I had to admit the justice of his demonstration. ‘And who is left-handed in a household of this kind?’
It was Julia who answered. ‘Maximilian favoured his left hand as a child,’ she said doubtfully. ‘My husband told me so. He regarded it as a bad omen for the boy. But he uses his right hand now. I have seen him do so many times.’
‘Maximilian was watching Rollo last night,’ Mutuus put in. ‘He insisted that Rollo and I change places when we were bringing the trays to yourself and His Excellence. Muttered that he thought the boy was up to something, and he wanted to keep him away from Flavius.’
Sollers gave me a significant glance. Julia gave a little gasp.
‘Speaking of His Excellency,’ I said, ‘I think my patron should be informed of this death. He had intended to commit Lupus to the gaol today, but now I think he will want to investigate things further.’
Mutuus stared at me. ‘But what has this to do with my adoptive father?’
‘Perhaps nothing,’ I replied, ‘but one thing is certain. If Rollo was killed by a blow, the one person who could not have done it is Lupus. He was under lock and key all night.’
Sollers was following my train of thought. ‘If it had been poison, of course, then even Lupus might have arranged it. A man can poison by proxy, even if he is locked in the attics.’
‘You think the killer was the same man?’ Julia asked. She had scarcely spoken since her arrival, and her face and voice told of her horror and shock.
I found myself smiling at her. ‘When there are two killings in one house within a few hours, it seems improbable that they are unconnected.’
Sollers nodded. ‘Another argument against poison, don’t you think, citizen? Two killings, both caused by violent attack. Murderers are said to favour the same method, I have heard.’
‘But this is only a slave,’ Julia whispered, in the same strained voice. ‘An expensive slave, but a slave all the same. And not even an important one. Why would anyone murder a slave? How could that be connected to Quintus?’
Sollers moved to her side. ‘Julia, my dear, of course it might be connected,’ he said gently. He took her arm, and she leaned against him gratefully. Sollers gave her arm a squeeze and went on. ‘Suppose the slave had heard something, or seen something, which would prove someone’s guilt? It is easy to see why he might be killed.’
I nodded. That was true — of Rollo in particular. Most slaves learn to keep discreetly silent, but not the little page — his artless prattling had been part of his charm. If he had witnessed something, however apparently innocent, there was always a chance that he would have let it slip to someone.
‘But that would suggest that Lupus was not the guilty man!’ Her voice was full of tears. ‘I thought it had been settled. But no, the nightmare is not over yet. Oh, Great Mercury! But what could Rollo have seen or done? Poor, silly little plaything.’
It was not grief for the slave, of course, which moved her, but the fear that a murderer was still among us. The little company fell silent for a moment, listening to the distant lament. The moment was shattered, however, by a strident voice from the other side of the courtyard.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ It was Maximilian at the entrance to the atrium, his face pale with rage. ‘Am I never to be consulted about events that happen in my own household? A page is dead, one of my own slaves, and I am not even to be informed?’ He strode across the court to join us.
If this was acting, it was an impressive performance. At the sight of Rollo his whole demeanour changed. His confidence evaporated and he began to babble like a woman.
‘Oh, dear Mercury, what a disgusting sight. And in the latrine too. Well, what are we to do with him? We cannot leave him here, there is the burial to be attended to — and now Rollo will need a funeral of his own. Quintus would have wished it. He always paid for his servants to join the funeral guild, to ensure them a decent ritual.’
‘Then we must contact the guild and let them attend to it,’ Sollers said. ‘They can come tonight, after the procession for Ulpius has left. Perhaps in the meantime we should have him taken to the servants’ room, and at least get him washed and dressed decently. Since this is your household, as you say, would you care to give the necessary instructions?’
Maximilian glared at him helplessly, the thin, tousled figure confronting the strong, controlled one. Maximilian was the first to flinch. ‘Let it be done,’ he said at last, as if the words cost him an effort. He had come here asserting his authority, but Sollers had once more wrested it from him.
The two slaves who had rescued Rollo’s body stepped forward to pick it up again, but Maximilian intervened. ‘Fetch a board,’ he said, as if he were relieved to find some sensible command to give. ‘Let the poor page enjoy a little dignity. And bring some water here. Let him be rinsed before he is taken to the house.’ The slaves scuttled off and Maximilian let out a deep breath.
But Sollers did not let him assume control for long. He released Julia’s arm and stepped forward confidently. ‘We should buy some bread and wine, too, as grave meats for him. We cannot decently use the food prepared for Quintus’s feast, but Rollo will need sustenance for the underworld, too, and he will have to bribe Cerberus with food to let him pass the gates of Hades, just as Ulpius will. Whether we are slaves or decurions, that ravening guard dog requires the same tribute from us all.’
‘Well, you cannot expect me to provide it,’ Maximilian cried petulantly. ‘Until the will is read I have no money at all. That is why I came here in the first place.’
Sollers looked at him for a moment, then with a swift movement he produced a purse from within the toga folds at his waist and tossed it to Maximilian. ‘Here then, take this. A few asses for the purchases.’
Maximilian caught the purse. It was an instinctive action, but a moment later he seemed to realise the indignity and flung it down again. ‘How dare you!’ he roared. ‘Tossing money to me as if I were a common slave. And you, a paid man in my father’s house. Well I shall pay you too, citizen, for this insult. With interest — see if I do not!’ He turned to Julia. ‘And you too, lady. You two have turned my father’s heart against me between you, and I am scorned in the house where I was born.’
He turned his back and walked away, but Sollers had made his point. He looked at me to ensure that I had understood. I had.
Maximilian had reached out to catch the purse with his left hand.
Chapter Thirteen
We were still staring after Maximilian’s departing figure when the two servants returned with a pitcher of water and a rough board covered with a cloth, and we turned our attention to the decent removal of the page. As the slave pair lifted the lifeless body onto its makeshift bier, the rest of the group began to disperse uneasily.
Julia had been standing with her hands clasped to her breast, looking more shaken than ever. Suddenly she seemed to take a decision. She spoke, and her voice trembled with shock and anger.
‘Flavius is not left-handed, citizens, but I suspect his work in this. Though I cannot imagine how he did it. I posted a pair of slaves outside his door all night, in case he tried to approach me while I slept, and they did not see him leave his room. But somehow this must be his handiwork. He has used Rollo as his messenger to me in the past, but recently I have refused to accept his letters. No doubt he blamed Rollo. Poor little page. He meant no harm. And I have lost a good slave, too.’
She shook her head, and, accepting Mutuus’s arm, glided gracefully back in the direction of the atrium with her maids. Sollers, I noticed, was watching them grimly.