He sipped at his wine again, looking down into his cup with a resigned expression, and Marcus turned to Qadir with a question.
‘So then, spy master, how many of your trackers do you think have managed to master the art of following a man through the city then?’
Qadir looked out of the window of the tavern with a small smile to where a pair of his newly trained spies lounged insouciantly against the wall of the building on the street’s far side, watching the neighbourhood women walk by.
‘Consider this, my brother. We take soldiers, or rather the one soldier in ten with the wit to cope with such a task. These are men who are well accustomed to making a little work go as far as possible, and to whom the art of idling and generally avoiding the attention of their superiors has become second nature. Thus it is that on the street they are most adept at blending into the background, and, when forced out of whatever cover they are using, at then giving every impression that they have no interest whatsoever in the man they have been set to follow.
He took a sip of wine, nodding in appreciation of its quality, raising the cup in salute to Marcus and Dubnus.
‘That really is very good. Anyway, later this afternoon, once we had practised tailing a mark — myself, as it happens — with mixed results, I sent them out to follow randomly selected citizens as those innocents went about their business, under my own watchful eye. Most of them did well enough, including the two men who started a fake fist fight to throw one of our marks off his suspicions. I think you can guess which two soldiers were willing to get blood on their tunics in the pursuit of authenticity?’
Dubnus snorted a quiet laugh, tipping his head towards Marcus.
‘Two of his men, perhaps?’
‘Exactly. I’ve never seen a couple take to the art of tailing quite as quickly. Sanga bought Saratos a different coloured tunic to wear at one point, once I thought I’d thrown them all off, and the man tracked me for a dozen blocks from so far back that I had no idea he was there, until I led him back to the rally point. Assuming that he had become lost in the city’s maze, and would eventually find his way back to us, I was berating them for failing to keep me in sight when Sanga just coughed, and pointed to his fellow soldier who was lounging in a doorway and listening to it all with an expression of such innocence that it was all I could do not to burst into laughter. The ten men I have retained are all good enough to risk following Excingus the next time that we get the chance, but those two are head and shoulders the best of them. I have another idea in mind for them …’
The three men looked up as Cotta walked into the establishment, dropping into a chair opposite Marcus and pouring himself a cup of wine from their jug. He drank, smacking his lips appreciatively, wiped the sheen of sweat from his brow and then flashed his usual hard grin at the Tungrians.
‘Well then! We, you will be pleased to hear, are now the proud proprietors of the shop around the corner from your woman’s house, young Marcus. I drove a hard bargain with the landlord, given that I discovered from the neighbours that the place has been empty for almost three months. Something to do with bad drains. All we need now is something to sell from it.’
‘Well that’s easy enough.’
Marcus looked round at Dubnus, whose previously morose expression had clearly brightened at the thought which had occurred to him. Cotta leaned forward with a mischievous smile.
‘Go on then, spit it out.’
The big Briton raised a weary eyebrow.
‘We’ve already done that one, thank you. Anyway, as to what business to run in the shop, the answer’s obvious.’
‘Is it?’
He nodded emphatically at a bemused-looking Cotta.
‘What’s the one thing that a man has to have done to him no less than once a month?’
‘Once a month? I like to get my leg over a good deal more regularly than that!’
‘Not that!’ Dubnus reached out and took a hold of the veteran officer’s hair, tugging at a stray lock. ‘This!’
There was a moment of silence.
‘A barber’s shop?’
The big man shrugged.
‘Why not? Let’s face it, it’ll give us a good reason for having men going in and out of the place, a few of whom can then go to your wife’s house to stand guard. And believe me, we’ve got more than enough men who’ve been cutting their mates’ hair for long enough that they know how not to make too bad a mess of it.’
Cotta pulled a thoughtful face for a moment.
‘You know that very might well be an inspired idea. But who’s going to run it?’
Dubnus’s smile broadened.
‘That’s the best bit. I know just the man. Just make sure you watch him carefully. He’s as slippery as an eel once there’s a sniff of coin on the breeze.’
‘Come along now, little one, nearly there.’
Felicia and Annia had walked down the hill in search of some fresh food once the worst heat of the day had abated, both women carrying their children as usual while a pair of Cotta’s men had walked before them to clear a path through the Aventine’s cosmopolitan hubbub, two more following on behind to discourage any attempt at robbery. With a bag full of fresh produce for the evening meal, they were climbing slowly back up the slope to where the house waited, guarded by another two men.
‘Are you sure I can’t take him for you, Domina?’
Felicia smiled and shook her head at the closest of her protectors, shifting the sleeping Appius from one arm to the other.
‘Thank you, but he’s asleep. And we’ll be … home … soon enough.’
Annia laughed softly behind her, her own child tucked under her chin and tightly strapped to her body with a length of cloth.
‘Home! You never thought you’d be saying that again, did you?’
Her friend stopped and looked up the hill, just able to make out the roof of her father’s house above the walls of the houses that lined the road.
‘No. And now that I can, it doesn’t really feel right in my mouth. I’m really just not sure …’
Annia put an arm around her shoulder, shaking her head at the bodyguards who were gathering around them with faces that spoke volumes for their professional concern.
‘You lot can concentrate on making sure that we’re not robbed, and I’ll look after the Domina.’
She wrapped her arms around her friend, sandwiching the two sleeping children awkwardly between them.
‘Now you just listen to me. You’re clever, educated and you’re a success in a profession that a lot of men can’t handle. Your father would have been more than proud of the way you’ve coped since his death, and taking that house back is no more than you deserve. You heard what Excingus said, the previous occupants weren’t harmed when he made them move out, and let’s face it, he’s more than unpleasant enough to have had the measure of your previous husband’s family. So let’s just-’
She fell silent, looking down to see what it was that was tapping against her leg.
‘So much for you lot as bodyguards, eh? You can’t even stop a little dog from getting to us! Look at it!’
A dog no bigger than a large cat had taken advantage of their pause to make an appearance from the side alley where it had been resting out of the sun, drawn by the scent of cooked meat rising from their bags, and was pawing at Annia’s leg with a hopeful look. The four ex-soldiers turned to look at her, the oldest of them stepping forward and stooping with his hand open, ready to take the animal by the scruff of its neck with a purposeful look.
‘Wait!’
He stopped in mid-lunge and looked up at Felicia, whose command, if softly stated, had been sufficiently terse in tone to momentarily freeze him where he stood.
‘Domina?’
She bent her knees and knelt to caress the dog’s neck. The animal jumped up on two legs, placing its front feet on her thigh and reached up to lick the tip of her nose.