'Still, I'd like some assurance from Cicero himself. If I came to Rome—'

'He couldn't see you, not now. Catilina would know, and all would be ruined. Do you not believe me, Gordianus?'

I considered for a long moment The shiver of excitement I had felt earlier was joined by a prickle of apprehension. I felt like the man who cannot control his drinking and so abstains, but who picks up a cup intended for someone else and accidentally swallows a mouthful of warm wine. 'I believe you,' I finally said.

But later that night, as I lay beside Bethesda, a doubt took shape, grew and hovered over me like a grey mist in the moonlit darkness. Caelius had offered no proof that he came from Cicero. Might he have been sent by Catilina, instead? Even if he had come from Cicero, might not Catilina have seen through their plan? Where did Caelius's true allegiance lie? The same charming young man who claimed to have fooled Catilina might just as easily be able to fool Cicero, not to mention an unreformed intriguer named Gordianus the Finder, who thought he had sworn off politics forever.

Bethesda stirred. 'What's wrong, Master?' she whispered. She had ceased to call me Master on the day of our marriage, but occasionally she slipped in her sleep; to hear her call me that reminded me of days long ago, before the world became so weary and complex. I reached out and touched her. The familiarity of her body — firm, warm, and responsive — dispelled my hovering doubts like ragged mists beneath the sun. She rolled towards me and we folded our bodies together. For a while all apprehensions were forgotten in the animal act of love, and afterwards I slept the sleep of a country farmer, dreaming of endless fields of hay and the musical lowing of oxen.

V

The next morning Marcus Caelius was up before I was. I found him in front of the stable, fully dressed and readying his mount for the ride back to Rome. His bodyguards emerged from within, rubbing their eyes and brushing straw from their hair. The sun was not quite above Mount Argentum, and the world was lit by a thin blue light. A trail of mist hovered over the stream and crept into the low places. From Publius Claudius's farm to the west, a faraway cock began to crow.

'Weren't you able to sleep, Caelius?'

'Quite well, thank you.'

'The bed was too hard, wasn't it? I knew it would be. And the room was too stuffy.' 'No…'

'Alas, as you've seen for yourself, my home is wholly unsuitable for distinguished guests.'

Caelius caught my meaning and smiled. "They say that Catilina is like a good general; he can eat and sleep under any conditions. Your accommodations will be more than adequate.'

'I still haven't said yes, Caelius.'

'I thought you had.'

'I'll need to consider it'

'Which is the same as saying no. Time presses, Gordianus.'

'Then no,' I snapped, suddenly tired of bantering with him.

He clucked his tongue. ‘You'll change your mind as soon as I'm gone. Send a messenger to me.' He mounted his horse and ordered his bodyguards to get ready.

Bethesda emerged from the house, dressed in a long-sleeved stola

with her hair down. The black and silver strands cascaded in splendid waves down her back, and there was a dreamy look in her eyes, for which I felt partly responsible.

'Surely, Marcus Caelius, you're not leaving us without eating first?' She positively purred. 'I had planned something special for breakfast.'

'I prefer to start a long ride on an empty stomach. I've looted some bread and fruit from your larder, for the road.' He turned his steed around a few times while his bodyguards mounted their horses.

'Wait a moment,' I said. 'I'll ride with you as far as the Cassian Way.'

As we set out, the sun crested the mountain and lit up the world, casting long shadows behind us. Birds began to sing. We passed by vineyards on one side and a mowed field of hay on the other. Caelius breathed in deeply. 'Ah, Gordianus, the smell of a country morning! I see why you prefer it to the city. Yet the city does not cease to exist, merely because you turn your back on it. Neither do a man's obligations.'

'You are nothing if not persistent, Caelius,' I said, shaking my head ruefully. 'Did you learn that trait from Cicero, or from Catilina?'

'A little from both, I think. There's something else I learned from Catilina: a riddle. You must like riddles, Gordianus, being so adept at solving mysteries. Do you want to hear it?'

I shrugged.

'It's a little riddle that Catilina likes to pose to his friends. He told it on the night of the blood oath. "I see two bodies," he said. "One is thin and wasted, but has a great head. The other body is big and strong — but it has no head at all" ' He laughed quietly.

I shifted uneasily on my mount. 'What is the point?'

Caelius gave me his heavy-lidded look. 'But it's a riddle, Gordianus! You must figure out the answer for yourself. I tell you what: when you dispatch your messenger to me, use a code. If you'll play host to.Catilina, if your answer is yes, then say: "The body without a head." But if no, then say: "The head without a body." But don't wait long; once set in motion, events will move very swiftly.'

"They always do,' I said, reining in my horse. We had reached the Cassian Way. Caelius waved to me, then with his men turned onto the stone-paved surface and gathered speed. For a moment I watched their capes fluttering behind them like pennants, then turned back towards the house, more uncertain and apprehensive than ever.

* * *

I was in my library that afternoon, sketching fanciful plans for the water mill, when Aratus announced that Congrio and his assistants had returned.

'Good, show them in. I want to see them. Privately.'

Aratus narrowed his eyes and withdrew. A few moments later Congrio and the kitchen slaves entered. I put aside my tablet and stylus and gestured for them to shut the door.

'Well, Congrio, how did things go with the Claudii?'

'Quite well, Master. I'm sure you'll receive no complaints about our service. Claudia gave me this note to give to you.' He handed me a rolled scrap of parchment sealed with wax on which Claudia had impressed her ring. Her seal, I noticed, was an abbreviation of her name, with the letter C enclosing a smaller A. It was clearly her own seal, neither inherited from her father nor taken from a husband, but invented by herself. This was unusual for a Roman matron, but Claudia was an unusually independent woman. I broke the seal and unrolled the letter.

To Gordianus:

Greetings, neighbour, and my gratitude for the loan of your slaves. They have comported themselves admirably, most especially your chief of the kitchen, Congrio, who has lost none of his skill since the days when he served my cousin Lucius. I am doubly grateful because my own head cook fell ill in the midst of preparations, whereupon Congrio proved to be not merely a great help but utterly essential; I should have been distraught and desperate without him. I will remember this when calculating the favour I owe you.

On a different subject, and confidentially, I want you to know that I did my best to put in a good word for you in the family council. We Claudii are a stubborn and opinionated bunch, and I cannot say that I immediately swayed anyone towards a more moderate view, but I think I made a start. Anyway, I did what I could. It was a beginning.

Thank you again for the generous loan. Consider this your promissory note, and call upon me some day to repay it. I remain your grateful neighbour,

Claudia

I rolled the letter and tied it with a ribbon, then saw that Congrio was watching me with his head quizzically cocked. 'She was quite impressed with you’1 said, at which Congrio let out a pent-up breath and smiled sweetly.