Rome's Lost Son (6 page)

‘We’ve always respected your penchant for straight-talking,’ Vespasian replied while pouring another cup of wine.

Narcissus’ mouth twitched into the nearest he ever came to smiling. He leant forward and placed his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers and pressing them to his lips above his trimmed and oiled black beard; weighty gold rings, dangling from each ear, glinted in the lamplight as they rocked to and fro. He considered Vespasian and Gaius for a few moments, his eyes slowly passing between them as if he was deciding whom to address first. Raucous laughter over a steadily increasing chanting and clapping filtered in from the tavern; a whore and her client were evidently being encouraged in their endeavours.

Vespasian pushed the filled cup across the desk, holding his visitor’s gaze when it fell upon him, and was shocked by how lined Narcissus’ well-filled-out face had become since the last time he had seen him at such close quarters. The strain of losing his position of influence with the Emperor – if not his title and function – to his colleague Pallas had evidently borne down hard on him; it was not easy living with the constant fear of execution. However, Vespasian felt no sympathy for him as he observed the black staining of dye on the pale skin around his hairline and beneath his beard. The threat of arbitrary death had been the lot of every Roman of the equestrian order and up from Tiberius’ reign onwards; the closer one was to the centre of power the more acute that danger became. It was something that Pallas had admitted the one time he had let his mask slip in front of Vespasian.

‘You both know very well the situation that I find myself in,’ Narcissus began, half-closing his eyes. ‘I am the Emperor’s secretary, in charge of his appointments and therefore access to him; yet for the last couple of years my influence over him has been
negligible. Since Pallas and Agrippina manoeuvred me into ordering Messalina’s execution before Claudius had completely settled his mind upon it, I have been out of favour with my patron. Yes, I can still make a great deal of money charging for audiences but that is nothing compared to what Pallas makes charging for influence. I remain alive because Claudius cannot bring himself to order my execution as only I know the ins and outs of all his business affairs; I’m alive because he is too chaotic to survive without me. Agrippina has made a couple of attempts on my life but I’m too careful for her; but very soon she won’t have to resort to murder. Once Claudius is dead I think it is very obvious to all what will happen.’ He parted his hands a fraction and held them still, inviting Vespasian to fill in the gap.

‘Nero will become emperor.’

‘Yes, Claudius’ attitude to Britannicus this afternoon showed us just how far he has estranged himself from his own flesh and blood. He even granted Agrippina’s request and had Sosibius executed this evening as being responsible for Britannicus’ carefully studied insult.’

Vespasian was shocked at the extreme result of Britannicus’ revenge and wondered if either the boy or Titus had realised the possibility of that outcome. He found himself hoping that they had: it was sweet justice for the man whose lies had forced him to bear false witness. ‘Of course, he was Messalina’s appointment; I suppose it was only a matter of time before Agrippina got him.’

‘She is not feted for her mercy; and she is ruthless in fighting for Nero’s and therefore her own position. She couldn’t have the boy executed so the tutor would have to do.’ Narcissus inclined his head a fraction. ‘Lucky that Titus wasn’t standing next to Britannicus.’

Vespasian chilled but then felt a surge of hope. ‘Perhaps with his tutor’s death, I’ve got a good excuse to find an alternative for Titus.’

‘I’m afraid not; Britannicus’ education and that of his companions has now been entrusted to Seneca. Claudius has managed to put Britannicus in even more danger by giving him to the one man whom Agrippina respects and Nero actually listens to.
Because Seneca’s as ruthless as the two of them in the pursuit of power he will share their view that Britannicus is an obstacle. Whatever you thought of Sosibius, at least he provided some sort of protection from those three.’

Vespasian took the point and began to wish that the odious tutor had not been so summarily dealt with.

‘So, Claudius will condemn his own son to death by making Nero his heir and that poisonous little snake does everything his mother tells him to.’ Narcissus re-steepled his fingers and looked meaningfully at each of them in turn. ‘
Everything
. And she gets him to do everything she asks because she in turn does
everything
that he asks of her; and I can tell you, gentlemen, that his requests are far removed from what a son should ask of his mother.’

