TW11 The Cleopatra Crisis NEW (18 page)

"He remembered," she said with a smile.

"Caesar?" said Apollodorus. frowning. "Remembered what?"

"Do you not recall, Apollodorus?" she said. "It was on this very day that you first brought me secretly into Caesar's presence, concealed within a carpet. And now he sends me one, to commemorate the occasion of our first meeting."

“It should still have been carefully examined." said Apollodorus. still frowning. "We do not know it came from Caesar. You have many enemies in Rome, my Queen. We cannot be too careful."

"You worry too much, Apollodorus." she replied. "Do you really think that some assassin would dare attempt to murder me here in this very house, with all your guards'? And with Caesar's soldiers outside? I am as safe here as I would be in my own palace." She turned to Drummond and Andell. "Unroll it. Let me see."

Andell bent down and untied the fastenings. then he and Drummond unrolled the carpet. The guards gasped and reached for their swords as Andre was revealed, rolled up inside the rug. Cleopatra stared in astonishment.

"What is the meaning of this?" said Apollodorus angrily.

Then Cleopatra laughed and clapped her hands. "Oh. it is wonderful! Do you not see? How witty of him! Caesar has sent me a slave girl as a gift! And he has presented her in the same manner in which I arrived to him!"

"I hope that you will not take offense, Your Highness," Andre said, rising to her feet. "but I am not a gift from Caesar. Nor am I a slave."

Cleopatra frowned. "I do not understand."

"Who are you?" Apollodorus said. "Explain yourself this instant!"

"I am Antonia, wife to Marcus Septimus," said Andre.

"Septimus?" said Cleopatra. "You mean Caesar's friend?"

"That is Lucius Septimus," said Andre. "My husband, Marcus, is his brother. These two men are his slaves. To be truthful, my husband knows nothing of this. I fear that he would not approve. But I had heard so much about you and I wanted so very much to meet you! I had heard it said that you first came to Caesar in this manner when you met in Egypt and I struck upon it as a way to meet you. I thought that you might be amused, but I had no idea that your first meeting with Caesar took place on this very day. I apologize if my little ruse had made you angry. Such was not my intent."

"This is insufferable!" said Apollodorus. "You must leave this house at once!"

"She shall do no such thing," said Cleopatra.

"But. my Queen . . ."

Cleopatra smiled. "Do you not see. Apollodorus? It is an omen. Since I first came to Rome. I have had no one save yourself, my guards, and my female slaves for company. Except when Caesar comes, I am always lonely. And, unlike other Romans, who merely suffer my presence, this woman has sought out to meet me. The manner in which she chose to do it shows cleverness and wit. No, Apollodorus, she shall stay and dine with me this evening."

"But, my Queen," protested Apollodorus, "we know nothing of this woman!"

`"We know she is the wife of the brother of Caesar's closest friend." said Cleopatra. "Septimus has always treated me with courtesy, deference, and kindness. Caesar's regard for him speaks for his quality. I would expect no less from his brother."

"But we do not know his brother." Apollodorus persisted.

"Then we shall arrange to meet him," Cleopatra said. She smiled mockingly. "Or do you believe that he has sent his wife to murder me? I do not know what has come over you, Apollodorus. You see conspiracies everywhere. Come, Antonia. Pay no mind to my servant. He is merely overzealous in his duties."

"Perhaps he would like to search me, to make certain that I have no weapons," Andre said.

Cleopatra laughed. "Your wit appears to be a ready weapon," she said. "Come, sit with me. Apollodorus, we shall have some wine."

"As you wish. my Queen." Apollodorus said, though he was obviously displeased.

Cleopatra led Andre over to a couple of couches and a small table.

"I must admit," said Cleopatra. "that I am disappointed that Caesar did not choose to commemorate our meeting with this gesture, but doubtless, he has much on his mind now that he is preparing to leave on new campaigns. I fear he has forgotten. Still, I am pleased you came to see me in this fashion. It has added spice to a most dreary day."

"I was afraid that you might be angry at such an intrusion," Andre said.

"I might have been," said Cleopatra with a smile, "but I have too many other things to occupy my emotions these days."

"What things'?"

