So the challenge to the will had been presented after all, I thought. I was about to say so, but Junio spoke first.
‘But I understood that he had come here from Londinium,’ he murmured with a frown.
‘Londinium?’ Alfredus Allius gave him a puzzled look. ‘Not that I know of, citizen. What gave you that idea?’
‘That’s what he told me — almost the only information that he was willing to divulge. Once he had discovered that my father was not here, he would not even consent to give his name,’ my son exclaimed.
Alfredus raised his mousy brows at me. ‘How extremely odd. I’ve always found Scipio Drusus rather talkative. When did you speak to him?’
Junio shrugged. ‘He called here this morning. He was waiting when we … when I first arrived.’ He had suddenly remembered Maximus, and it affected him. He gulped, but went on steadily enough. ‘That must have been a little before noon. My father got here shortly afterwards.’
But the councillor was hardly listening any more. ‘That’s not possible. I met Scipio Drusus by arrangement near the northern gate about the second hour. I actually saw his travelling coach draw up — it’s a distinctive one — and he’d clearly just arrived. He was to come to my town apartment to refresh himself (and incidentally to bargain for some wine) but as it happened I could not stay with him. I’d just been summoned to a meeting of the curia.’
‘That was the meeting at the garrison?’ I said. ‘So by your own admission you weren’t with him all the time. He could have called here, while you were being addressed by the commander, couldn’t he?’
‘In theory, citizen. But I had my slave attend him to my flat, and that’s where he was when I came back later on. According to my servants, he had been there throughout. They had given him refreshment and assisted him to wash his feet and change his clothes. He’d brought his mourning toga with him for the reading of the will — he didn’t want to wear it in a dusty coach.’ He shook his head. ‘When I came back I took him to the forum straight away. So all his movements are accounted for. He could hardly have been here at the time that you suggest.’
‘And you are quite sure that he’s the man who purchased the Egidius house?’ I said.
Alfredus nodded. ‘Absolutely sure. He didn’t want the villa that Gaius Publius owned — it’s on the unfashionable northern side of town and doesn’t have a bath house, or a hypocaust. And there’s a problem anyway. Gaius Publius let it just a little while ago when he became too frail to leave his house in town, and the tenant claims there was a contract saying he could buy. Scipio will look into that of course. He may have to fight for possession in the courts. But even if he wins it, he intends to sell.’
‘The Egidius house is more convenient,’ I agreed. ‘It used to be quite splendid, I believe.’
Alfredus Allius gave one of his rare smiles. ‘And will be again, so Scipio declares. He’s moving his whole household into it today, including many of his effects, I understand — though some items from the house have been in storage for years and they were included in the purchase price.’
I made a little face. I wasn’t sure how much I trusted this account. ‘Then he’s rather careless with his money, isn’t he?’ I observed. ‘Buying goods and property that he has never seen.’
‘He may be wealthy, citizen, but he is not a fool. Of course he came to see the place before he parted with a single quadrans. Though I would not like to live there, I agree.’ Alfredus fingered his amulets again. ‘I warned him of its bad reputation, but he did not seem to care. Laughed and said it was a bargain at the price — he would buy some cleansing herbs from me to set the ghosts to rest, and even pay a priest to come and purify the place. In fact, I have promised that I’ll send my priest and wise-woman to him later on today when they have finished here.’
I made a little bow ‘You are generous, again.’
‘Ah, with him it is a business arrangement, citizen,’ he said, meaning that Scipio had promised a fee for finding a suitable priest to undertake the task. No doubt there’d been another one for recommending me.
But it raised another question. If it wasn’t Scipio Drusus who called here earlier — and according to Alfredus it could not have been — who was it? Someone else anxious to earn a fee for recommending me, perhaps? That would make a kind of sense, and might be a reason for the man not offering his name, since he was only hoping to act as agent for this Scipio. Had our visitor this morning actually claimed that he had bought the Egidius house himself, or only that it had found a purchaser, and that new pavements were required? Probably the latter, from what Junio had said.
So who else could have known that the villa had finally been sold? Any patrician who knew Scipio, it seemed — since he’d been to look at it and had made no secret of his interest in the place. Anyone but Commemoratus, who had not been here at all, and had witnesses to prove it, including Junio.
I frowned. These thoughts were leading nowhere. Even if I found this morning’s visitor, that might have no connection with the murder of my slave. My only link was Cacus, the slave of a man that I’d been talking to when Maximus was killed. Was it possible that Commemoratus had a twin, perhaps, and therefore seemed to be in two places at once?
But of course that was no answer. Quite the opposite. The person I was looking for — according to two different witnesses — did not resemble Commemoratus much, apart from the colour of his toga-stripe. Perhaps Cacus had simply followed him around to try to register the objection to the will? He’d said that he was looking for a magistrate. But what was the purple-striper doing in this neighbourhood? Supposing that it was really Cacus that the tanner’s slave had seen!
I shook my head impatiently. None of this was making any sense.
Alfredus saw my impatience, and misinterpreted it. ‘Of course you will be anxious to begin the rites if you wish to leave the workshop before the gates are shut. I wonder what’s delayed the wise-woman and priest? They should be here by now. I sent my personal page to fetch them urgently.’
I almost smiled at his patrician certainty. It did not appear to have occurred to him, even for an instant, that they’d refuse to come, or that they might have other duties to perform before they did. He simply assumed that they’d obey his summons instantly. Such, I suppose, is the privilege of rank.
‘Perhaps, councillor, they would not hurry — for a slave?’ I ventured.
Alfredus looked at me disdainfully. ‘They would hurry at my orders, or so I should expect!’ He gestured to his steward. ‘Vesperion, go out onto the street and see if you can see them anywhere.’
The old steward hurried out to do as he was told, but he’d not been gone an instant before he shuffled back, closed the door carefully and made an awkward bow. ‘There’s no sign of those two, but someone else has just arrived. He was going to come straight in, but I made him wait outside. A slave-boy, by the look of it. Not your attendant, Master Alfredus.’ He turned to me. ‘Little red-headed lad. I think it’s one of yours.’
TWENTY-THREE
‘Minimus!’ I murmured. It could be no one else. I began to scramble painfully from my precarious seat, but Junio had shot me an agonised glance and was already on his feet. By the time that I’d regained my own, he was re-opening the door.
‘Minimus! It’s you!’ I heard him cry. ‘I thought you were assisting in the house today. What brings you here instead?’
‘The mistress sent me. There’s been important news!’ My little servant sounded out of breath. ‘I’m glad to find you here — I’ve run most of the way, but when I got here I saw the shutters up and thought you must be gone. And then that old slave I didn’t know came out, and wouldn’t let me in. What’s happened? Are the master and Maximus inside?’
Poor creature. He had no idea what dreadful news awaited him.
Junio was obviously thinking the same thing. I heard him say softly, ‘Your master is. He’ll tell you everything. You’d better come inside.’ He opened the door wider and gently propelled Minimus towards me as he spoke.