Vespasian shuddered at the image but, having seen Nero snuggling up to Agrippina and resting his head on her breast that afternoon, it did not come as much of a shock to him. In fact, he reflected, after what he had seen with Tiberius and Caligula, that there was very little that the imperial family could now do to shock him. Caligula had made free with all his sisters, Agrippina amongst them; why should she not go further than him and do the same with her son? But then how would the Senate and people of Rome take to having such an unnatural couple rule over them? And if Nero felt free to bed his own mother, what depravity would not be beyond him?

From the bar the clapping and cheering had reached a crescendo; a successful conclusion to the business was clearly imminent.

Narcissus raised his voice, slightly, over the noise. ‘One of the first conditions that she will extract from Nero for her acquiescence to his unhealthy demands once he becomes emperor will be my death; and that, gentlemen, is something that I intend to avoid.’ Narcissus paused for a sip of wine, frowned his disapproval at the vintage, or lack of it, and then dabbed his lips with a handkerchief. ‘Now, interestingly, you two find yourselves with a similar, if not quite so potentially fatal, problem.’ Narcissus indicated to his freedman with a fractional head movement. ‘Agarpetus came across some very interesting intelligence from
the trierarchus of a trading ship just back from the Kingdom of Colchis on the eastern coast of the Euxine. It would seem a Parthian embassy passed through Phasis, the major port of Colchis, towards the end of September heading home by way of the Kingdoms of Iberia and Albania and then across the Caspian Sea, thus skirting very close to the north of our client kingdom of Armenia.

‘Now, that may be nothing in itself: the Parthians are often sending embassies to the tribes and kingdoms around the Euxine and our traders are always reporting them; we pay well for the information. But what caught Agarpetus’ eye was an earlier report intercepted from one of Agrippina’s people that he had killed an agent, as he had been ordered, very soon after the man had informed the Governor of Moesia that a Parthian embassy to the tribes beyond the Danuvius had arrived in Tyra, just to the north of that province, and therefore this agent had been prevented from getting the news to his pay-master; unfortunately we don’t know who that was. This happened, as I said, in September, at the end of which month, incidentally, our puppet king in Armenia was subject to an invasion led by his nephew. It’s a reasonable assumption that this was the same embassy and it’s also reasonable to assume from their route home that on their way to the Danuvius they passed through Iberia. Now, Iberia was the base for this invasion that has since managed to topple the Armenian King.’ Narcissus raised an eyebrow at his audience and braved another sip of wine as a massive cheer broke out next door.

Vespasian saw Narcissus’ implication immediately. ‘Therefore the Parthians could have triggered the Armenian usurpation on their way through and Sabinus must have failed to kill or capture them, even though he had been warned about their presence.’

‘It would seem that way; very careless, wouldn’t you say?’ Narcissus dabbed his lips again; the noise level from the tavern had dropped back down to laughter and boisterous conversation. ‘If we had a chance to question them we would know the object of their mission to the northern tribes and, more importantly, we would know for sure if Parthia is once again trying to
destabilise Armenia. Still, it’s done now and one can only hope that the consequences aren’t too … er … disastrous for Rome – or indeed, for Sabinus and perhaps even his family?’

‘Are you threatening us, Narcissus?’

‘My old friend,’ Narcissus crooned without a trace of amicability, ‘I am doing nothing of the sort; I don’t need to. Agrippina has made sure that news of his failure has already reached Claudius and Pallas and she has insisted that after such a mistake your family cannot be trusted. Yesterday, at the Emperor’s request, I personally crossed your name off the list of governors for next year; Titus Statilius Taurus will go to Africa in your place.’

‘Africa?’ Gaius blurted. ‘The Emperor was going to reward Vespasian with Africa?’

‘I’m afraid so, but it is not to be. A shame really, such a prestigious province.’

Gaius’ jowls quivered with outrage. ‘You took Africa away from our family?’

‘Calm yourself, senator; I did nothing. I just amended the list at the Emperor’s instructions after he had been advised by the Empress. She really doesn’t like you, Vespasian.’

‘I’m aware of that and of the real reason why; but she likes you even less.’

Narcissus parted his hands and exclaimed in feigned joy, ‘Ah! Back to the subject I can never tire of: me. Yes, she would have me dead; and what’s the best way to avoid that whilst at the same time doing yourselves a great service by removing the block to your family’s career?’

