Nobilissima (37 page)

Ursus led the congregation in a prayer and began the wedding service, abiding by my wishes to keep the ceremony as short as possible. Nonetheless, I found my mind wandering as he intoned more prayers, and I remembered my marriage to Ataulf in the blazing sunshine of Nizza. My skin tingled when I thought of the heat of the day, and of the anticipation I had felt for my wedding night. I glanced at Constantius, who stared straight ahead, expressionless. It was hard to tell whether he was listening intently to Ursus’s words or pondering the next military campaign on the Danube. I suspected the latter.

“You may present the rings,” said Ursus, bringing me back to the moment. Although we had exchanged betrothal rings, we would also give each other marriage rings, as a sign of our high status. I had designed one for Constantius in heavy gold with a single large ruby. When I saw the ring he had made for me, I was surprised. It was a delicate twisted plait of gold with three small sparkling emeralds that caught the candlelight. It was pretty and not too ostentatious. I liked it and smiled my appreciation at him.

The service ended and everyone waited for Honorius to leave the church first. When I reached the front door, I saw that the storm had worsened. Roiling black clouds made it seem that night had come early, and the rain ran off the cobbles in dark sheets. Sheltered again by my servants, I was still wet and cold by the time I reached the carriage, and Sylvia insisted that we stop in one of the anterooms to re-pin my hair and change my shoes.

Finally, we went to the audience chamber where the celebration party was to be held. The atmosphere was festive and far less formal than the night of the betrothal party. Gifts were stacked high on marble tables along one side of the room, and the room bustled with servants. The feast would begin in a few hours, giving the guests plenty of time to imbibe large quantities of wine and snack on tiny plates of olives, dried fish, honeyed dormice and smooth white cheese from Naples. I was led to a throne next to my brother’s, with Constantius on my other side. We greeted hundreds of guests until I felt my voice would fade completely. Honorius was in an expansive mood, laughing and even making jokes. He reached out and patted my hand from time to time.

The hours passed and everyone moved to the tables for the banquet. This time I was seated next to my husband with Aurelia at my side. I picked at a few of my favorite dishes but didn’t eat much. The burden of what came next sat heavily on my shoulders, and I found myself glancing nervously at Constantius. He seemed happy, eating and drinking with abandon, talking and laughing with Marcus and his generals.

Honorius finally made a sign that he wished to leave and the servants began to clear a way to the door for him. He stood, a little unsteadily, and raised his goblet. “A toast to my sister and to General Constantius,” he called. “May they enjoy every happiness.”

As the guests raised their goblets in response, Constantius stood. “I have some news I would like to share with you all,” he said. His voice was firm and he stood upright. It was hard to believe he had spent the evening drinking.

“I take my new duties as both husband and consort to the Nobilissima Galla Placidia very seriously,” he said after thanking everyone for coming. “To that end, I have just informed the Emperor that I will resign my position as General and Magister. I will instead be spending all my time here in Ravenna, to be with my wife and to assist her in her many duties and responsibilities. Of course, I will continue to advise his Imperial Highness on military matters.”

The room rang with the sound of enthusiastic applause. I sat stunned. It had never occurred to me that Constantius would not be leaving again soon to resume his field duties.

“Smile,” Aurelia murmured.

“I can’t believe he would give up his command to stay here,” I said, still dazed.

“To be at the feet of the Emperor day in, day out?” Aurelia said. “But maybe I am being too cynical. Perhaps he is besotted with you and can’t bear the thought of being away from you.”

I smiled at my friend. “Unlikely,” I said.

I kept the smile fixed on my lips as Constantius held his hand out to me. “Come, my wife. It’s time for us to retire.”

Someone whistled loudly and a few men shouted out. I tried to ignore the obscenities and stood up, taking Constantius by the arm. With a pounding heart, I accompanied him from the hall.

Chapter 34

Two days after the wedding, I sat in Aurelia’s room with her and Sylvia.

“That’s as much as I’m going to tell you,” I said. All morning, my friends had been pestering me for the details of my wedding night. So far, I had told them only that it had gone well enough.

“But that’s no information at all,” protested Sylvia.

I watched while a servant peeled an orange for me. “To be honest, it was quick. We were tired after the banquet. Constantius was…” I paused while I thought of the right word. “Business-like.”

“Ugh,” Sylvia rolled her eyes and Aurelia laughed. “It could get better,” she said.

“It did last night.”

“What?” Sylvia looked shocked.

“Well, it was better. We dined alone together as you know, and that helped me relax a little in his company. Then later was easier. I’d say it was more about lust than passion but at least it wasn’t boring.”

“Nothing wrong with a little lust,” exclaimed Sylvia, and her eyes twinkled.

“It’s nice to feel wanted,” I agreed.

I thought back over the last couple of days with mixed feelings. Constantius was trying hard, I knew, to build a relationship between us. He was courteous and attentive, but it felt a little contrived. Our conversation was about politics or the court and never about anything personal. I’d tried to draw him out on the subject of his resignation from the army, but he said it was the right decision to stay closer to me and wouldn’t elaborate.

It was that fiction, more than anything, that stopped me from opening up to him. It was impossible for him to hide his ambition. The expression on his face when he was in the presence of Honorius was enough to show me what he was thinking. By staying at court, he could be at the Emperor’s side constantly and Honorius liked him, of that there was no doubt. For now, however, both my husband and I were officially taking a holiday from our duties. We hadn’t attended any of the audiences or official meetings of the last two days. And I was bored. I was supposed to be strolling the gardens with my new husband, but the weather had continued to be stormy since the day of the wedding, and Constantius had no capacity for small talk. After a day trapped in our suite together, we had both found excuses to escape. I went to Aurelia’s room and my husband went hunting.

