The Legatus Mystery by Rosemary Rowe Page A

than a rustle. ‘Are we sure of that?’
    ‘The sevir Meritus swears that the man was dressed in ambassadorial dress, and this was found beside the altar.’ Marcus passed the ring to Trinunculus, to hand on to the old man. ‘A seal-ring with an imperial eagle’s head. That looks like a legate’s ring to me.’
    The old priest did not take it. He looked at it a moment, standing well back as though too close a contact with a ring might contaminate him, and gestured to Trinunculus to put it out of sight. ‘Who was it who found the ring?’ he said at last.
    ‘The Citizen Libertus.’ Marcus indicated me, and as the pale eyes flicked towards me in surprise I became uncomfortably aware of my disreputable attire. I had come dressed for an informal visit to the baths, not for an interview with the chief priest in his own temple. Marcus was obviously following a similar train of thought. ‘I am his patron,’ he said with dignity. ‘He has assisted me many times with solving mysteries. He was at the baths when I was summoned here, and I asked him to accompany me, hoping he could help. And he has already done so, as you see.’
    The pontifex produced another of his silences. I felt myself colour, and wondered again at the force of the personality disguised in that frail frame. Until a moment ago, I had not given a thought to the fact that I was inappropriately dressed. Of course, until Marcus identified my rank, the old priest must have mentally dismissed me as some kind of slave, and I had been effectively invisible.
    ‘A citizen,’ the old man murmured at last. ‘I see. Well, citizen, what is your opinion? What is your explanation of events?’ The tone was ironic, but he was admitting my existence by addressing me directly.
    I felt that something concrete was expected. ‘I do not have an explanation, Mightiness, but I do have a proposal. It has already been suggested that a message should be sent to Fabius Marcellus, warning him against visiting the city. In the circumstances, I think that would be wise – at least until we have cleared up this mystery.’ That sounded unfortunate, in a temple, and I hastened to add, ‘If there
is
a mystery. If this is a warning from the gods, that is all the more reason to prevent him coming.’
    The pontifex held my eyes with his own pale ones. If there was fire within him there was no flicker of it in his gaze. His eyes were as cold and dispassionate as stone. ‘But you do not believe in omens?’
    That was dangerous. The succession of the Emperor had been partly based on omens. I found myself babbling. Of course I believed in omens, I declared – why, only the year before there had been a cloud over Glevum in the shape of a bird, and everyone now knew that meant a change of governor. ‘If this had simply been a vision,’ I finished breathlessly, ‘I would have had no doubts. But the blood was real enough, and the ring was found by accident. Of course the gods could organise such things’ (did I believe that? I wondered) ‘but surely then these signs would have been immediately clear to everyone, and not discovered partially by chance.’
    ‘But citizen,’ Trinunculus had been following my words, ‘if the gods intend us to have a sign, there is no such thing as chance. Perhaps the gods decreed that Hirsus should kneel down where he did, and that you should find the ring. In any case the temple slaves would have discovered everything, when they came to cleanse the shrine – as they would have to do, after an event like this.’
    He was right, of course. I had no better explanation for any of it. Perhaps there really had been some divine intervention, and I’d been the unwitting tool of the gods. I shook my head. I didn’t want to believe that. Or else the impossible had happened. I wanted to believe that even less.
    ‘And then there was that unearthly noise as well,’ Trinunculus went on. ‘I agree with the citizen, Mightiness: someone should write to Fabius