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Authors: Rosemary Rowe
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fulfilled.’
Lucius had the grace to look discomfited at this sally. He gave a little laugh. ‘I see you have the measure of your mother-in-law, my dear. But you can rely on my help. What is the nature of this “unfortunate event”? Not a dead body, surely, at this time of year?’
It was apparently intended as a kind of mocking jest but the guess was so accurate it took us all aback. Julia said nothing. She did not need to speak. Her face had already told him the unhappy truth.
He was evidently more afraid of the Lemures than I would have guessed. He looked quite pale and shaken as he turned to Stygius. ‘This is the news that you were speaking of? The information that I didn’t have to share?’
The sudden question caught the land slave unaware. The tone had been intimidating, too – Lucius might have been talking to a dog – and Stygius was slow-thinking at the best of times. It took a little while before he faltered into speech. ‘Excellence, I meant no disrespect. The situation is an embarrassment for my master, that is all. And the mistress too, of course. We found a body dressed in peasant’s clothes, when we were clearing land. We brought it here for funeral. We don’t know who it is.’
Once again, I found I was impressed by Stygius. He thought slowly, but he thought to some effect. He had managed to give an outline which was accurate enough, but minimised drama as far as possible.
Lucius was looking much relieved. ‘A peasant? Well, that’s not too serious, I suppose.’ He turned to Julia. ‘What will you do with it? Put it on a funeral pyre at once? That would be wise, I think – dispose of it before the Lemuria begins. You can find out afterwards who the family was – if any information comes to light – and show them where you put the ashes, so they can tend the urn. Nobody could ask any more of you than to give the corpse a proper funeral – even the spirits should be satisfied.’
Julia nodded. She looked quite relieved. She would have been glad, I think, to take her lead from Lucius in this and solve the problem by cremating it – though of course the matter was more complicated than Lucius could guess. ‘You are a comfort, cousin,’ she began. ‘No doubt you are right. Stygius, go and—’ But she got no further. Marcus and his entourage were entering the room.
He had changed his toga for a coloured
synthesis
– that combination of tunic and draped material which had become his dress of choice at home. The drapes provided the dignity that a toga gives, without the inconvenience of managing those heavy, awkward folds. In fact Marcus had set a little fashion locally: these days every citizen who could afford it wore a
synthesis
at home, not only when they dined, but increasingly at other times as well. This one was pale orange. It gave him the appearance of a temple augurer, I thought, especially as he was attended by a pair of matching slaves.
When he spoke, he sounded like an augur-reader too. ‘I have just seen what is outside, in the stable block. One of the servants showed me. You are aware of it, Julia, I suppose?’
‘A peasant,’ Lucius began. ‘We were just discussing the cremation pyre.’
Marcus snorted. ‘Peasant? He’s no more a peasant than I am – though I understand that he was dressed as one. You found him, Stygius?’
Stygius, who had come to Julia’s side, waiting for his instructions, slowly turned. ‘I did, master. On that land we were clearing for this young citizen.’ He gestured towards Junio.
Lucius was looking quite astonished now. He turned to Marcus. ‘The piece of land you pointed out to me the other day? But what was the body doing over there? Surely it was a patch of forest where nobody would go?’
Marcus shrugged. ‘Somebody saw we’d cut some standing timber down, concluded that we’d finished harvesting the wood, and decided it would make a good hiding place, perhaps – not realising that we were about to clear the area
Lucius had the grace to look discomfited at this sally. He gave a little laugh. ‘I see you have the measure of your mother-in-law, my dear. But you can rely on my help. What is the nature of this “unfortunate event”? Not a dead body, surely, at this time of year?’
It was apparently intended as a kind of mocking jest but the guess was so accurate it took us all aback. Julia said nothing. She did not need to speak. Her face had already told him the unhappy truth.
He was evidently more afraid of the Lemures than I would have guessed. He looked quite pale and shaken as he turned to Stygius. ‘This is the news that you were speaking of? The information that I didn’t have to share?’
The sudden question caught the land slave unaware. The tone had been intimidating, too – Lucius might have been talking to a dog – and Stygius was slow-thinking at the best of times. It took a little while before he faltered into speech. ‘Excellence, I meant no disrespect. The situation is an embarrassment for my master, that is all. And the mistress too, of course. We found a body dressed in peasant’s clothes, when we were clearing land. We brought it here for funeral. We don’t know who it is.’
Once again, I found I was impressed by Stygius. He thought slowly, but he thought to some effect. He had managed to give an outline which was accurate enough, but minimised drama as far as possible.
Lucius was looking much relieved. ‘A peasant? Well, that’s not too serious, I suppose.’ He turned to Julia. ‘What will you do with it? Put it on a funeral pyre at once? That would be wise, I think – dispose of it before the Lemuria begins. You can find out afterwards who the family was – if any information comes to light – and show them where you put the ashes, so they can tend the urn. Nobody could ask any more of you than to give the corpse a proper funeral – even the spirits should be satisfied.’
Julia nodded. She looked quite relieved. She would have been glad, I think, to take her lead from Lucius in this and solve the problem by cremating it – though of course the matter was more complicated than Lucius could guess. ‘You are a comfort, cousin,’ she began. ‘No doubt you are right. Stygius, go and—’ But she got no further. Marcus and his entourage were entering the room.
He had changed his toga for a coloured
synthesis
– that combination of tunic and draped material which had become his dress of choice at home. The drapes provided the dignity that a toga gives, without the inconvenience of managing those heavy, awkward folds. In fact Marcus had set a little fashion locally: these days every citizen who could afford it wore a
synthesis
at home, not only when they dined, but increasingly at other times as well. This one was pale orange. It gave him the appearance of a temple augurer, I thought, especially as he was attended by a pair of matching slaves.
When he spoke, he sounded like an augur-reader too. ‘I have just seen what is outside, in the stable block. One of the servants showed me. You are aware of it, Julia, I suppose?’
‘A peasant,’ Lucius began. ‘We were just discussing the cremation pyre.’
Marcus snorted. ‘Peasant? He’s no more a peasant than I am – though I understand that he was dressed as one. You found him, Stygius?’
Stygius, who had come to Julia’s side, waiting for his instructions, slowly turned. ‘I did, master. On that land we were clearing for this young citizen.’ He gestured towards Junio.
Lucius was looking quite astonished now. He turned to Marcus. ‘The piece of land you pointed out to me the other day? But what was the body doing over there? Surely it was a patch of forest where nobody would go?’
Marcus shrugged. ‘Somebody saw we’d cut some standing timber down, concluded that we’d finished harvesting the wood, and decided it would make a good hiding place, perhaps – not realising that we were about to clear the area
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