at hand.

Mira breezed in and out of the room a few times with a watchful face.

Kallie waved her over. “Did you receive an answer to my last message?”

“Yes, Lady,” Mira breathed in a low voice. “He will be at the gatehouse tonight, after dark.” Mira left quickly as the other servants attended their duties in the bedchamber.

Kallie trembled. Did she have the resolve to leave? Usually strong and full of vitality, today she felt weak and drained. She would not see Taurus until the gathering tonight. He claimed to be busy with state duties, but Kallie knew the real reason he avoided her these last few days. He preferred to ignore the rumors of his impending marriage, due to proceed on the first day of the coming calend.

The day passed slowly, and Kallie tried to walk in the gardens, although she desperately wanted to visit the stables to check on the horses and prepare Pilum for the coming escape.

The time came for her to attend the reception room in preparation for tonight’s meal. Dressed in a black gown studded with colorful gemstones worth a fortune, she
threaded a gold ribbon through each artful braid in her hair and dreaded this evening’s dinner.

The Hestonius family had congregated in large numbers, and Lidia stood among them, her face set in a resemblance to a grinning hyena. Kallie arrived before Taurus and briefly faltered, a feather cast on the wind. She had no one to turn to until the governor arrived, and for the first time she noticed this place was foreign to her. The urge to flee pulsed through her, but she did not know the cause.