“Certainly many hold it to be so. But as to that, although many thought very highly of Hypatius surely he too had enemies?”
Lady Anna shook her head. “You would have to ask those who knew him best, I suppose.” She paused. From further back in the house came the sound of a loud argument. The shrill voices of two women could be heard; they obscenely taunted each other, apparently having fallen out over a man whom one claimed was her lover, a claim hotly disputed with lascivious details by the other.
Anna looked neither shocked nor surprised. “Those two are always fighting. I shall have to quench this outburst before father returns. He doesn’t need strife breaking out in his kitchen as well as on the doorstep. If I have to warn them again they will have to go. This seems to be a good time to end my lessons for today, John, so I will say goodbye for now.”
John remained in Anna’s study and finished correcting her work before going into the corridor. He did not care to witness women’s squabbles nor to extend his increasingly uncomfortable visit, so rather then passing through the kitchen to the servants’ entrance, he decided he could be forgiven for leaving by the front door for once. Especially if nobody saw him.
Just as he crossed the atrium, however, voices and the stamping of feet at the entrance announced the arrival of Senator Opimius and a companion.
“Ah, John, are you leaving?” the senator said. “Remain for now, please. I want to speak to you about my daughter’s progress.” Turning to his companion he added, “This is the man I mentioned to you, Aurelius, the one I borrowed from the palace to tutor Anna.”
“And what are you teaching her, John?” The visitor arched an imperious eyebrow. His features had the look of the classical busts Justinian had imported and placed all around the Hormisdas Palace, although a tactful sculptor would certainly have chiseled away the nascent, middle-aged jowls. He could be nothing but a senator. A sharp contrast to Opimius, who resembled an assistant to the overseer of an obscure administrative department.
“I am helping her to learn Persian, sir.”
Aurelius ran his hand through black curls. Once, they might have been unruly, but they were now thinning and beginning to silver. “An interesting choice of languages. I suppose it’s prudent to know your enemies.”
“What is more important,” put in Opimius, “is knowing which of our acquaintances are also enemies. Anna chose the subject of her lessons herself. She wanted to try to learn something challenging, she said.”
“And what will she decide to study next? If I were you, I would be happier if the next subject she takes an interest in is one of Justin’s subjects. An unmarried one.”
“A thought that has crossed my mind more than once, Aurelius. But then you are a father yourself.”
“Yes, it won’t be long before Penelope and I will have to start considering matrimonial alliances for Anatolius. Not to mention placing him in a good post at court. Now, if only your Anna were younger or my son was older.”
The conversation was interrupted by two laborers in dirt encrusted breeches. The men strolled across the atrium, paused to give Opimius vague, deferential bows and continued on their way.
Aurelius raised his eyebrow again.
“The bath house hypocaust is not working,” Opimius explained. “Of all times to fail. Naturally just when I’d prefer not to be obliged to venture out to the public baths.”
“A problem with the flues perhaps?”
“Possibly. Fate can be unkind even to senators,” Opimius replied, going on to suggest they repair to his office. One glance was all John needed to know that his attendance was required there also. He could not help thinking that if Opimius’ greatest worry was a malfunctioning hypocaust, then perhaps Fate treated senators very lightly indeed.
As soon as the men were settled John poured them wine from the glass flask on Opimius’ desk.
“Opimius, if you will forgive me for saying so, with the state the city’s currently in, it is not a wise idea to allow unknown workmen to wander through your house. I’ve mentioned this before and I wish you’d heed my warnings.”
“Of course, you are right,” Opimius muttered absently. “You know, Aurelius, the view from this office is much more pleasant when the garden is in full bloom.” He scowled at the closed panels. “Anna has been talking about new plantings a lot lately although spring still seems very far away.”
Aurelius sipped his wine. “Yes, she loves her gardening, does Anna. At times I wish I had only a daughter to look after. Anatolius is a difficult boy, I fear. Headstrong and yet given to scribbling poetry. Oh, you can laugh, but believe it or not the other night he shaved the front of his head and ran off to play with a bunch of Blues. This was the same night the Gourd put on his little exhibition. The boy nearly got himself killed.”
“Just as well Justin didn’t hear about him being involved in that escapade.”
Aurelius waved his hand. “Oh, Justin no doubt knows all about it. It would have reached his ears before dawn that the son of one of his senators was involved in that frightful business. He’d realize the boy’s too young to have meant any harm. I’m more worried about the Gourd taking it on himself to investigate. You can’t tell what the man is liable to do.” He held out his wine cup for John to refill.
John did so, maintaining a carefully neutral expression. Even after some years laboring at the palace, he still found it strange that men would blithely speak of the most secret matters in front of their servants, or anyone else’s servants for that matter. It was obvious they considered them no more than furniture, and furniture could not hear. Even so, judging from Aurelius’ slighting remarks about the Gourd, it was evident that John’s new assignment had not yet become common knowledge. No doubt it would be soon enough.
“But what really angered me,” Aurelius was saying, “was that when he arrived back home in the middle of the night, the boy had the temerity to tell me some ridiculous tale about hiding in a huge pig and being rescued by an excubitor and a tall fellow with a strange look in his eyes.”
Opimius smiled. “Sounds like a budding Homer to me.”
“I see you are as amused as I was! Or as amused as I was after I punished him. It’s one thing to go out and risk life and limb. We all did that when we were young. Nonetheless, I will not have him lying to me. I sent him off to stay with his uncle Zeno for a while. Away from the city. That’ll keep him out of mischief!”
“Zeno? Is that wise? Isn’t he the fellow who aspires to launch himself from a tower and fly across the Golden Horn?”
“You’re thinking of the man who calls himself Avis. Zeno has some eccentric interests, but he’s harmless. The gods forbid that Anatolius should ever make the acquaintance of Avis.”
“I wish they hadn’t seen fit to allow Anna to meet Avis.” Opimius sounded rueful. “Luckily she has sense enough not to try out these wings he’s said to be working on. Or at least I hope not. Unfortunately she insists on contributing to his expenses on a regular basis. I fear her fancies sometimes run away with her reason. Penelope must have been frantic over your son’s adventure.”
“Indeed she was. She’s already upset about our impending move. She doesn’t want to live closer to the palace, and I don’t blame her. I think she’ll grow fond of the new house in due course, especially since she has a free hand with its decoration.”
“When are you moving?”
“Next month. By the time Anatolius returns from his little holiday at the seaside, we’ll be settled in.”
“He does know you’re moving to a new house?” Opimius asked with a twinkle in his eye. “I mean, he won’t get back and find the old one shuttered and deserted?”