“One hour, private room, scented oils. I will not be disturbed. And my change, of course.”
The man cleared his throat. “Of course.”
He opened a chest on the table to his right, drew out a purse of coins and placed it in front of Danae.
She pulled the purse toward her. It was heavy. She peered in and had to stop herself screaming at the sight of around fifteen gold drachmas. More money than her father made in a whole year. More than her life had been worth at the flesh market. She fought to keep her face calm as she stowed the purse away in her bag.
The proprietor snapped his fingers, and a slave girl with mousy hair and pale, freckled skin hurried over to them.
“Take our esteemed guest here to our best room.”
The girl bowed and headed off down the right-hand passage. Danae followed her, the weight of the coins bashing opulently against her thigh.
They headed through the main walkway toward the women’s communal baths, then veered off down another corridor. A mosaic of blues in every hue swirled in the pattern of waves along the wall. Their footsteps echoed around the quiet passage, joined by the occasional tinkle of laughter and ripple of voices from other private rooms.
At the far end, the girl led Danae through a curtained archway into a room dominated by a large pool sunk into the floor. Light poured in from three small windows carved into the thick stone just below the ceiling, illuminating the murals of dancing sea nymphs painted on the walls. A stone bench jutted from the right-hand side. On it were rows of glass bottles filled with different shades of amber liquid.
Danae twitched as the girl stepped toward her. She backed away.
“May I help you undress?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I can do it myself.”
The girl’s face betrayed a flicker of surprise. “As you wish.”
Danae eased off her sandals, watching the girl walk around the pool to the collection of bottles.
“Which oil would you like?”
Danae hesitated. She didn’t know what any of them were.
“We have laurel, marjoram, iris, cardamom, sandalwood—”
“The last one.”
She had no idea what it smelled like, but anything would be an improvement on her current scent. Slowly, she placed her bag on the floor while the girl poured an oil, the color of the sun, into the water.
Then the girl padded around the edge of the pool and held out her hands. “I can wash your dress while you bathe?”
“No.” Danae wrapped her arms around her chest, acutely aware of how dirty and bloodstained her clothing was. She noticed then, the scars that circled the girl’s thin wrists.
“Here.” Danae opened her bag and drew out the purse of coins.
The girl backed away.
“I want to give you something.”
The girl shook her head. She looked scared. “I’ll get in trouble.”
“All right.” Reluctantly, Danae placed the purse back in her bag. “I’d like privacy please.”
The girl bowed and stepped behind the curtain into the shadow of the passageway.
Danae shrugged off her dress. She dropped it in the bath, then waded into the water down stone steps carved into the side of the pool.
She gasped. It was warm, like the sea at the height of summer. She inhaled the spiced, steaming air as the oil coated her skin. Rubbing her face, she sighed as the tight crust of salt was washed away. Then she ran her hands through her short hair to dislodge the dirt. Its length still felt alien to her, but she had to admit it was much easier to wash.
A rust-colored cloud seeped into the water around her dress. After cleaning herself she gathered it in her fists and scrubbed, wincing as the friction stung her raw hands. Once she’d washed out all the blood and dirt she could, she wrung out the fabric, then climbed out of the pool and draped it over the stone bench. Hopefully it would dry by the time she left. Dripping across the floor, she retrieved her bag, placed it on the side of the bath and slipped back in.
