“Leaving his mother and sister to do as they like.”
“It seems so.” Cassia took on a thoughtful expression. “Severina hides behind the respectability of her husband, pretending to be chaste in public, but at home, she does as she likes. Tertius Vestalis Felix was a very popular consul during his year in office, considered to be a wise senator, and also a just ruler the short time he was in the provinces. People talk about Severina’s behavior, of course. Shake their heads and declare that Vestalis is a poor, sad old man, but no one dares rebuke him for his choice in wives. They understand he married her to bolster his fortune, and they ignore her excesses, so he won’t be shamed.”
I raised my brows as I sipped wine. The vintage we could afford was nowhere near as smooth as what I’d been served at Domitiana’s, but it was familiar and comforting.
“Vestalis must be held in very high regard then.”
“He is. Helvius tells me he loved his first wife deeply and grieved when she died. Still is grieving, which is why he pays no attention to Severina. She’s a means to an end, nothing more.”
I recalled my speculations about him this evening. “Is he trying to have a son with her?”
“Presumably. Once she gives him an heir, Helvius is certain Vestalis will lock Severina away to keep her from their offspring. So far, though, she has not shown any sign of being with child.”
I studied the surface of my watery wine. “How does Helvius know all this?”
“He talks to Severina’s servants whenever she comes to visit her mother. He also transcribes Domitiana’s letters to Severina and reads all the documents pertaining to Domitiana’s household, some of which involve Severina. Mother and daughter tell each other everything.”
And the two shared an interest in gladiators.
I took a noisy sip of wine. “Why does Helvius tell you the secrets of his mistress’ household? Not very discreet of him.”
“Because he knows I would not ask if it were not important,” Cassia answered readily. “Helvius would not chatter about all this to just anyone—he takes his post seriously.”
“He tells you, because he is in love with you.”
Cassia gaped at me in the ensuing silence, the flame from our single oil lamp flickering in her dark eyes.
“That is nonsense,” she said faintly.
I shook my head. “I saw how he looked at you. When you laughed, he became … intoxicated.”
As had I. When Cassia had laughed without inhibition at whatever Helvius had said, she’d been beautiful. Likewise, when she’d danced with Merope, her face bright, her sorrows fallen away, a beauty had shone from her.
Cassia’s expression became troubled. “Oh, dear. What a muddle.”
“Why do you say this?” My voice had grown gruff, commanding.
“Because I have no wish to cause him pain. Helvius is a friend. Has been for a long time.”
“Why would you cause him pain?” I set the wine cup on the table, hard, and liquid splashed over its rim. “He seemed perfectly happy with you.”
Cassia’s brow furrowed. “I am fond of him, of course, and can speak to him of things only another scribe would understand, but I have no intention of becoming his lover. Neither of us could do so without permission anyway.”
“And if you had permission?”
I didn’t understand why I asked the question. All I had to say was that she was forbidden from seeing the man again, and that would be the end of it. Her feelings about it shouldn’t matter to me.
“It would make no difference. Are you certain Helvius feels this way?” She peered at me. “I should hate to lose his friendship, but I also do not wish to give him false hope.”
“Very certain.”
Cassia sighed. She began to make a note, then her hand faltered, and she laid down her stylus. “I claim to be so very observant, but I never realized that Helvius cared for me. I am too close to him, I suppose. It is easier to see the true shapes of things from a distance.”
Knots unwound from my stomach. Cassia was a truthful person—except when she was haggling to negotiate a better fee for my work—and I believed her. She’d had no idea Helvius was fond of her, and she didn’t return the affection.
I ran my hand over my scalp, the short hair prickling my palm. “Do not break his heart just yet. He might have more useful information about Severina.”
“I cannot use his admiration for my own gain,” Cassia said with conviction. “I must be honest with him.”