“Thank goodness he has hobbies,” I said, describing how he had rushed from the room with enthusiasm when I’d suggested he go riding.

“I think you’re being very brave about this,” said Aurelia.

“Not brave, just resigned,” I said. “But I intend to stay very busy.”

I began to attend the daily audiences again and sat next to Honorius while issues were debated and lawyers presented their cases. I came to realize how little power remained in Rome. For the senators to have any say, they had to be at the court of the Emperor, and even then their voices were often barely heard above the mass of lawyers, financiers, tax men, city administrators, and military procurement officials. Hundreds of scribes worked in the audience chamber, taking notes on everything that was said. And hundreds more servants scurried around, lighting candles, adjusting the shades on the windows, and bringing refreshments for the Emperor.

On my first morning back, I sat with Marcus and Honorius while an administrator made the case for increasing the budget for military deployments on the Rhine. He cited many instances of new waves of barbarian forces pressing down from the north. Marcus agreed with him and together we persuaded Honorius to make the money available. While the scribe recorded the agreement, Honorius looked at me. “Where’s your husband?”

“Out riding,” I replied and Honorius grinned.

“So you’re taking the opportunity to maneuver your way into affairs of the State while he’s out playing?”

“I am not maneuvering anything,” I replied. “I have been of help to you in the past and hope to be again. Whether my husband is interested in the law or governing of the Empire, I don’t know. But I am.”

In truth, I guessed that Constantius would be furious when he found out that I had started attending the meetings again without telling him. The understanding had been that I would spend time with Aurelia and Sylvia.

“Well, then, sister,” said Honorius. “Listen to this and make the judgment yourself.”

I listened while a representative from the Pope’s office in Rome complained that there were still large numbers of pagan priests in North Africa who refused to recognize the authority of the Orthodox Church and disobeyed the Imperial edicts regarding the abolition of paganism. When he had finished, Honorius looked at me.

“I believe we should issue an edict commanding pagan officials to leave their places of worship in the cities,” I said. “If they wish to return to their villages and practice their religions quietly, they may do that. All buildings formerly devoted to paganism will be given to the church. Idols or any other items demonstrating pagan religion should be destroyed.”

Honorius looked at me. “Good. I like that. But we have to set a date by which this must be done.” He waved a hand and a scribe rushed forward with a calendar and held it up for him to see.

“The Kalends of April seems to be a good time. What do you think?”

I nodded.

“Your Imperial Highness, and Nobilissima,” said the Pope’s representative. “There must be some punishment for these heretics. They are disobeying the law.”

“There will be no punishment if they comply with the order,” I said, feeling more confident. “They’ll only be punished if they refuse to obey by the date set down.”

“And what should that punishment be, sister?” asked Honorius.

I thought about it. “Penalties to be paid to the church,” I replied.

“That won’t work,” said the official. “These men, whether Chiliarchs or Centarii, don’t have enough personal wealth to pay large fines. They should be executed.”

I took a sharp breath. Capital punishment was common for a wide range of offenses but since I had signed the warrant for my cousin Serena’s execution, I had spent sleepless nights wondering if that had been the right solution.

“Killing in the name of the Church is not something Christ would have wanted,” I said.

“Placidia,” said Honorius. “You have provided a thoughtful and appropriate response to the problem. To be a true leader, you have to mete out the required punishments. You can’t be squeamish about it.”

Surprised by both his praise and by his interest in teaching me, I nodded, and turned to face the official. “Execution will be the sentence for anyone not complying with this edict,” I told him.

The man bowed his head. “Thank you, Nobilissima. I will convey the news to the Pope.”

While scribes recorded the new law, more people lined up to present their cases. Honorius allowed me to respond to each one, offering guidance only when I needed it. For the rest of the time, he seemed content to watch the proceedings through half-closed eyes.

Walking back to my rooms at the end of day, I was both exhilarated and exhausted and could hardly wait to tell Aurelia about my major foray into the business of running the Empire.

“I am confused,” confessed Aurelia, when we sat together later. “Why would Honorius suddenly show interest in sharing this with you?”

“I thought about that all day,” I said.

“Well, he’s always been lazy,” said Sylvia, looking up from her sewing.

Aurelia glanced at the servants. I knew that she was always nervous when Sylvia expressed her true views about the Emperor.

“He was lazy as a child and he still is,” continued Sylvia, biting off a thread. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see him handing off more and more to you. Good thing too. You’ll do a better job.”

This time Aurelia coughed and changed the subject. “What are you working on?”

Sylvia held up a swathe of fine red wool, which she was trimming with gold buttons. “It’s going to be a cloak for Placidia to keep the chill off when she’s sitting in that audience chamber. It’s freezing in there.”

I leaned over and gave Sylvia a hug to thank her. It was true. The chamber was cavernous, with high, arched ceilings and multiple doors. Even when filled with crowds of people, the temperature rarely rose to a comfortable level.

At that moment, the door swung open and Constantius entered. He stopped when he saw that I had company. His hair was wet from the rain, and his boots trailed mud on the floor as he walked in. A servant ran behind him with rags in hand to clean up.

“My apologies,” he said. “I can come back later.”

“No, I should leave anyway,” said Aurelia, standing up. Sylvia gathered up her sewing and told me she would be back to help me dress for dinner.

The door closed behind them and Constantius sat down on a stool and waited for his servant to pull off his boots. “I heard you spent the day working,” he said. His tone was casual but he wasn’t smiling.