Nobilissima (18 page)

“We had no resources to launch any kind of counterattack on the retreating Goths,” he said. “Hard as it was to make the decision, we had to keep all the remaining troops in Rome to keep the panicked citizens under control.” He glanced at Aurelia. “I wanted more than anything to come to rescue you all, but I lay in that bed for nearly six weeks, unable to walk, and could only pray that you were safe.”

“And we are,” I said, mystified by Aurelia’s silence and Marcus’s lack of attention to her. But I told him about the journey south, Alaric’s death and Ataulf’s quiet accession as king. “There is a man, Sigeric, one of the chiefs in the Goth army. You will need to watch out for him, Marcus. He threatened to fight Ataulf for the crown. For now, he seems to be lying low but he’s not to be trusted.”

I said nothing of Sigeric’s assault or the attempted escape. It was easy to see that Marcus had enough on his mind without worrying further about the dangers Aurelia and I had faced that day. Several times, I tried to draw Aurelia into the conversation but my friend remained quiet, her eyes downcast.

“I must spend today with Ataulf and his generals, planning for our attack against the rebels,” Marcus said, climbing to his feet with some effort. “And there is someone I’d like you to meet. General Constantius. He’s on his way to northern Gallia from Ravenna and will stop here for a few days. He is acting as co-Magister with me, as I am no longer able to fight, as you can see. I’ll have someone come for you prior to his arrival.”

Aurelia glanced up as he left the room and there were tears in her eyes. As soon as the tent’s flap was closed again, I hugged her. “What is wrong? I don’t understand. You didn’t speak to Marcus, didn’t look at him or smile at him.”

“He didn’t do much smiling at Aurelia either,” commented Sylvia.

“I know why,” I said. “He’s been injured. He doesn’t know if Aurelia will feel the same about him now that he is no longer able to lead his own troops into battle.”

“That makes no sense,” said Sylvia. “What difference does that make?”

“All the difference in the world to a man who has been a general since he was eighteen and our Magister for the last six years,” I said. “That’s who he is. That’s how he defines himself. He can’t imagine that we don’t see him differently too. Aurelia, I’m  sure he is in love with you but he won’t impose himself on you. You’ll have to show him that you care about him in spite of his disability.”

Aurelia looked doubtful but refused to talk about it any more. A few hours later, a unit of guards arrived to accompany me to the praetorium, the generals’ tent. Marcus sat at a desk covered with documents, with Ataulf at his side. Ataulf winked at me when I entered and I felt a flush of warmth on my cheeks, hoping that no one would notice.

There was another officer in the tent, and Marcus introduced him. “General Constantius,” he said.

Constantius stood up and bowed his head towards me. Seven guards stood behind him and I wondered if they were there for his security or for his ego. I’d heard of him and his rapid rise through the ranks following the death of Stilicho; he’d fought and won many battles for Rome in the province of Gallia and had a reputation as a courageous warrior.

“It is an honor, Nobilissima,” he said. He was dark-haired and stocky,  a little shorter than Ataulf. He had brown eyes and his skin was tanned from the sun. He held his chin high as though looking down on everyone else in the room and appeared to be very serious and formal, something I was unused to after traveling with Goths for so long.

“Constantius has just come from Ravenna where he received personal instructions from the Emperor on how to conduct the operation against the Franks,” said Marcus, with a trace of humor in his voice.

“And how is my brother?” I asked.

“Very well,” Constantius replied. “Fatigued, of course, with the many duties he has to perform, but his Provost Olympius bears the greater burden in order to shelter his beloved Emperor from the more taxing responsibilities.”

“I’m sure he does,” I said, thinking I detected a trace of irony in his voice. It had been some time since I’d thought of Olympius and now felt the familiar churning in my stomach. It was strange to be back within the circles of imperial Rome.

“I’ve been impatient to meet you,” said Constantius. “I trust you are well and not suffering too much in your imprisonment?”

