Vipsania stepped back, and shook her head. "That'll only make him mad! He'll say it's just a smart way of saying no, then he'll ask me who did it, then he'll cut off that man's head for deflowering a virgin before a God could."
"Tell him you can't go and you're not a virgin because you're married," Gaius shrugged. "Tell him your husband won't let you leave." He paused then added, "Even Little Boots will realize a wife can't leave her husband, and a married woman's hardly likely to be a virgin."
"He won't believe that," she said sadly.
"Why not?" Gaius asked. "It's not as if women don't get married."
"But I'm not," she pointed out.
There was a pause, then Gaius took a breath and said, "If you will have me," he said simply, "we can remedy that."
Vipsania blushed a little, and asked, "Are you asking me to marry you?"
"I thought that's what I said," he said irritably.
She stepped back and stared at him and shook her head. "You're just feeling sorry for me. ."
"No, I'm not!" Gaius said abruptly.
"You realize this will only bring you to Little Boots' attention. It won't save me."
"It will if all Little Boots wants is to deflower virgins," Gaius smiled.
"That's not all he wants," she shuddered. She grasped his arms, and said firmly, "Gaius, thank you, but I can't."
"What?" Gaius looked shattered.
"I can't let you wreck your career, and lose your life."
"I don't think Gaius Caesar would do that. ." Gaius started.
"Listen, Gaius!" she shook him. "Just for once, really listen to me. You're always making excuses for him, but he is vile, he is cruel, and he takes pleasure in torturing anyone who opposes him. He's a spoiled brat who's been given unlimited power, it's gone to his head, and. ."
"From what I've heard," Gaius interrupted, "he is most certainly a spoiled brat, and he does the things you say, but he is also very intelligent. He takes pleasure at gloating over those who argue with him and lose, but we still don't know what happens when he loses, but isn't seen to lose by anyone else. Just once, at least, he was a gracious loser, even if he did moan about me later."
"What're you getting at?" she frowned.
"We have to put him in the position where he can accept what has happened with good grace."
"And exactly how do you manage that?" Her tone showed that she had little faith in this being a successful strategy.
"We invite Gaius Caesar to the wedding," he said simply, "and the legates of the Rhine and Danube legions. The invitations will be to honour my. ." He paused and added quickly, "I know it's ours, and maybe more yours, but for this I'm more important. ."
"Oh yes, and why's that?" she asked tartly.
"I'm a Claudian."
"Oh well, aren't I just the lucky one!"
"Being a Claudian is important for two reasons."
"Two?" Vipsania laughed without humour. "I can't even see one."
"If what your father said is true, Caesar doesn't want you. He wants a Valerian. If you marry me, you will be a Claudian, which gets you off the hook."
"Or you onto the hook, as you put it. And what's the second reason?"
"Gaius Caesar is at least associated with the Claudian gens," Gaius said flatly, "and he will probably claim to be head of it. His grandmother married Tiberius."
"A rather thin reason why you would be safe," she pointed out.
"That's not the point," Gaius shook his head. "It's not what is that counts, but what might be."
"I don't follow," she shook her head doubtfully, "but believe me this is not a matter for philosophy."
"I'm talking about strategy," Gaius responded.
"Well?" she said doubtfully.
"The invitations will be to honour my. . a Claudian's wedding, but more importantly, the invitations will also specifically announce that the guests will at the same time honour the head of the Claudian gens, and renew their pledges of loyalty to Caesar," he said.
"Go on," she said, without any particular enthusiasm.
"To start with, the other Legates won't be quite sure what is going on, but they won't dare not come, because if they didn't it would be an insult to Gaius Caesar."
"So?"
"Little Boots has trodden on everyone, he enjoys demonstrating his power, but he's also frightfully insecure. He knows people in higher positions hate him, and he's terrified of plots. I'll take a small bet that when Gaius Caesar sees all the other Legates are invited, he will add up the number of Legions they represent, and they would be sufficient to control Rome. I think he'll suspect that somebody will try to assassinate him. I'll bet he won't attend," Gaius said.
"He'll bring part of his Praetorian guard," Vipsania pointed out.
"They'd last no time at all," Gaius snorted. "They'd put the fear up the average senator, but they'd last five minutes at the most against a century of the first cohort."
She stared at him in disbelief. "You'd do this for me?" she gasped.
"My guess is Little Boots won't let it come to that," he said. "My guess is, with the promise of a pledge of loyalty from the legion commanders, he'll stay safely at home and accept the pledge. Especially if you get your friendly Governor to plead with him privately."
"And you're that sure you want to risk your career?"
"I don't think Gaius Caesar's as bad as you seem to think, and I'm sure he's not stupid," Gaius said, "and in any case, that's not really the reason I'm asking."
"You're sure?"
"It's part of the reason I'm asking now," Gaius nodded, "but the last few weeks, well, I've been wondering how to get around to it and. ."
"There'll be no dowry," she pointed out. "Little Boots has announced he'll confiscate our entire estate, unless. ."
"A Claudian has no need for dowries," Gaius pointed out proudly, and somewhat pompously.
"Claudii are amongst the greedier and most devious in Rome," Vipsania agreed.
He stared at her, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"And what's so funny?"
"Here I am, trying to get you to marry me, and all I seem to have achieved is to start a fight. Someone once told me I was not much good with women, and it seems. ."
"Gaius!"
"Yes?"
"You'll have to get my father's permission."
"And if I do?" he asked.
"Then I wouldn't have any choice, would I?" she teased.
"Of course you would," Gaius grinned. "I've seen. ."
"Please," she said, and came close to him and kissed him, "try to persuade my father."
"I'll see what I can do," Gaius replied, and returned her kiss.
"And he'd better not say no," Vipsania said firmly, and grasped him. He wrapped his arms about her, then somehow one of them lost their footing and they fell over into the snow. As they got up, she threw a snowball at him.
* * *
"So you propose to marry Vipsania?"" Messala asked. "What does your father say about this?"
"My father's dead," Gaius replied simply. "I may have mentioned that I believe he was killed by Little Boots' thugs."
"I'm sorry. I forgot. This's a bit of a surprise to me."
Especially if you were going to use Vipsania to get you off your own hook, Gaius thought to himself, but said nothing.
"You've asked Vipsania and she's agreed?"
"Yes," Gaius replied simply.
"You realize this could get you badly offside with Caesar?"
"Perhaps, but I don't think it will."
"Then I'd better not say no," her father said. "Especially if I want to stay alive."
* * *
"Your father agreed," Gaius announced. "You will soon be married."
"And you'll be really in deep trouble. Gaius, I'm really grateful, but can you afford to go through with this?"
"I can't not go through with it now," Gaius shrugged, "added to which, I should let you into a secret. If a prophecy I once received is right, everything's going to be all right."