A Roman Ransom by Rosemary Rowe Page B

handed it to me. My name was written on the outside of the scroll. It was tied up with another section of Julia’s dress, and sealed with her ring. I knew immediately what it was.’
    ‘He didn’t see who left it?’
    He made a little face. ‘No chance of that. The forum was as crowded as it always is, and there were hordes of people on the steps as well – there is a lot of business in the court today.’
    ‘But who could have got into the council room?’
    ‘Well, almost anyone. The councillors, of course. The slaves who clean the place. The guards. Or almost anyone with business in the court – and there were enough of those today.’ He looked embarrassed.
    It was the medicus who hastened to explain. ‘There were several bakers there, presenting a complaint. We’ve had a lot of rain these last few months, and the standard of the grain ration is poor. It’s begun to sprout, they say, and is turning sour, so it is impossible to use. They want the corn officer dismissed and forced to pay.’
    Marcus shrugged. ‘The town has brought in grain from warehouses elsewhere, but that has proved expensive and it hasn’t helped. These bakers get their friends and families to come into the forum and demand a trial by popular acclaim – like the old “people’s court” there used to be. And other people come to urge them on and bring petitions to the council room. It’s quite impossible to keep them out. Any of them could have left the note.’
    I gazed at him. ‘So you will leave the gates of your villa open and unguarded in the dark, and hope your wife and baby are returned?’
    I had put it very bluntly and it appeared to sober him. The falsely cheerful smile faded. ‘There will be no further danger to the house. All the inside servants will be armed. I shall have secret watchers put in place, of course.’
    ‘And you don’t think the kidnappers will be expecting that? And be ready to take action if you do?’
    The hunted look had come back to his face. ‘The hidden guards will make no move until my family is returned. That’s obvious. I can’t endanger them.’
    ‘So you’ll have to let the abductors think they’ve got away? Get clear of the villa grounds, in fact? Suppose that they disappear into the woods? It would not be difficult – the area around the house is forest everywhere.’
    He shrugged. At that moment he looked an aged man. ‘That is just a risk I have to take. But what else can I do? Julia is in danger of her life, and Marcellinus too. But the kidnappers won’t get away. I’ll see to that. And you, my friend, are going to come up to the villa as my guest and help make sure they don’t. Provided that the medicus agrees.’

Chapter Five
    Only a little while earlier I had been joking that I would enjoy the luxury of staying in the villa for a day or two, but suddenly I didn’t want to go.
    This was not mere contrariness. Now that Marcus had let Lallius go, I feared the worst. Political ransoms of this sort are rare but they are always difficult to deal with, and this one seemed particularly so. The abduction had obviously been carried out with considerable care and cunning, and the kidnappers had won resoundingly. Marcus had no guarantee of any kind that his wife and child would really be released – in fact he did not even know for sure who he was dealing with: I was convinced we hadn’t heard the end of it, and that there would be new and more extreme demands.
    However, if my fears were proved correct – or even if they weren’t – I knew how my patron would react. Torn between love and duty he’d be beside himself. He’d ask for my advice at every turn – and very likely ignore it anyway – but if anything went wrong it would always be my fault, for not counselling him to do things differently. Since he had already involved the high priest of Jupiter in this, I would much prefer that he continued to seek sacerdotal help: then, no matter what counsel he received or what the