Flora and Pa before any of my other sisters beat me to it. She might feed us too.
To my disgust as we arrived, I saw Anacrites leave Maia's house. Perhaps he was taking some message from Ma. I skipped around a pillar and ducked down behind an oyster barrel. Helena glowered at me for my cowardice and walked by him with a cool nod, passing him before he managed to speak to her. She had always been polite to the spy, especially when he and I were working as partners on the Census, but he seemed to know he was tiptoeing on tricky ground with her. Assuming she had come alone, he let himself be bypassed and then moved off.
To see Anacrites at my sister's home was irritating. He had no real connection with my family and I wished to keep it that way. There was no reason for him to remain as my mother's lodger; he had property, he was no longer sick (the excuse for persuading Ma to look after him in the past), and he was back working in the Palace now. I did not want the Chief Spy skulking after Maia either.
Once I was sure he had vanished, I followed Helena indoors. Maia greeted me without mentioning another visitor. I kept mum. If she knew I was annoyed, that would only encourage her to encourage Anacrites. I roamed about looking for sustenance and eventually she gave us lunch, as I had hoped she might. There was less to it than there would have been once. Famia had often drunk away his salary, but at least the knowledge that she had a husband in work had allowed Maia to build up credit. Now her finances were desperately tight.
Helena told her the news about Flora and I described the state in which I had found Pa.
'The warehouse is a mess. If Marius wants to earn a few coppers, send him to help Gornia shift the stuff around.'
'My son is too studious to be humping furniture,' Maia retorted frigidly. 'He's not strong enough; he's delicate.'
'Time we built up his muscles then.'
'We don't need father's money.' That was untrue. Famia's pension from the Greens, who were a useless chariot faction, barely paid the rent. That left Maia with five mouths to feed. Marius, her eldest, deserved an education, and I would somehow find his school fees myself, but he had to become more worldly if he was to survive on the Aventine. Anyway, I wanted that shrewd little soul placed with Pa in the Saepta. He would tell me what was going on.
'You do need an income,' Helena said gently. Maia would take it from her. 'Are you definitely set against the tailoring plan?' This was a scheme Pa and I had concocted. We would have bought out the tailor for whom Maia had worked as a young girl, and let her manage the looms and saleroom. She would have shone at it. However, the good sense of the plan did not appeal to her.
'I can't bear it. I have moved on, Helena. It's not that I have grandiose ideas. I'll work. But I don't want to go back to what I did before - years ago, when I was unhappy, if that counts for anything.' Maia glared at me. 'Nor do I want any madcap enterprise dreamed up by someone else.'
'Choose your own then,' I groused. I had my head in a bowl of lettuce and eggs.
'I shall do that.'
'Will you let me pass on an idea?' Helena ventured as Maia screwed up her face suspiciously.
'Go ahead. I'm short of laughs.'
'Don't laugh at this. Tell Geminus that you will run Flora's.'
'You really are joking!'
'He won't want the caupona,' I agreed. 'It was the redhead's plaything.'
My sister flared up as usual. 'Marcus, you seem determined to dump some dreadful business on me!'
'Not dreadful. You would turn it around,' Helena declared.
'Maia, Pa owns the building; he has to sell up or find a new manager. If it stands there with the paint peeling and the frontage filthy, the aediles will stamp on him for urban neglect. Offer. He'll be glad to see it sorted.'
'For heaven's sake. Don't both of you gang up on me.'
'We're not doing that.' Helena shot me a reproachful look. By herself, she was implying, she could have put this
To my disgust as we arrived, I saw Anacrites leave Maia's house. Perhaps he was taking some message from Ma. I skipped around a pillar and ducked down behind an oyster barrel. Helena glowered at me for my cowardice and walked by him with a cool nod, passing him before he managed to speak to her. She had always been polite to the spy, especially when he and I were working as partners on the Census, but he seemed to know he was tiptoeing on tricky ground with her. Assuming she had come alone, he let himself be bypassed and then moved off.
To see Anacrites at my sister's home was irritating. He had no real connection with my family and I wished to keep it that way. There was no reason for him to remain as my mother's lodger; he had property, he was no longer sick (the excuse for persuading Ma to look after him in the past), and he was back working in the Palace now. I did not want the Chief Spy skulking after Maia either.
Once I was sure he had vanished, I followed Helena indoors. Maia greeted me without mentioning another visitor. I kept mum. If she knew I was annoyed, that would only encourage her to encourage Anacrites. I roamed about looking for sustenance and eventually she gave us lunch, as I had hoped she might. There was less to it than there would have been once. Famia had often drunk away his salary, but at least the knowledge that she had a husband in work had allowed Maia to build up credit. Now her finances were desperately tight.
Helena told her the news about Flora and I described the state in which I had found Pa.
'The warehouse is a mess. If Marius wants to earn a few coppers, send him to help Gornia shift the stuff around.'
'My son is too studious to be humping furniture,' Maia retorted frigidly. 'He's not strong enough; he's delicate.'
'Time we built up his muscles then.'
'We don't need father's money.' That was untrue. Famia's pension from the Greens, who were a useless chariot faction, barely paid the rent. That left Maia with five mouths to feed. Marius, her eldest, deserved an education, and I would somehow find his school fees myself, but he had to become more worldly if he was to survive on the Aventine. Anyway, I wanted that shrewd little soul placed with Pa in the Saepta. He would tell me what was going on.
'You do need an income,' Helena said gently. Maia would take it from her. 'Are you definitely set against the tailoring plan?' This was a scheme Pa and I had concocted. We would have bought out the tailor for whom Maia had worked as a young girl, and let her manage the looms and saleroom. She would have shone at it. However, the good sense of the plan did not appeal to her.
'I can't bear it. I have moved on, Helena. It's not that I have grandiose ideas. I'll work. But I don't want to go back to what I did before - years ago, when I was unhappy, if that counts for anything.' Maia glared at me. 'Nor do I want any madcap enterprise dreamed up by someone else.'
'Choose your own then,' I groused. I had my head in a bowl of lettuce and eggs.
'I shall do that.'
'Will you let me pass on an idea?' Helena ventured as Maia screwed up her face suspiciously.
'Go ahead. I'm short of laughs.'
'Don't laugh at this. Tell Geminus that you will run Flora's.'
'You really are joking!'
'He won't want the caupona,' I agreed. 'It was the redhead's plaything.'
My sister flared up as usual. 'Marcus, you seem determined to dump some dreadful business on me!'
'Not dreadful. You would turn it around,' Helena declared.
'Maia, Pa owns the building; he has to sell up or find a new manager. If it stands there with the paint peeling and the frontage filthy, the aediles will stamp on him for urban neglect. Offer. He'll be glad to see it sorted.'
'For heaven's sake. Don't both of you gang up on me.'
'We're not doing that.' Helena shot me a reproachful look. By herself, she was implying, she could have put this
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