Quintus! I hear you have things to tell me." Camillus Justinus was leaner and cleaner-cut than his elder brother, a quiet and thoroughly stable young man on the surface, though I knew he had another side to him. He lived at home with his parents, his serious wife and his new son, but he had adventures abroad behind him. Too many, in my opinion. He leaned on my shoulder; to save carrying empties, he had helped ensure the amphora was empty. A good night! A wonderful send-off for Aulus. Oof!" He puffed out his cheeks, sobering up quickly. I should have brought Claudia."

You never bring Claudia. You're very unfair to her."

Ah well… Of course she could have come. She chose to stay with the little chap." I knew why that was. It had nothing to do with feeding the baby or keeping his routine. Claudia had once been betrothed to Aulus. He had learned not to be rude about being dumped, but she found the situation awkward. It was possible she now thought that when she married Quintus, she had chosen the wrong brother. Sad to say, in her lowest moments, that pleasant, grave young woman probably thought she should not have married either of them.

How are things, Quintus?" I asked carefully.

Things are fine, Marcus."

I'm glad to hear it."

Things are just fine." People never mean that. Quintus rallied from a brief fit of melancholia and told me his news. he had been visited by Posidonius. [I had myself told Posidonius he could contact us] After he reported to the vigiles that Rhodope had eloped with her lover, he had felt dissatisfied and decided to seek further help from us.

The situation is depressing," said my young partner, now in efficient professional mode. He knows there is little he can do. Theopompus has already demanded cash for a wedding, plus more money for the couple to set up house together."

So the pressure is on, Surely you don't want your little girl to be unhappy, Posidonius?" Appeals to his love, backed by unspoken threats. Theopompus claims to adore her, while making sure the father knows he could make her really miserable."

Exactly, Marcus. Poor bastard. Posidonius is being begged for a trousseau and dinner service already, and knows future bills will mount. The vigiles had sparse consolation to offer him."

Are we surprised?" I asked bitterly.

Anyway, the girl thinks her dreams have all come true but the father knows better. He won't simply take it, though. He intends coming to Ostia to search for Rhodope; he is bringing people he knows in Rome. A group at the Emporium are getting together." Quintus paused, unsure how I would take this. I think your father may join in."

Heaven help us!"

Anyway, I told Posidonius where to find you." Now Pa would know too. I can stay if you want, Marcus, but I would rather go back and head up the Rome office." He had a fancy way of putting it. Our Rome office was just my house, with whoever knocked on the door bringing their troubles. Claudia would be happier," Quintus confessed. I said, whatever made Claudia happy would make me happy. With one associate bunking off to Greece, I had to keep the other sweet. Otherwise I would go back to pounding the pavement night and day as a lone investigator. The senator had been right. I liked to enjoy life nowadays. As Aulus helped their mother into the carriage, which she achieved with less agility than normal, I muttered to Quintus, When your mother comes to Portus tomorrow, warn her to leave her jewels behind." Julia Justa was always smart in a restrained way. She chose her tunics to tone or contrast aesthetically with her over-mantles; today she was in two shades of violet. Even for a journey and an informal alfresco fish supper, she wore a necklace formed from two rows of suspended gold spindles, large ear-rings with big central pearls and pearl drops, bracelets on both arms and various finger rings. If she used the public baths, her embroidered girdle would be a magnet for pilferers; likewise her beaded shoes.

You don't think my mother will fall prey to kidnap!" Quintus guffawed. They'll get more than they bargain for. They would end up paying us the ransom, pleading for us to take Mama back!"

The point is," I suggested," she looks wealthy, and since your father eagerly throws off his purple-edged toga when he leaves Rome, nobody will know she is the wife of a senator. Don't scare her, but make her be sensible." Decimus himself had now clambered into the vehicle after his lady, and was waving cheerfully through the small curtained window. Originally, theirs must have been a marriage of convenience. I knew Julia Justa had brought in money, though less money than the impoverished Camilli really needed. Nonetheless, they had made it a marriage of affection and stability.

She's safe if they do know her rank?" Quintus was moving to join them.

This gang is clever. They don't invite trouble. They choose merchants from overseas, to limit the support their victims can call on here in Italy. Then they scare them so badly they just want to flee back home. It works. Picking on outsiders, they have, up until now avoided an outcry."

Was Diocles going public on them?"

Maybe he just inadvertently gave that impression." Quintus waited while Helena leaned into the carriage to kiss her parents. So what's happened to Diocles, Marcus?"

Maybe some frank Cilician seafarer has explained that he would like Diocles to keep quiet."

And carried him off?" Maybe, but I still had the feeling that Diocles had not gone far from Ostia. After we waved off our visitors and peace descended on the street, the others went on up. I stood alone for a few moments breathing in the night air. Helena and Albia would be indoors, washing the children and putting them to bed. I would be needed soon for my tucking-in duties. I stood in the darkness and felt aching sympathy for Posidonius, who had lost his only daughter to an adventurer.

Next morning we all trooped out to Portus with Aelianus and saw him board the Spes. The last time the Camillus brothers went abroad, they had come with us on a trip to Britain. Helena and I, always keen to travel, felt a shared pang now as we braced up to seeing one of her brothers venturing abroad without us.

Try and find a mystery for Marcus!" Helena quipped. Her mother shook her head, but her father sighed as if he would quite like to come too. Quintus looked on with special yearning, as he thought of his sibling loose among the wine, women and cultural riches of Greece. At least, I knew the first two were on his mind. If there is one certainty when you have been given a sailing time, it's that the boat will never go when you expect. If it is not sailing out of the harbour without you as you turn up on the quayside, it will sit there at anchor for several more hours. Or days, maybe. The Spes had a second mate whose duties included passenger management. That meant he ordered them to arrive early and stowed them at his leisure while nothing else was going on; at sea, his role was to hear their complaints and keep them calm in a storm. He inspected their baggage keenly when they first came abroad because in a bad storm, while the mariners struggled to control the ship's wild movements, it would be his task to decide what to chuck overboard to lighten it. There are rules, hated but fair, about how to divide any losses between owners if actual cargo is thrown off in an emergency, but casual passengers have few rights. I could see Aulus was particularly popular with the second mate. Aulus was a lad; his essential" luggage was extremely heavy. If a tempest should blow up, he was on the list to surrender all his treasures first. We put Aulus on the ship. Then we had to wait so long that he became restless and came off again. He and I sauntered around the port. He wanted to make his parents worry that he would miss the boat, while I had the excuse of trying to find drinks for the children. Yes, we had brought the children. Julia and Favonia both loved a chance to run very fast towards the edge of a wharf above a crowded harbour full of deep water. Nux had actually been in the harbour. Water called to Nux like Circe at her most sirenous. Before I could stop her, Nux had leapt off the wall and paddled around crazily until she realised there was no way out. At that point, I thought I might have to jump in myself to save her; the children were shrieking at the thought of losing their doggie and even Helena was agitated by the imminent drowning. Since I could not swim, it was a relief when a sailor fished Nux into his bumboat and returned the bedraggled lump to us, in return for the customary bribe, or price of a drink as it is ridiculously called. No drink ever cost that much.