"My son, Caesarian, who is growing up more Roman than Egyptian; my servants and my guards, who bore me; Apollodorus, who stifles me; Romans. who despise me . . and Caesar, who maddens me when he is absent, but whose presence fills my heart with lightness. But tell me about yourself. Antonia. What made you want to come and see me?"

"I was curious," said Andre. "My husband says that it is my worst trait. I had heard that you were very beautiful and that your beauty had made Caesar your captive. Ever since I had arrived in Rome, I have heard of little else but you and I was seized with a compulsion to meet you."

"You do not live in Rome, then?" Cleopatra asked.

"We live in Cumae," Andre explained, reciting her cover. "I had never before visited Rome. Marcus came to visit Lucius, as they had not seen each other since Lucius left for the wars. We came with our friend Fabius Quintullus. Marcus, Lucius, and Fabius have been friends since childhood. Marcus is very interested in Caesar's Gallic campaigns. He thinks that Caesar is a great general. Perhaps even greater than Alexander."

Cleopatra smiled "Caesar would love to hear that," she said. "only do not say 'perhaps.' Tell him that he has eclipsed the fame of Alexander and you will make a friend for life."

"What is he like?"

"Caesar? You have not met him?"

"Not yet, but Lucius had promised to introduce us. I do not know what to expect."

"You may expect to find him very charming," Cleopatra said. "He is not the handsomest of men, but there is much about him that is appealing. His wit, his strength of character, his self-possession, his intelligence. . . He is a most unusual man. When I was still in Egypt, before we had met, and I received word that Caesar wished to see me, I was prepared to meet an arrogant Roman. I expected a man full of his own self-importance and disdainful of all others.

“Yet Caesar was none of those things. He had an easy manner and a confidence that required no boasts to support it. I was very taken with him right from the beginning. I know they say in Rome that I am some great seductress who has used her wiles to ensnare the Emperor, but the truth is that I was myself seduced. Caesar is a most compelling man."

“You must love him very much." said Andre.

Cleopatra smiled a bit sadly. “He is the first man I have ever truly loved. I left Egypt at his bidding to be in Rome with him, both because I wanted to be with him and because it is here, in Rome and not in Egypt, that I can best serve the interests of my subjects. I have borne Caesar's son, though I know that there are many here in Rome who denounce my claim as false, despite the fact that one can see his father's features in his own. Yet, unlike you, Antonia, I may not marry the man I love. Caesar will not divorce Calpurnia and he cannot marry me. He is Emperor of Rome and I am Queen of Egypt, by his own decree. Egypt is little more than Rome's possession now. And as Caesar is Rome, so I am Egypt. A mere possession."

Perhaps it was her loneliness that had made her vulnerable, perhaps she had caught her at an unguarded moment, but Andre found Cleopatra to be nothing like what she had expected. Instead of the cruel and imperious daughter of the pharaohs, the cold and calculating seductress that history had painted her as, here was a woman of warmth, candor, and perception. A woman who cared about her subjects, a woman of passion. As Andre sat listening to her, it seemed difficult for her to believe that this was a woman who had coldly ordered the murder of her own husband, who was also her brother, and yet history had reported that as fact. Although there had been many times when Andre had discovered that history had been in error. According to history. there had never been any love lost among the Ptolemy family. They intermarried, they quarreled, they fought and intrigued and killed each other, and yet Cleopatra was regarded by her subjects with affection. Though she was portrayed as one of the great seductresses of history, there was never any evidence that she was ever sexually involved with anyone but Caesar and Marc Antony. What Andre saw before her was not some Machiavellian female bent on manipulation, but a woman who seemed earthy, lonely, and very much in love.

“I fear for him," Cleopatra continued. "Between Caesar himself and Apollodorus, as well as my slaves who run my errands for me, I hear much of what goes on in Rome. Caesar has made many enemies. They say that it is I who have fed his lust for power, but the truth is that I have only tried to feed his caution, which has but little appetite. He says that the republic can no longer function, that the nobles have grown decadent and cannot rule. Without him, he says, the government would collapse and there would once more be civil war. He cannot believe that Rome would wish that. Perhaps Rome does not, but I fear that there are many Romans, men who seek influence and power, who do. Caesar is a great man, Antonia, and great men inspire jealousy in lesser men."

