Part 9 (1/2)
”But Marcia, I am subprefect I am responsible to-”
”Did you hear?”
”But if you will tell where we are going, Ithe palace business I assure you I have important work to do”
”There are plenty who can attend to it,” said Marcia ”The ood-will You are delaying , as s a little behind Marcia He hoped she would take the hint and withdraw out of earshot, but she had had instructions, and cao back to my office and-”
”No!” answered Marcia
He yielded with a nervous gesture, that implored her not to make an indiscretion A subprefect, in the nature of his calling, had too many enemies to relish repetition in the palace precincts of a threat froht be so serious that almost had escaped her lips Untrue or true, it would be known all over the palace in an hour; within the day all Rome would know of it There were two slaves by the front door, two more on the last step of the stairs
”I will cohted I am honored I am fortunate!”
She nodded She sent one of her own slaves to order his private litter brought, while Livius atte his brains to knohatunusual that his litter should follow hers through the streets of Rome; in fact, it was an honor coveted by all officials of the palace, that fell to his share rather frequently because of his distinguished air of a latter-day e of everybody's business and ancestry He was often ordered to go with her at a moment's notice But this was the first ti, or why, and there was a hint of malice in her smile that made his blood run cold He was a connoisseur of malice
Marcia leaned on his arm as she went down the steps to her litter She permitted hi through the silken curtains, she leaned out at the farther side and whispered to the nearest eunuch Livius, clih by eight Numidians, became aware that Marcia's eunuchs had been told to keep an eye on him; two yellow- robed, insufferably i his own attendants
An escort of twenty praetorian guards and a decurion aiting at the gate to take its place between the lictors and Marcia's litter, but that did not in any way increase Livius' sense of security The praetorian guard regarded Marcia as the source of its illegal privileges It looked to her farthem with lawless loyalty to her She ruined discipline by her support of every plea for increased perquisites No outraged citizen had any hope of redress so long as Marcia's ear could be reached (although Coot the blaainst unforeseen contingencies The only regularly drilled and armed troops in the city were as loyal to her, secretly and openly, as Livius hian to feel thoroughly frightened, as he told himself that the escort and their decurion would swear to any statehtsecret inforht take to avenge herself; a very sie him with improper overtures and have hiht particularly interest her, since it would presumably increase her reputation for constancy to Commodus
The eunuchs watched him The lictors and praetorians cleared the way, so there were no convenient halts that could enable hih the crowd His own attendants see ominous about the journey, and he was not the kind of man whose servants are devotedly attached to him He knew it He noticed sullenness already in the answers his servant gave hih the litter curtains, when he asked whether the man knew their destination
”None knows All I know is, we must follow Marcia”
The slave's voice was al Livius made up his mind, if he should live the day out, to sell the rascal to some farmer ould teach hi He preferred to spring surprises, only hoping he hiht not be overwhelmed in one
By the time they reached Cornificia's house he was in such a state of nervousness, and so blanched, that he had to summon his servant into the litter to rub cosmetic on his cheeks He took one of Galen's famous strychnine pills before he could prevent his li Even so, when he rolled out of the litter and advanced with his courtliest bow to escort Marcia into the house, she recognized his fear and mocked him:
”You are bilious? Or has some handsomer Adonis won your Venus from you?
Is it jealousy?”
He pretended that the litter-bearers needed whipping for having shaken him It made him more than ever ill at ease that she should rouped themselves in Cornificia's forecourt Hers was one of those houses set back froance as could not possibly escape the notice of the passer-by The forecourt was adorned with statuary and the gate left wide, affording a glied the aspect of the narrow street There were never less than twenty trades opportunity to show their wares, which were in baskets and boxes, with slaves squatting beside them All Rome would knoithin the hour that Marcia had called on Cornificia, and that Livius, the subprefect, had been athered to watch the picturesque cere his staff, the brightly colored costuht with the hues of flowers and the rich, soft sheen of marble in the shadow of tall cypresses The praetorians had to forate, and the street becaeantry; it filled its eyes before its belly, which was nine-tenths of the secret of the Caesar's power
Within the house, however, there was almost a stoical calm-a sensation of cloistered chastity produced by the restraint of ornaloriously painted frescoes representing evening benediction at a te of the Muses, sacrifice before a shrine of Aesculapius and Jason's voyage to Colchis for the Golden Fleece The inner court, where Cornificia received her guests, was like a sanctuary dedicated to the decencies, its one extravagance the al of white pigeons and the drip and splash of water in the fountain in the nity of drareeting were observed as elegantly, and with far more evident sincerity, in Cornificia's house than in Caesar's palace Cornificia, dressed in white and wearing very little jewelry, received her guests more like an old-time patrician matron than a notorious modern concubine Her notoriety, in fact, was due to Flavia titiana, rather than to any indiscretions of her own To justify her infidelities, which were a byword, Pertinax' laent to ingenious lengths to blacken Cornificia's reputation, regaling all society with her invented tales about the lewd attractions Cornificia staged to keep Pertinax held in her toils
That Cornificia did exercise a sway over the governor of Rome was undeniable He worshi+ped her and made no secret of it But she held him by a method diametrically contrary to that which rumor, stirred by Flavia titiana, indicated; Cornificia's house was a place where he could lay aside the feverish activities of public life and revel in the intellectual and philosophical aenuinely loved
But Livius loathed her Aue with Marcia to protect the Christians To him she represented the idealism that his cynicism bitterly rejected The mere fact of her unshakable fidelity to Pertinax was an offense in his eyes; she presented what he considered an impudent pose of ht have liked her well enough if she had been a hypocrite, complaisant to himself
She understood him perfectly-better, in fact, than she understood Marcia, whose visits usually led to intricate entanglements for Pertinax When she had sent the slaves away and they four lay at ease on couches in the shade of three exotic potted pal he would bring his ave him time; whereas Marcia would hide hers and employ a dozen artifices to ht Livius because you think he loves”Nor have you coht have sent for ue! What plot have you discovered now? Is Pertinax its victim? You can always interest me if you talk of Pertinax”