Vespasian glanced at his uncle and realised immediately that he would not be furnishing the answer. ‘Kill Agrippina?’

Narcissus tutted and raised his cup for another sip of wine before thinking better of it. ‘Kill another empress? I don’t think I’d survive that again, no matter how chaotic Claudius’ affairs are. No, gentlemen, the answer is to expose her for what she is.’

It was Vespasian’s turn to be dismissive. ‘You and Pallas both tried to do that with Messalina but Claudius refused to believe you.’

‘Precisely, but this time the emphasis has changed. Then we were trying to get Claudius to believe that Messalina had savoured most men of the equestrian and senatorial classes and gone through the Praetorian Guard century by century, which, despite the truth of it, is a huge claim and easily rebutted on the grounds of impossibility. This time I just have to convince Claudius that his wife is not only sleeping with his most trusted advisor but he’s also being cuckolded by her son whom she has persuaded him to adopt as his own.’ Narcissus leant forward on the desk, looking directly into Vespasian’s eyes. ‘It’s all rather nasty, wouldn’t you agree? And yet again our divine Emperor is looking less of a god and more of a fool. Of course, we’re used to that, but he’s not; I think that the shock will make him very vengeful and all three of his betrayers will, at the very least, live out the rest of their lives on a barren rock, rather like Agrippina’s namesake, her mother, and her two older brothers.’ He twitched the corners of his mouth once again into the closest he ever came to a smile. ‘You could almost say that it runs in the family.’

Vespasian could not but admire the logic of it. ‘With one move you rid yourself of both your rivals, remove Nero and restore Britannicus to the succession with you as the arbiter of the potential regent when the time comes. No doubt you would choose someone of little consequence who was also well in your debt and once more you would be the Master of Rome.’

‘And you would be governing whichever province you wished for; Sabinus’ error would be quietly forgotten and you, my dear Gaius, would have that long overdue consulship.’

Vespasian kept his face placid; he was tempted but he knew better than to trust this Greek. He remembered only too well how Narcissus had been prepared to go back on the promise never to reveal Sabinus’ part in the assassination of Caligula when political expediency pressed.

Gaius, however, took the bait: his eyes glinted in the lamplight. ‘What do you want us to do, my dear Narcissus?’

‘The only people that Claudius would believe are Agrippina or Pallas themselves.’

‘But neither of them is ever going to admit to the thing that’ll bring them down.’

‘Of course not, senator.’ The Greek’s irritation at a statement of the obvious was conveyed by a lowering of his voice.

Vespasian cocked an ear; the noise from the tavern had taken on a different timbre.

Gaius reddened. ‘I apologise.’

Narcissus flourished a dismissive wave, half-closing his eyes. ‘But they will confess to Claudius if the alternative is being accused of treason; palpable treason, for which they will most certainly be executed.’

‘Treason?’ Vespasian asked, his attention now back to the conversation. ‘What’ve they done?’

‘The timing and the source of these reports from the East and then the recent trouble in Armenia have led me to believe that Agrippina has precipitated a crisis that not even Pallas knows of. If my instincts are correct, it is connected to the Parthian embassy that your brother so carelessly lost; but as yet I have no proof. But both of you could help me with that. Now, if this treason comes to light, it will certainly be assumed that Pallas was a party to it and will be executed along with—’ A woman’s shriek from the tavern cut him off and he looked to the door in alarm.

Vespasian jumped to his feet; masculine shouts and bellows erupted, joined by the crashing of wooden furniture. Agarpetus pulled a sword from beneath his cloak, opened the door a fraction, looked out and then quickly stepped back.

Magnus came barrelling in. ‘We’re under attack!’ he yelled as he raced across the room to a wooden chest. ‘The bastards have used the celebrations to slip past our security.’ Throwing open the lid he pulled out a sword and lobbed it over to Vespasian; another two followed for Gaius and Narcissus as Sextus crashed in. ‘Take these into the tavern, brother,’ Magnus said as he scooped out the remainder of the box’s contents and jammed them into Sextus’ arms, keeping one back for himself, ‘and then pull back here with the lads. We’ll stop them in the corridor.’