"But Caesar is well protected, is he not?" asked Andre. "Does he not have the Egyptian guard that you presented to him?"

"Yes, he does," said Cleopatra. "but he keeps them only because I begged him to take them for my sake. He begrudges their presence. He says that they make him look afraid, distrustful of his fellow Romans. He says that no man can truly guard against assassins who are determined. Must one live in constant fear, he says, trusting no one, afraid to eat without a taster, afraid to set foot outside his rooms without a dozen guards? I have changed my destiny, he says. I have set my feet upon a new path. I know not what he means when he says such things. He believes that Rome cannot do without him and so there is little risk to him. But I am happy that he keeps the guards, even if he does it just to please me. It was Apollodorus who suggested it. He picked the men himself, knowing my concern for Caesar. He promises that they will keep him safe. but I fear for him just the same. Even now, there are doubtless those who plot against him. Frightened, desperate men. I have learned," she added with a look of grave concern. "that desperate men do desperate things."

The
thermae
or the Roman baths. had not yet reached their zenith. In the 2nd century Roman baths were little more than small wash houses, reserved for men, but in time, they grew to tremendous size, becoming luxurious in their appointments, a place where Romans could spend the entire day bathing or taking steam or fortifying themselves against the cold with brisk baths in the frigidarium. They were places where Romans could engage in impromptu wrestling bouts or be massaged by slaves or simply relax and gossip with their friends.

For the price of one
quadrans
. the smallest Roman coin, a citizen could gain admission to the baths for the entire day. It was a place where one could get away from the cramped, noisy, and often smoky gold and exquisite tiled mosaics. The baths were not only a place to bathe, they were also recreation center, equipped with gymnasia, gardens. libraries, and reading rooms. No expense was spared in making the baths a palatial and comfortable community resource.

In the coming years, when the empire reached its zenith, the baths would become architectural marvels. The Baths of Caracalla, which would be constructed in A.D. 211. would have a height of over 100 feet and the main block would cover over 270.000 square feet, an area greater than the modern houses of the British Parliament. The Baths of Diocletian would be even larger, capable of accommodating over 3.000 bathers at one time. The first baths built on a truly palatial scale would be constructed during the time of Agrippa. in A.D. 20. and they would be followed by the baths of Nero, Trajan, Trajanus Decius, and Constantine. But at the time of Caesar, the public baths in Rome were still relatively small and nowhere near as spacious and luxurious as they would become in the coming years.

Delaney paid his admission and entered the baths where he had agreed to meet with Cassius and his friends. He entered the small anteroom, where he removed his tunic, toga, sandals, and loincloth and hung them up where they would be watched by a slave attendant. As the baths would grow larger in the coming years, the theft of clothing would become more and more of a problem, so that most Romans would wear only their oldest and most threadbare togas and tunics to the baths in anticipation of losing them and having to go home in thief's clothing or of having to send a slave home to bring them something to wear.

Delaney went into the main room, which was far smaller than the larger baths that would eventually be built. It consisted mainly of a pool with a tiled floor, considerably smaller than an Olympic-sized pool, the water in it kept warm by the hot air circulating beneath the floor, from the fire stoked in the basement. Off to one side was the smaller
frigidarium
, essentially a cold plunge. and through an arched doorway in the back was the
calidarium
, a small room that was similar to modern Turkish baths, except that the steam came from heated water, not from pipes. He passed a small area where several men lay naked upon tables, being scraped by slaves. There was no soap in Rome at this time and the bodily impurities released by perspiration were scraped off with a metal, bone, or wooden scraper called a
strigilis
. which had a curved blade, similar to the scrapers used on modern polo ponies after they had lathered up.

Several of the men were being anointed with oils and perfumes, others were being carefully depilated. A few of them made little grunts as their body hair was carefully pulled out with tweezers. On the opposite side of the pool was a lavatory, essentially a small, square-shaped room with benches running around all four walls. The toilets were merely holes cut in the benches with the waste dropping down into running water underneath. Instead of toilet paper. Romans used sponges on short sticks, which could be rinsed off. It was not the most sanitary of arrangements, but the practice was much more hygienic than what was known to most of the rest of the world at this time.