Part 36 (1/2)
”Indeed,” she said
They passed on into the larger room, and I turned to Valeria
”At last, a wholehearted supporter of Caesar!” I said
”Yes But he is such a broken reed to lean upon” She shook her head ”Lepidus isflaccid”
In ay? I wondered On the battlefield, or in bed? I watched his wife's back as she disappeared into the throng
A woman approached us boldly She ith no ait She was rather attractive, with masses of wheat-colored hair bound in at her neck, and a wide jaw
”Fulvia, Your Majesty,” she said, looking directly into , ”Of the Fulvian fahten me
But I had heard of herWhat had I heard? Was she not that fiery wife of the insurrectionist Clodius? I rehts of Ro how fierce she looked--like an Amazon
”Is she not theof Clodius?” I asked Valeria a moment later
Valeria looked surprised ”So her fame has spread even to Alexandria,” she said ”Indeed she is And also of Curio”
”She does not look as if she will need another husband,” I said ”He would have to be Hercules”
”They say that is exactly what she has in ed perforot the words out when a h the doorway
He was big and muscled like a bear, and with a lionskin knotted around his neck and a club slung over his shoulder, he looked Olyarishly dressed I had to blink at beholding her
”He didn't!” said Valeria ”He didn't bring herl” herl”
Theeasily He stopped and stared ata curiosity of nature He had a wide, well-forent dark eyes, and a thick neck, and a smile that would have blinded a God
”How the child has changed!” he blurted out ”Princess Cleopatra, do you not remember me? I am Marcus Antonius--Marc Antony I came to Alexandria with Gabinius I saved your throne, if you don'tsoldier Yes, I reed as ht it was Gabinius who saved my father's throne, since he was the only man in the world who dared undertake the task, which all of Rome had forbidden”
”Gabinius needed a cavalry officer,” he said ”And it was I who overcame the frontier fortress of Pelusiun”
”So you did” I re of it, how he had bravely and quickly taken the fortress, thought to be unassailable ”So you did”
”Yes, Princess I did” He said this not particularly proudly, but as a matter of fact
”I am Queen now,” I said likewise matter-of-factly
”And Caesar's woh ”Beloved of the Gods, to be given you as prize and treasure!” His voice was too loud, and everyone heard him
”Why are you dressed as Hercules?” I asked, to deflect the curious ears
”Why, is this not a costume party? Do you mean to tell me you dress this way daily? I came as my ancestor, for I'm descended from Hercules--as everyone knows”
”Yes, as everyone knows,” parroted the woman
”May I present Cytheris, the forelided over and said, ”My dear Antony, I have hoped to speak with you--” and guided hih ”So he brought that actress Does he have no restraint? It is hardly the way to win back Caesar's favor”
Where was Caesar? I began to long for hi, and there was no one to direct it--although Antony and his actress friend would doubtless relish trying
Octavian approached, boys near his own age on each side He actually had a shthearted
”Your Majesty,” he said ”You rerippa nodded ” ”And ilius Maro and Quintus Horatius Flaccus”
Two pale faces stared at ht
”I am called Horace,” said one, the sturdier one
”And I ahter one ”I reatly enamored of the Alexandrian mode of poetry”
”They have come to Rome to study,” said Octavian ”All of us country boys seeo to Athens, to the university there Perhaps I'll follow hiht to myself that Octavian would probably be best suited to a scholarly life I assu so manuscripts no one would ever read
The boys drifted away, and I saw Octavia bringing someone over He was a talk ia
”I wish to present to you Vitruvius Pollio,” she said, excitedly
The man bowed low ”Your Majesty, I am honored,” he said
”He is dear to Caesar as an arms expert,” Octavia said ”But he is dear to all Roineer He understands the mysteries of water, of wood, of stone, and translates them for us”
”I had the honor to serve Caesar in his cans in Gaul and Africa”
Africa! So he had been present in that last, grueling war I was grateful for whatever he had done to bring about its success Certainly Caesar owed a great deal to his ineers
”Caesar is blessed to have men like you at his side,” I said
Another wo about alone I saw her as she entered the doorway, but she was searching the crowd for so that made me curious about her, and I pointed her out to Valeria
”Ah, that's Clodia,” she said ”I thought she was dead!” She shook her head ”Clodia was Catullus's and Caelis's mistress--not at the same ti herself Shefor another lover, and what better place to look than a party?”
I was puzzled by the Roranted to women They did not have their own names, but had to take versions of their father's They were married off callously to make political alliances, and were divorced just as casually They held no public office, nor could they coate a divorce, and they could own property They accos, unlike Greek women, and seemed to have their menfolk well in tow