for the great, horizontal scar that almost bisected his face and gave him his nickname: Cut-Nose.
“Did you really refuse Crassus’s offer to cover your debts yesterday?”
“Well, yes.”
“Twice, I understand?”
“How word does get around! Yes, I did. The second time to his face. You can’t count the first time. That was to Clodius, and I’d never give him a positive answer.”
“Idiot! You know how hard your family has worked to smooth relations with him, and with Caesar and Pompey!” These took the form of marriage ties: a son of Crassus married a Caecilia, I married Caesar’s niece, and so forth. The fact that Julia and I actually wanted to marry had no bearing on the political matchmaking.
“I know you and the others have alienated Pompey.”
He waved his big-knuckled hand. “No matter. He can manage the grain supply as long as he likes. He’s done a wonderfuljob. We just have to keep him from command of the legions. Caesar has turned into a wild man, and he must be dealt with eventually, if he lives. But Crassus is vastly wealthy, and he could come back from Parthia a
triumphator!
”
“Everyone seems to think that he’ll die before he gets home.”
“How did I ever beget such a moron! No wonder you lose so much money at the races if that’s how you place your bets!”
“Lose money? Me?” I cried, stung. “Just last month in Mu-tina I won—”
“Silence!” He leaned across his desk, supporting his weight on his knuckles, thrusting his head forward as he glared at me. “I know your memory is short, but I remember when Caius Marius returned from his last war. He was even older than Crassus and madder than Ajax! He seized power in the City and proceeded to kill more Romans than Hannibal! If Crassus comes back with a triumph and the wealth of King Orodes added to what he already has and a heart full of bile toward everyone he even imagines has offended him, a lot of us are going to die!”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I admitted, chastened.
“And do you imagine the expenses of your office will be so slight that your family can afford to turn down a loan from Crassus? A loan that will be almost free from interest, I might add?” This was more like it: away from world events and back to the subject that touched us most intimately—the family purse.
“I’d rather go to the usurers than be owned by a monster like Crassus!”
“Nonsense! Crassus can’t own you because I do! You will do as I say, vote as I say, and deal with Crassus as I say!”
At one time I would have erupted like a volcano at this, but the years had thickened my skin and leveled my temper. Besides, after you’ve been terrified by the likes of King Ariovistus the German, a father isn’t all that frightening.
“I’ll take your advice to heart, Father. But the damage isalready done. Maybe I can patch things up. The old fool may have forgotten the whole matter by now. But listen, Milo has made an excellent deal for me—” Father nodded, his color returning as I described the situation.
“Twenty of them? And some are Campanians, I believe. Yes, this will bring down the price of the funeral
munera
significantly. If we bring two or three pairs of the old champions on at the end of each day’s fighting, that is what people will remember, not that you didn’t have a hundred pairs earlier in the day. I’ve always held that it’s the quality of fighting that counts, not how many half-trained amateurs and wretched prisoners you can crowd into the field. Why, in my younger days—” and so on and on.
Thus I left him in a somewhat better mood than I found him. This did little to improve my mood. He had upbraided me just as, earlier that morning, I had upbraided Hermes, and for the same reason. I was still his property.
Sometimes
, I thought,
the world is just not fair
.
Midday brought an unexpected invitation. A well-dressed man came up to me, and I greeted him as genially as I would have any other
“Did you really refuse Crassus’s offer to cover your debts yesterday?”
“Well, yes.”
“Twice, I understand?”
“How word does get around! Yes, I did. The second time to his face. You can’t count the first time. That was to Clodius, and I’d never give him a positive answer.”
“Idiot! You know how hard your family has worked to smooth relations with him, and with Caesar and Pompey!” These took the form of marriage ties: a son of Crassus married a Caecilia, I married Caesar’s niece, and so forth. The fact that Julia and I actually wanted to marry had no bearing on the political matchmaking.
“I know you and the others have alienated Pompey.”
He waved his big-knuckled hand. “No matter. He can manage the grain supply as long as he likes. He’s done a wonderfuljob. We just have to keep him from command of the legions. Caesar has turned into a wild man, and he must be dealt with eventually, if he lives. But Crassus is vastly wealthy, and he could come back from Parthia a
triumphator!
”
“Everyone seems to think that he’ll die before he gets home.”
“How did I ever beget such a moron! No wonder you lose so much money at the races if that’s how you place your bets!”
“Lose money? Me?” I cried, stung. “Just last month in Mu-tina I won—”
“Silence!” He leaned across his desk, supporting his weight on his knuckles, thrusting his head forward as he glared at me. “I know your memory is short, but I remember when Caius Marius returned from his last war. He was even older than Crassus and madder than Ajax! He seized power in the City and proceeded to kill more Romans than Hannibal! If Crassus comes back with a triumph and the wealth of King Orodes added to what he already has and a heart full of bile toward everyone he even imagines has offended him, a lot of us are going to die!”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I admitted, chastened.
“And do you imagine the expenses of your office will be so slight that your family can afford to turn down a loan from Crassus? A loan that will be almost free from interest, I might add?” This was more like it: away from world events and back to the subject that touched us most intimately—the family purse.
“I’d rather go to the usurers than be owned by a monster like Crassus!”
“Nonsense! Crassus can’t own you because I do! You will do as I say, vote as I say, and deal with Crassus as I say!”
At one time I would have erupted like a volcano at this, but the years had thickened my skin and leveled my temper. Besides, after you’ve been terrified by the likes of King Ariovistus the German, a father isn’t all that frightening.
“I’ll take your advice to heart, Father. But the damage isalready done. Maybe I can patch things up. The old fool may have forgotten the whole matter by now. But listen, Milo has made an excellent deal for me—” Father nodded, his color returning as I described the situation.
“Twenty of them? And some are Campanians, I believe. Yes, this will bring down the price of the funeral
munera
significantly. If we bring two or three pairs of the old champions on at the end of each day’s fighting, that is what people will remember, not that you didn’t have a hundred pairs earlier in the day. I’ve always held that it’s the quality of fighting that counts, not how many half-trained amateurs and wretched prisoners you can crowd into the field. Why, in my younger days—” and so on and on.
Thus I left him in a somewhat better mood than I found him. This did little to improve my mood. He had upbraided me just as, earlier that morning, I had upbraided Hermes, and for the same reason. I was still his property.
Sometimes
, I thought,
the world is just not fair
.
Midday brought an unexpected invitation. A well-dressed man came up to me, and I greeted him as genially as I would have any other
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