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Tigilus.
    Text of a letter from Brunius Tercitus Manus, secretary to Senator Juvens Gaius Horatius, to Lyllis Pulcheria, both in Roma; carried by private messenger to her house in the lupanar.
    To the most highly praised and accomplished courtesan, Lyllis Pulcheria, the greetings of Brunius Tercitus Manus, on behalf of Juvens Gaius Horatius, Senator, with a few requests regarding the entertainment you have contracted to provide two nights hence:
    The Senator requests that the four women to accompany her to the Senator’s private banquet be no more than eighteen, preferably younger, and of a prettiness that reflects their youth. That does not mean that the Senator intends they should be beginners at their craft, for he wishes that they have all the skills and amorous accomplishments that the Senator has come to expect from the courtesan. He asks that they be elegantly attired and perfumed, and that they take care not to drink so much wine that they lose track of their purpose among his guests. The satisfaction and insouciance of all the guests should be her goal and the goal of her gracious companions. Let no attention be lacking, no act or art denied.
    Three covered sedan-chairs will call at the appointed hour, when the courtesan and her women will promptly enter to be borne here. The Senator will not countenance any delay on the courtesan’s part, and asks her to be ready in advance of the chairs’ arrival. The bearers will be paid by the Senator, and will not accept any additional coins from the courtesan or her women, on pain of dismissal and a beating, so the courtesan must not think to gain time by offering favors to the bearers for their collusion.
    Also, the Senator wishes to inform the courtesan that he has retained five youths to join the banquet, men of exceptional beauty and many talents not unlike your own. He does not wish any rivalry or unkindness to make itself apparent between the courtesan, her women, and these young men, but rather, that all should go in amity and delight. Those unwilling to participate without jealousy will be expelled without pay from the banquet and will not be asked to return at any time.
    The courtesan’s women will be paid at the conclusion of their service, of course, and if they have acquitted themselves well, they will be given rewards commensurate with their performance, as will the courtesan. The Senator wishes to remind her that there are other courtesans in the city, and that if she will not comply with his instructions, there are others in the lupanar who will. And while it is true that the courtesan and her women have proven satisfactory in the past, they have no cause to rest on their laurels, but instead, see that she and her women redouble their efforts, so that they may enhance their reputation and increase their worth to the Senator, on whose behalf I sign myself,

    Brunius Tercitus Manus
     

4
     
    “I do apologize for calling on you so late at night,” said Ignatia as she faced Sanct-Franciscus across the atrium of Olivia Clemens’ house; the lights from the oil-lamps made unsteady shadows on his face and hid his expression from her. She had on a long, peach-colored stola that took brightness from the lamplight, with a palla of forest-green linen over it. “I had hoped it would not be necessary, but …” Her words trailed away into a sigh. “Your steward was reluctant to disturb you.”
    “He is always most punctilious,” said Sanct-Franciscus, no sign of aggravation about him, though he wished Rugeri were here; in the last century-and-a-half, Rugeri had learned his ways. Rugeri knew when to disturb him, and for whom.
    “You must wonder why I am here,” she began, and halted gratefully as Sanct-Franciscus shook his head.
    “Your mother is doing poorly again,” said Sanct-Franciscus, recognizing the worry in Ignatia’s eyes.
    “Yes,” she said in a mix of relief and chagrin. “She has been miserable for many hours, and asking for you for almost four