And then, as though snow had come blasting down from the Alps, Claudia understood why Orbilio was here, in her room this afternoon. It was his intention to be part of the plan. To relieve her of her portion of the map and hand it over in her place, to inveigle himself with the rebels. She wondered why that should make her sick to her stomach. After all, he ran risks every day, why should this be any different? Wasn’t he always putting himself in the firing line? It’s his job. He chooses to do it. She shouldn’t feel queasy with worry ‘Assuming our conclusions are correct,’ he said, and Claudia was glad she remained in profile, because without intending to, one renegade eyebrow shot skywards when he said ‘our’. Something kicked inside her stomach, too. ‘The conspirators in Rome are out to double-cross the rebel chieftains.’
‘Who must keep on believing that payment for their role in the overthrow of the Empire is still coming, even when it isn’t, because the conspirators need that money to keep the Roman soldiers sweet.’ Don’t think I haven’t been paying attention, Marcus Cornelius! ‘However, if the bribe is so vast,’ she said, ‘why don’t you trace it from source?’ Why join forces with the rebels, why put yourself in so much danger?
A wry smile twisted his face. ‘Tried that-and guess what? No single individual has moved the bulk of his assets within recent weeks, and believe me, we’d know about financial shifts on that scale in the Security Police-oh, and before you say it, a whole group of them couldn’t have moved bits and pieces of their fortunes-you’d be talking about a hundred conspirators, and even if there was just a fraction of that number, we’d have heard a whisper through informants.’
‘Suggesting how many are involved at top level?’
‘No more than two or three.’
A vague thought flickered on the edge of Claudia’s mind. Something Dexter had said. Dexter. Dexter. What was it? Connected with his work. Binding senatorial archives. Ah, yes! The State Treasury. Suppose the State Treasury had been raided?
‘The whole lot moved under cover to pay off the tribes?’ He shot her a do-me-a-favour kind of smile. ‘Impossible,’ he said, ‘Absolutely im-’ He stiffened. ‘But it’s funny you say that, because Senator Galba is in charge of the Treasury-and Senator Galba also organized this delegation to tie in with the inaugural ceremony of the temple in Vesontio.’
‘Four years ahead of the actual half-century to celebrate the Roman/Sequani peace deal.’
‘It will take four years to build a temple to Castor and Pollux,’ he said, although for an objective opinion, it came over as pretty unconvincing.
Down below, angry male voices rang out from the wine room. Theo, shouting that they should just pay the man and stop quibbling, while Volso argued back that it wasn’t that simple, was it? Five thousand sesterces were to be handed over, daylight bloody robbery in itself, but why should he, Volso, have to pay more than his share? For crying out loud, Theo yelled, where can the drivers, let alone the bloody horses, find that kind of money? This was a co-operative venture, why couldn’t he bloody co-operate. Co-operative? Volso was on the verge of apoplexy. Whose fault was it they took that sodding shortcut? Get the army to cough up, if Theo felt so strongly about co-oper-bloody-ration.
‘Unfortunately,’ Orbilio said, upending his goblet, ‘we’re on the wrong track. Galba’s personal seal is a burning torch, not a newt, and to start an investigation into his private affairs would be the best thing that ever happened to my boss. It would give him the supreme pleasure of sacking me without a reference.’
‘Unless you were proved right.’
‘I’d never get the chance to-hang on! The night I left Rome in such a goddamned hurry, I was due to dine with Senator Galba. I remember thinking at the time how my father would have seen this as a real feather in the family cap, and yet, even then, I thought it strange that Galba had heard about my investigation into rebel uprisings, and that he should be interested in the progress I was making.’
‘Then go back to Rome,’ she said. ‘First thing in the morning.’
‘You can’t get rid of me that easily,’ he replied, reaching for a duck and venison pie. ‘What we have here is speculation at best, slander against Galba at worst.’
‘Does it matter, providing the coup is foiled?’
‘Not in the least. Providing we are right.’ He caught a dribble of gravy before it splashed on his spotless white tunic. ‘But what if we’re jumping to conclusions? Galba has an unblemished reputation in everything he’s done. He’s ambitious, most senators are, and he’d be the first to admit he covets the role of consul, to be one of the three most powerful men in Rome. Quite frankly, the case against him is thin to the point of transparency. Think about it.’
He dabbled his hands in the warm water of the finger-bowl, scented with basil and balm.
‘Point one. I heard a rumour that the Treveri and the Helvetii were banding together. Is there evidence of this? None whatsoever, since the alliance is about not fighting side by side. Point one laughed out of court. Point two. Who’d believe the line about a plot to overthrow Augustus using foreign mercenaries? Without proof, and we have none, point two is ridiculed as untenable.’
‘What about Remi’s testimony?’
‘A dead Treveri rebel? Who, I, incidentally, killed? It’s turning into farce.’
Claudia scratched her head. Tricky, but surely not insurmountable? She had to talk him into returning home somehow…
‘With vital pieces missing, the map is useless,’ she reminded him-and fell straight into the trap. Of course! That was why he wanted to deliver it! To ingratiate himself with the rebels by pointing out that they’d been double-crossed, hoping they would reveal the names of the ringleaders in Rome. Bugger! Think, Claudia, think.
‘According to certain eastern cultures,’ she said slowly, ‘the salamander is a mythical creature born and living in fire.’
‘Holy Mars!’ Orbilio slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. ‘Why didn’t I think of that? It all makes sense. His burning torch-the salamander. Same thing, different depiction. Galba’s skin won’t be fireproof like his fabled reptile, I shall personally see to that.’ He turned round and grabbed Claudia by both wrists. ‘We’ve got him,’ he shouted. ‘We’ve bloody got him, don’t you see? All we need now is confirmation from the rebels.’
‘Not necessarily.’ Claudia jerked her wrists away. Dammit, he didn’t have to get that close. She didn’t want to feel the power of his hands, smell the goddamned sandalwood on his tanned and gleaming body, let alone see the excitement dancing in his eyes. ‘They’d be loathe to take your word for it,’ she snapped. ‘All that would happen is that the rebels would hold you hostage.’ Whichever way it goes, he’d be dog food. The instant they discover they’d been double-crossed, they’d kill the Roman pig. ‘Which would be sod-all help to Augustus.’
Exultation drained from his face. ‘You have a better idea?’
‘Tell your boss,’ she said. ‘At least you can trust him.’
‘I can?’
‘Oh yes.’ As far as one can ever trust that oily creep. ‘The Salamander promised the job of Jupiter’s Priest to our friend Clemens,’ she said, sinking her teeth into another spicy bun. ‘Don’t you think the gods would move house from Olympus before your boss allowed Clemens to usurp the role he’d earmarked for his brother?’
Orbilio threw back his head and laughed. ‘Claudia Seferius, you are sneaky, devious, cynical and underhanded, and those are just your good points! Worse than that, though, you are a veritable genius. Thanks to you,’ he made a gracious bow, ‘I can send word back to Rome to keep a close eye on Galba, based on the evidence I have accumulated, not to mention suggesting they make an inventory of the State Treasury which, or I shall eat my hunting boots, has undoubtedly been spirited away to Gaul. So with the Rome end all but tied up, what I need now is a list of rebel chieftains to wrap up this whole conspiracy once and for all.’