I held on to his shoulders. “Why are you not making a bigger deal out of this? How can you—”
“Ava,” he said firmly. “This is not the end. This is our beginning.”
The soldier came to his door and opened it.
“Be brave, my beautiful bird. I will see you in a little while.”
Beni and Aristide walked with him to…wherever, two guards flanking them on either side.
Just like that…he left me.
I held on to the seat and forced my panic down. When a sweet voice came at me in the middle of all this madness, I almost broke down.
Naomi.
“Ava.” She held out her hand for me. “Nazzareno thought you would want me here.”
All I could do was snatch her hand like a lifeline and nod. Her warm hazel eyes were full of sympathy and knowledge as she tucked my hand under her arm and coaxed me from the car. She grabbed my bag from the seat, but I took it from her.
Two masked soldiers escorted us as she led the way.
“You’ve been here before?” I whispered to try to hide the tremble in my voice.
She glanced at the soldiers and then nodded. “A few times.”
It seemed like she didn’t want to talk in front of them, so we walked in silence until we seemed to enter the underbelly of the colosseum. She knew her way around. She took a route that led us to what seemed like a lady’s room, or maybe it would have been called a chamber. I could hear the roars from the crowd outside, and it sounded like they were maybe having chariot races. It seemed like half the amphitheater was rooting for different teams or something.
The two guards waited outside as she shut the door behind us.
“We’ll talk as we work. You have a grace period, because you’re a woman, and they expect you to make an entrance.”
I choked on my own air. “This entire place is going to watch me walk out?”
She grabbed for a dress on a hanger. It resembled the men’s togas, but prettier. I wasn’t sure what it was called.
Naomi started to undress and change into the dress. Three slashes ran down her back. They looked like old claw marks. The scars were pinker than her skin. I wondered if a lion had done it, but didn’t want to pry-- for once.Then she showed me mine—it was different from hers.
She gave me a lesson on old Roman attire as she showed it to me.
“Our dresses are called stolas.” She ran her hand down the long dress-like garment. It had short sleeves and was made of silk. She touched the clasps that held it together. “These are called fibulae, which are really just brooches.” She lifted the bottom to show me, and it had a gorgeous flounce. It came with a girdle that Noemi told me would land high above the waist. “It was a privilege to wear this garment back then. It was a sign of a respectable married woman. The women who committed adultery were forbidden to wear one.” She grinned at me.
I gave her a grin back—even though I wouldn’t ever commit adultery, it was the first time I’d ever been called respectable.
“Luca chose this stola for you. It’ll be yours to keep.”
She helped me into the stola, then pinned my hair back with about hundred small pins because of all the layers, though she gave me a side part. I realized why after. She covered my head in a palla, as she called it, and some of my hair was visible from underneath it, which fit the vibe better. She fastened the cloth over my head with gemstone brooches.
She turned me toward the mirror, and I stood there, just staring at myself. Candlelight lit the dark and dank chamber, and it looked like I’d been teleported back in time. “I feel like I’m going to a fu—flippin’ party with a bunch of time travelers.” Though the outfit was quite beautiful.
She squeezed my arm. “Whatever you do, do not say that aloud. If any of these men hear you, it might end up in another challenge for Nazzareno. It would be considered an insult. Here. Let’s get you into the sandals.”
As she helped me into them, I asked her how many times she’d done this.
“Twice, but I only showed the woman and her confidant where to go, not helped her prepare.”
“Thank you,” I said as firmly as I could. I needed her to know how much of a light she was in this darkness I was fumbling around in.
She took me by the arms and looked me in the eyes. “I know this is going to sound easier said than done, but…you must keep it together. You must walk out of here with your head held high and your shoulders stiff. You must give the impression that you have no fear, because your man is strong enough to claim your love so no other man in this arena will be able to challenge him again. This is about romance, love, and most of all, a good show put on by fate. Not only will your man have to fight for your hand, but he will also have to sway the crowd to be on his side if there’s a tie…so to speak. Sometimes these battles are fight to the death, but Luca wanted a show. Death can end things too soon.”