“I’m very well, thank you. And although my brother leaves me as a hostage, I’m not a prisoner at all. I’m the honored guest of King Ataulf and his court.”

Constantius looked irritated. “Not for much longer,” he said. “Emperor Honorius wants you back in Ravenna, and he has given me the authority to secure your release at whatever price the Goth king might demand.”

He looked directly at Ataulf as if throwing out a challenge.

“I’m not returning to Ravenna,” I said. “When I needed my brother’s help, he declined to give it. I won’t go back now on some whim of his.”

Ataulf and Constantius began to speak at the same time and Marcus interrupted. “We’ll discuss this later and in private,” he said.

“Agreed,” said Ataulf, looking at me.

“Well, let’s review your plan of attack,” snapped Constantius, “as that is what we are here to do.”

The rest of the morning was spent in discussion of the military plans for the overthrow of the usurper.

“There are strongholds of rebels all along the coast from here to Narbo,” Constantius told us, pointing out the city on a map. “They are supporting the claims of Jovinus, who has set himself up as Emperor of Gallia. There is only one Emperor and that is Honorius in Ravenna. Our mission is to defeat the rebel army and return Gallia to the Empire.”

He turned to Ataulf. “I’d like to check your armory, to make sure it’s adequate for the battles you are going to face. Will you take me to see it?”

“My pleasure,” Ataulf replied with a grin. “Let’s all go.”

We all took carriages across several wide fields to a large barn where Ataulf had stored his army’s weapons. From one end to the other lay piles of shields, swords, knives, bows and arrows. It was an impressive array and Constantius let out a long low whistle when he saw it. He picked up a sword and then a shield.

“These are of imperial manufacture,” he said with some surprise.

Ataulf nodded. “Of course, he said. “When Alaric was a commander in the Roman army, he was given free access to many imperial weapons factories and made sure that his men were well equipped. Of course, many of our men still use their own swords and they work just as well.”

I thought that Constantius wasn’t too pleased at the wealth of weapons in Ataulf’s arsenal. After a few minutes, he saluted Ataulf and told Marcus he was finished for the day. “I have traveled hard and need to rest,” he said. “But I’d like to request the honor of having Placidia dine with me.”

“We can all eat together,” said Ataulf.

“What I have to say concerns the Emperor,” replied Constantius. “And is for the Nobilissima to hear.”

“Then I’ll accept the invitation,” I said before Ataulf could argue further.

Several hours later, I sat comfortably in the richly decorated tent that was Constantius’ home when he was traveling. Thick carpets from Byzantium covered the ground, and woven hangings hid the tent walls, giving the tent a sense of permanency.

I had asked Sylvia to accompany me as chaperone, hoping that Marcus would seize the opportunity of Aurelia being alone to spend some time with her. Sylvia sat on a low wooden stool, nibbling at a plate of olives.

“The general certainly knows how to live,” she whispered to me while Constantius was occupied in instructing his staff regarding a certain wine that he wanted me to taste. He seemed very used to giving orders, I thought. His tone was short and peremptory and his servants bustled about in haste, bringing in an array of dishes.

“Branzino,” he said, pointing out a grilled fish on a large platter. “Delicious. You will like it. It’s rich though, so don’t have too much.”

I suppressed a smile, wondering if he had forgotten that I had been raised in the palaces of Constantinople and Ravenna and was well acquainted with the fine selection of dishes laid out in front of me.

“You said you wanted to talk about the Emperor,” I reminded him after we’d eaten a course or two and waited for the staff to bring clean plates.

“He wants you back in Ravenna,” Constantius said.

“We’ve already had this conversation,” I replied. “I have no desire to return there and I plan to stay with the Goths.”

“With Ataulf, you mean,” he growled. I didn’t bother to respond.

“Your brother will be very angry if you don’t go back,” he said after a while, licking sauce from his fingers.

“My brother ignored me for nearly eighteen months. I can’t imagine that he has a sudden desire to see me after all this time.”

