“Let’s see about that,” Claudia said, haughty as he eased her feet into the shoes. “Nara, leave us alone, I need to talk to Saul.”
Nara glanced at her, and then at Saul. “Are you deaf? Go away!”
When they were alone, she scrutinized him from head to feet, then slowly stood up, walking toward him as he kept his gaze down.
She grabbed his face by the chin and raised it, forcing him to look into her eyes. “Sure, you are cute. My husband seems to enjoy your beauty more than he enjoys mine. You can’t fool me with your innocent small, defenseless puppy expression. You are a slave, and I will put you back in your place where you belong. I admonished you during the engagement ceremony; don’t make me renew my warnings. My patience has a limit. Do you think that the world revolves around you?”
He looked at her, not sure if he had to say something or not. “Please Mistress, I don’t understand—”
“Don’t play that game with me. Your behavior is unacceptable. Do you have the slightest idea of the rumors around my marriage? My husband prefers to spend his nights in the company of a slave rather than with his wife. He is with you constantly, or more accurately, you are always around.
“Do we then want to speak of the times when Flaminia is coming to see me? She is actually coming to see you. I feel set aside by your annoying presence. Either you learn to stay in your place”—her face closed in to his, and he felt her breath stir his eyelashes— “slave or I will make you, one way or another.” Claudia warned, feeling her frustration growing.
Saul struggled not to avert his eyes from hers. “Mistress, I am not doing anything that a slave is not supposed to do. Your husband is my Master, and if he comes to me looking for enjoyment, I can’t refuse,” he hesitated.
“Don’t talk back to me!” she slapped his face, almost throwing him off balance. “Are you going to blame your Master?”
Her hand flew to his cheek, stinging from the blow. “No, Mistress. I…I am sorry.”
“Disappear from my sight, slave,” Claudia hissed.
He left her room as two girls came in to comb her hair and take care of her morning toilette.
“Got her rage?” Nara asked as he saw the crimson mark of Claudia’s hand on Saul’s cheek.
“I feel trapped, Nara.”
“Six days to go and Flavius will be back. Let’s try to keep strong until then.” Saul moaned. It would be a long six days.
In the working room, he dug into the bookkeeping tasks, knowing they would keep him busy and out of Claudia’s sight. He understood her frustration and felt sorry for it. He had no power to do anything about it, but he feared that, even if Flavius weren’t his lover, she would have sought another reason, any reason, to discharge her rage against him.
Saul’s work time in the office soared by while the other hours crawled. Everybody sensed that, apart from Claudia’s sadistic behavior, something else was going on.
All the rest of the week, she spent her evenings with guests behind closed doors. The slaves grew wary when she ordered them not to disturb her for any reason and to never appear in the presence of her visitors. Not even the slaves who helped her to bed were allowed to appear again until the morning. She received them every night after dark, and they left at the first hour of the night.
Saturday night, Caius and the man he chose to help him reached Claudia’s house.
Claudia looked at her guests with a warm smile. “Do we have a deal then?” she asked.
Caius asked, “Claudia, for us it is fine, but are you sure you want to put yourself into such a difficult situation?”
“I have already explained my problem. I just need time to arrange everything in detail. If you do what I’ve asked, there won’t be any trouble. Please do it for me and my marriage. I need to have my husband back.”
“The way I see it, you never had him,” the other guest said, setting the cup of wine on a table.
Tears filled her eyes as she felt she was losing her grip on everything. Hopelessness and jealousy warred within her. She turned her shoulder to them and tried to reclaim her calm, swallowing the tears of frustration she wanted so much to shed.
Caius hugged her. “Please, Claudia, don’t cry.”
She turned her head and hugged him as the tears overflowed. “Don't let me down, please,” she said sobbing.
Caressing her hair, Caius tried to soothe her. “I’m not going to let you down. You know I love you and I would do anything to see you happy. We will help you; don’t worry. We will provide you with the time you need to settle down.”
As he parted from her, Caius caressed her cheek, then focused on his companion. “It’s time to go. We must leave tomorrow if we are to have any chance of success.”
The other man looked at him and said nothing.
She escorted them to the door and bid them farewell. “Thank you for your help. Take the path that runs along the back of the house so nobody will notice you,” she muttered, and they left.
Claudia eased the door of the house shut, then walked toward her room.
They were right; she might get in serious trouble. Not for the task she asked them, but for another, which was on hold, and for which she would have to wait until the following night.
A sense of power and anticipation of the sweet taste of revenge silenced the ripples of fear propagating on her skin.
She walked through the patio and scanned the surroundings. The light of the moon seemed to give life to the shadows of the garden and enhanced the brightness of the pale marble statues. Their empty eyes seemed to accuse her, disapproving of her thoughts and plans, judging her dark soul.
The fingers of the shadows reached out to her, and she ran to her room. Far from the spirits of the night, she smiled, finding her fears ridiculous, like the ones she had as a child.
She disrobed, trying not to think about the shadows in the garden and the gleaming likenesses of the gods. A hush of voices surrounded her, growing in volume, begging her to forgive…
“Enough!” she yelled in the silence of the room. “Instead of judging me, why don’t you tell me what I have to do to obtain the love and respect of my husband?” tears chocked her breath.
None of the voices replied. She fell onto her bed and wept.
As the tears dried on her cheeks, a troubled sleep claimed her.
For the last few days Saul could not find the proper focus to follow his duties. His thoughts converged on the counting of the days that divided him from the return of his Master. His nights were a constant turning and tossing in his empty bed. It was Sunday, and Saul felt like the day would last forever, keeping him far from the return of his Master. He tried to avoid distractions, including eating.
“May I come in?” Nara asked, peeking through the closed curtains that divided the room from the other parts of the house.
Saul raised his head and relaxed his frowned expression. “Of course. I feel so nervous about tomorrow. Flavius should be on his way home, and soon everything will be back to normal.” Saul stood and stretched. “I am glad to still be alive.”
“I heard that Claudia will dismiss us all again tonight. More guests.”
“It sounds more than fine to me. I can’t wait to go to sleep and see the end of these two weeks.”
Nara caressed the surface of the table. “I don’t know. There is something strange about it, but maybe you’re right, and we should take it as good news.”
“Did you have something in particular to say to me, or did you just come to tell me about Claudia?” Saul asked.
“Yes, I came to inform you about her, and to check that you are still alive and well for our Master. You should get some rest; you don’t want to be worn out for him,” Nara chuckled.