'What better advertisement at the last moment than for me to be seen sombrely performing my duties as augur for the whole Forum to witness? I shall certainly look more respectable than all those candidates bullying and begging the mob for votes.' He smiled shrewdly.

'Rufus!' I laughed. 'You're a new stripe of politician, I think. Idealism as pragmatism; attention to duty and virtue rather than violence and outright bribery as the means to win an election. A quaint idea, but it just might work.'

'Gordianus, you're hopelessly cynical.'

'And you, Rufus, are still admirably full of hope and virtue.'

He smiled. 'But now I really must change into my augur's robes. Oh, and I may have a surprise for you and for Meto later in the day. But well talk about it then.' I summoned one of Eco's slaves to show Rufus to a private room; his own small retinue of slaves, carrying his robes and augur's wand, followed behind.

I looked about, momentarily at sea amid the bobbing heads. Then, nearby and above the murmur of the crowd, I heard a familiar woman's voice speaking.a familiar name: 'Ah, then you must have known my late cousin, Lucius Claudius. Yes, a jolly man with hair as red as that of the handsome young man who just paraded through the room, but with a figure more like mine, I'm sorry to say. Yes, well, I inherited Lucius's house up on the Palatine, a huge, sprawling, wonderful old place, but far too big and fancy for my humble needs, though I'm told I can get a good income from it if I can find a renter who's rich enough to afford it, and if I’ll do a bit of investing to pretty the place up, though my cousins think I should keep the house empty as a place for all of us to stay here in the city, but that means keeping at least a partial staff of full-time slaves in the place even when it's unoccupied, and I don't hear any of my cousins volunteering to feed them… Oh, but look, here he is, our host and my own dear neighbour. Gordianus, all happiness and pride to you on your dear son's birthday!'

'Claudia,' I said, taking her proffered hand and kissing her rouged cheek. I would hardly have recognized her had I not heard her voice, for instead of the common, rather mannish country dress she wore on her farm, she was draped in an exquisite purple stola, the dark draperies of which elegantly accommodated the generous contours of her body. Her wispy hair had been rinsed with henna to give it a darker shade and arranged atop her head in a pillar so high that it must have grazed the door frame when she entered. Nor did she seem her usual relaxed self, but was exuberant to the point of bubbling over. She had been talking to a city neighbour of ours, a mousy little woman who had taken a friendly interest in Meto and Diana over the years and who had met Lucius Claudius a few times when he had come to visit. The little woman seemed completely overawed by Claudia's presence, and looked more relieved than offended when Claudia abruptly turned to me and thus gave her a chance to quietly escape.

'Gordianus, I never expected such splendid trappings. The food is superb — but not Congrio's cooking, I think. Your son Eco's cook, or some slave he's brought in especially for the occasion, am I right? Yes, I can usually tell one cook's touch from another; my palate is quite sensitive that way. And Meto looks so handsome in his toga! Though I notice that he does seem to have a bit of trouble keeping it properly draped over his left arm — there, you see how it's slipped down and he keeps tugging it up with his right hand and shrugging his left shoulder. But he’ll get the hang of it, I'm sure. Oh, thank you for letting me come, though I can hardly claim to be family or even an old friend. Perhaps you can think of me as representing dear old Lucius, who wouldn't have missed this event for anything.'

'Lucius and I sat together and sipped wine many times in this very garden,' I said.

'Charming, charming,' said Claudia absently. 'Of course I shouldn't be here at all. I'm leaving Rome for the farm this afternoon, and given the congestion on the roads—'

'Leaving Rome? I thought you planned to spend the whole month of Quinctilis here in the city, refurbishing Lucius's town house.'

'Ah, that's just it. I find myself more confused than ever over what I want to do with the property. I'm at such an impasse that I think the only thing to do is go straight back to the farm and collect my wits before trying to come to a decision. Yes, I know, I’ll miss the excitement of the election tomorrow, but thank Jupiter for that! I'm a woman and the family doesn't need me for voting, anyway. Besides, I've had more than enough of the city already. The idea of spending a whole month here — well, you can see how deranged it makes me. I feel like a complete impostor all made up like this; I'd feel much more comfortable in an old sack, and I get so rattled I can't stop talking…'

She suddenly laughed and took a deep breath. 'Well, you're seeing proof of that! And quite frankly, I've had more than enough of my cousin Manius and his shrill wife. They're the ones who have the property north of you but spend most of their time, here in Rome. They insist on dropping by to see me every day and inviting me to their house every night, and I've had enough. Their cook is a disaster, to begin with, and their politics are too conservative even for me. You can imagine all the ranting and raving in such a household, what with the elections going on.'

Claudia lowered her voice and brought her face close to mine. 'But my stay with Manius has borne at least some good fruit, dear Gordianus, and it has to do with you. In fact, that's why I stayed in Rome until now, and today came here first instead of heading straight home to Etruria, Gordianus, promise that you won't be angry, but I took the liberty of bringing cousin Manius with me today. Presumptuous of me, I know, but the opportunity seemed just right and I said to myself) "Do it!" So I did And I think it will all be for the best. There he is — Manius! Yes, cousin, come and meet our host.'

She was calling to someone over my shoulder. When I turned around, whom should I see but the greybeard who had been pilfering stuffed grape leaves and honeyed dates! No wonder my imperfect recollection of him had made me uneasy; he had been present in the court when Cicero had defended my inheritance from Lucius Claudius, though he was so nondescript that his face had made little impression on me. I remembered him now, and I also remembered the comments about me that Congrio's assistant had overheard him make at Claudia's family gathering: 'Stupid nobody with no ancestors, who should be put in a cage and carted back to Rome!' What was such a man doing in our house on Meto's toga day? Claudia was mad to have brought him with her. Had I been a superstitious sort like Rufus, I would have found his presence an ill omen indeed.

Claudia seemed to read my thoughts. As Manius approached, she gripped my elbow and spoke in my ear. 'Now, Gordianus, it serves no one's interests to have bad blood between our families. Manius resented your good fortune and has spoken ill of you in the past, as have all my cousins, but he and I have had many a conversation on the subject during my stay in Rome and I think I've convinced him to make peace. That's why he's here. You will be hospitable, won't you?'

I was given little choice, for the next moment the man was standing before me, with a sour expression on his face and his eyes averted 'So you're Gordianus,' he said, finally looking up. 'My cousin Claudia seems to drink we should be friends.' He made the word drip with sarcasm.

'Now, Manius,' cautioned Claudia, smiling apprehensively.

I took a deep breath. ‘Friend is an exalted word, Manius Claudius, not to be bestowed lightly. I was a friend of your late cousin Lucius, and of that I'm very proud. By his will, you and I are now neighbours, if not friends; yet it seems to me that neighbours can at least strive for harmony and the common good. And since we are neighbours—'