I had time to tread this barren circle more than once in my thoughts before Catilina spoke again. 'Do you ever find yourself plagued with doubts, Gordianus? Ah, I see the look on your face, though just barely. Thank the gods for this steam — the naked face of doubt is hard to look at!' He sipped his wine. 'Do you think it's only the closeness of our ages, the coincidence of having been born a few years apart, that gives us this mutual understanding? What else do we have in common? I'm a patrician, you're a plebeian; I love the city, while you've abandoned it for a farm; I believe in exploring every appetite, while you appear to be a man of great restraint. I'm bold and rash in my politics, while I suspect that you would turn your back on politics altogether if you could. But you hate the powers-that-be in Rome as much as I do — so Marcus Caelius tells me — and though you won't do more, I'm thankful at least that you'll grant me refuge when I need it. Caelius also drew my attention to your son Eco. A valuable man, as canny as his father, some say. Caelius and Eco both tell me not to burden you too much with my plans, and so I won't You do enough to let me sit here on a September night, sharing with me your wine and your bath, listening to a failed candidate ramble on about his misfortunes. Would you call for your slave again? I'd like some more wine.'

I realized then that the cup from which he had been drinking when I joined him was not his first; no wonder his tongue was loosened and his guard relaxed. I called for the slave, who brought fresh wine.

'Should I have him heat the water?' I asked.

'It's more than hot enough already, don't you think? I'm fairly cooked.' With that Catilina pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the tub, leaning back against the wall. Steam billowed from his flesh. Rivulets of water reflected the lamp's amber glow and made the hair on his broad chest glisten. 'Perhaps it's time to take the cool plunge.'

'There is no cool plunge tonight'

'What? A hot bath without a cool one to follow? Rather like lovemaking without the climax.'

'Blame the interrupted coitus on a small problem with my well.'

Catilina raised an eyebrow. I studied his face for a sign that he understood, but saw none.

'Until the autumn rains come, we're short of water here on the farm. The well was polluted last month.'

'Polluted?'

I hesitated, but only for an instant Since the subject had come up, why not mention Forfex and see how Catilina reacted? ‘We found a body at the bottom of the well.'

'How awful! I suppose you took your foreman to task. What was it, a goat?'

'It wasn't the body of an animal.'

He cocked his head, made a strained face and blinked several times. The wine had slowed his wits temporarily, but it also exaggerated his expressions; it was hard to tell whether he was acting or not. '"What do you mean?' he said.

'I mean it was a man we found in the well.'

'What, one of your slaves took a fall?'

'Not one of mine. A neighbour's slave. You knew the man.'

'I doubt it.'

'No, he was known to you. I know, because I was there. Forfex.'

He knitted his brow. 'The name means nothing to me.'

'You remember, my neighbour's goatherd up on the mountain. He showed us the abandoned mine.'

'Oh, yes! Of course, Forfex. But dead, you say. Fell down your well. Polluted it, you say…'

'He wasn't discovered until several days later.'

'I shouldn't like to have seen it when you pulled him out.'

I nodded. 'The body was badly bloated and decayed.'

'But you were able to recognize him, despite that?'

'Despite what?' I looked at him carefully. Did he already know the body had been missing its head?

'The decay, I mean. I've seen what happens to corpses left to nature, especially in water.'

'We were able to figure out his identity, even so.'

'What was he doing on your farm, anyway?'

'We're not sure.'

'An unpleasant fellow, that neighbour of yours. He should keep his slaves on his own property.'

'You might have an easier task convincing Gnaeus Claudius of that if you hadn't gone trespassing on his land yourself'

'That's right, I suppose I did,' said Catilina with a laugh so genuine that I could scarcely believe he was hiding anything from me. 'And I took you with me, didn't I?' He slid back into the hot water with a hiss and shut his eyes. He was quiet for so long that I almost thought he was asleep. Then, opening his eyes, he announced: 'Too hot! But no cool plunge to follow,' he mused. 'Have you had enough, Gordianus?'

'I think so. Any more and Congrio will be serving me on a platter tomorrow with an apple in my mouth.'

'Well, then, let's cool oft’ in the open air,' suggested Catilina.

'I thought I'd simply dry myself—'

'Nonsense! It's a beautiful night. On the far side of the horizon where the sun descended, the god of the warm west winds is stirring in his sleep; he dreams of spring; he sighs, and the grasses sway. Let's take a walk and let Zephyrus dry us with his gentle breath.' He rose and stepped out of the tub. 'Come, join me, Gordianus.'

'What, without getting dressed? Without even drying ourselves?'

'Oh, we'll put on our shoes. Here, I've slipped mine on already. And I'll take these towels, in case we need something to sit on.'

I stepped from the tub. With his toe, Catilina pushed my shoes towards my feet I stepped into them, bent down and drew the straps taut.

'The hallway is dim,' he said, opening the door, 'but I think I remember the way.' He walked towards the atrium. Naked and wet, my skin hot from the bath, I followed.

The moon was bright and full, like a lamp set high above the atrium. Its white light shimmered in the pool and lit the columns along one side, casting stark shadows behind them. Thinking we had reached our destination, I stopped and looked down at my naked reflection foreshortened in the black water. The pool was so still that I could see the stars reflected in it. Reflected, too, was the bemused expression on my face — which abruptly gave a start at the sound of the front door creaking open.

'Catilina!' I said. But he had already slipped outside. All I saw was a naked arm beckoning me.

'Absurd,' I murmured to myself, but followed.

Outside, as Catilina had said, a gende zephyr was stirring across the valley. The wind was warm and dry, like a caress against my naked flesh. Ahead of me I saw Catilina, his glistening body as pale and sleek as marble beneath the bright moonlight Clouds of steam rose from his wet, warm flesh, so that he seemed to walk in a mist, with bits of ragged vapour trailing from his broad shoulders and muscular legs. I looked down and saw that my own body emitted the same warm mist. Nearby the oxen lowed in their pen, and a kid bleated sleepily.

'Catilina, where are we going?' I whispered loudly. He made no answer but walked on, gesturing for me to follow.

What a strange sight we must have made. I heard a noise from the roof of the stable and saw that the slave posted to keep watch for the night was staring down at us with an odd look on his face, uncertain, I suppose, whether we were naked men or spirits wrapped in vapour.

'Master?' he called in a low, uncertain voice. I waved, which seemed to satisfy him, though he kept gazing down at us with the same baffled look.

We walked past the pens, through the vineyards, into the olive orchard. I caught up with Catilina but no longer questioned him. I was too exhilarated by the strangeness of walking naked beneath the moon, by the kiss of the zephyr on my skin, by the dazzling flight of a huge white moth across our path. "This is mad’ I said.

'Mad? What could be less mad than for a man to walk naked across the face of the earth? What could be more piously in keeping with the will of the gods who made us after their image than to show ourselves to them thus?' We reached the foot of the ridge. Gatilina pressed on, striding carefully but quickly up the steep path. 'When I was young, after a hot bath on a mild night, I used to do this in the city.'