“His silence was, how can I say, encouraged. It was not of his own making, Nobilissima. I saw him just ten days ago and he is concerned for your safety and wishes to have you at his side again. He assured me of this himself.”

I kept my eyes on my plate. All the emotions of the last months suddenly threatened to overwhelm me, but I didn’t want Constantius see my distress. A single tear fell on to my plate, luminous against the green glass. My brother hadn’t lifted a finger to secure my release. I had come close to death and he had done nothing. I swallowed, feeling the last mouthful of food hard in my throat.

“Nobilissima?” Constantius said. I heard him put down his wine goblet. “Are you unwell?”

Blinking, I raised my head and smiled at him. “Not at all. I’m sorry. I was distracted for a moment.”

Aware of Sylvia at my shoulder, I waved her away. Constantius cocked his head and waited.

“You said that Honorius was acting under the influence of another,” I said. “You can only mean Provost Olympius. He’s a truly evil man, but surely my brother should be able to resist him and make his own decisions? He is the Emperor after all.”

Constantius glanced at the guards near the entry to the tent, and then leaned forward over the table. His eyes were dark and intense. “Can I talk to you of something very delicate?”

I nodded.

“There are many in Ravenna and in Rome who feel as you do, Nobilissima. Your brother’s lack of judgment in keeping Olympius in such a position of power is of great concern.” He lowered his voice. “There are many who would be glad to see the back of the Provost. And then we will see if Honorius is fit to rule as an Emperor should.”

I shook my head. “It will make no difference. Get rid of Olympius and another will rise to take his place. Like sewage floating to the surface of a stagnant pond.”

Constantius threw his head back and laughed out loud and then just as suddenly stopped and leaned even closer over the table towards me. “But what if the person who takes Olympius’ place as Honorius’s favorite were someone trustworthy, competent and capable of ruling the Empire?”

It was my turn to laugh, but not with any humor. “I can’t think of such a man.”

“Not a man,” Constantius said. “A woman.”

I stared at him in shock.

“You, Placidia. You can get close to Honorius in a way that no one else can. The Senate trusts you. Our Magister, Marcus, trusts you. Back in Ravenna, you can exert influence over your brother and help the Senate – and yes, the military – win Honorius’s approval for the many projects that have languished over the last few years. We need to pass laws and authorize expenditures on infrastructure and on defense. You could help that happen. We can still dig our way out of this quagmire we have fallen into. We shouldn’t need to rely on Goth foederati to fight our wars for us. We need to pay our own army and give our men decent weapons. Then we can overrun these rebels in Gallia and turn our attention to the barbarian incursions in Hispania and Africa.”

I put down my knife carefully on the table. “I would be your pawn, nothing more.”

He reached over the table and put his hand over mine. It was calloused and rough against my skin. “No, you wouldn’t. I would be at your side, helping you whenever I could. Many of my duties in the field can be delegated to others. We could do it together, Placidia.”

I pulled my hand away. “No. I’m certainly not going to help you worm your way into Honorius’s favor. You can do that by yourself. You don’t need me.”

He grasped my hand again. “I don’t want to do it by myself. I want you. Just think of what we could achieve together, with you as my wife.”

I looked at him in astonishment. “Your wife?”

“You don’t know me yet but you’ll see that I would make a good husband. I feel the strongest of affections for you, based on our short acquaintance. And many arranged marriages turn out very well.”

“But I love Ataulf,” I blurted out, still overcome with amazement at his words.

Constantius smiled and shook his head. “Ataulf is handsome and has very congenial manners,” he said. “I can see why you would be attracted to him. But love? Surely not.”

I stood and took two steps back from the table. “You’re mad,” I said. “I don’t even know you.”

“I’m a far better match for you than that barbarian who calls himself king of the Goths,” said Constantius, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t know how you can even consider abandoning the Empire to be with him. He was our enemy not so long ago, or have you forgotten that small fact?”