Iris’s blue eyes darkened with grim understanding. Testimony from a slave was only deemed valid if extracted under torture, so by returning with Iris to Rome, Volusia would be condemning her to abuse of the cruelest kind.
“You’ve been such a good friend to me—better than I deserved.” A rush of emotion tightened Volusia’s throat. Iris had been her friend—sometimes her only one—for ten years. She had been there through the early days of marriage to Avitus. She’d held Volusia’s hand during childbirth. She’d listened to her frustrations as Avitus spent his nights with others. She’d helped soothe Lucius when he wouldn’t stop crying. She had been a constant, reliable, comforting presence.
But letting her go was the right thing to do, if Volusia cared at all for her. Volusia wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “Maybe one day you’ll come back to Rome, and we can be true friends. But until then, you deserve to have your own life back.”
Iris squeezed her hand. “Thank you, mistress.”
Volusia withdrew the coins from the sale of the earrings and slid them across the table to Iris. “You deserve far more, but I hope these will help you on your journey. You’re of course welcome to stay with us for as long as you want. We have the room upstairs to rest in.”
Iris closed her fingers around the silver coins. “Thank you, mistress, but I think it’s best if I’m on my way. I saw a merchant heading back to Gaul when we were entering the town. If I hurry, I might be able to hitch a ride with him.”
“Oh. I see.” Volusia couldn’t help feeling a bit deflated that Iris was so quick to leave, but Iris was free now, and she owed Volusia nothing. She stood, and gave Iris a quick, tight hug. “May Mercury watch over you on your journey.”
Iris returned the embrace, her hands pressing into Volusia’s back. “Go with the gods, mistress,” she murmured, then pulled away. She tipped her chin at Max. “You. Keep an eye on her.”
Max nodded solemnly. “I’ll do my best.”
A few moments later, Iris was gone. Volusia sat back down at the table and stared mournfully at her empty plate. “I don’t think I’ve gone a day without seeing her since she came to me.”
“Since someone bought her for you, you mean,” Max said.
She glanced up to meet his gaze. “Iris was better off with me than she would have been anywhere else.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Max said. “But I think you did the right thing by freeing her.”
His approval warmed her even more than the food. “I hope her family welcomes her ba—” A jaw-cracking yawn overtook her, and a wave of exhaustion swept over her.
Max pushed his stool back and rose. “Come on, let’s find our bed.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her through the maze of tables and chairs to the rickety staircase in the corner of the room.
Our bed. If she hadn’t been so exhausted, those words would have made her blush and shiver, no doubt. But for now, all she wanted to do in a bed with Max was sleep.
Chapter 16
Maxeyedthebed,a lumpy mattress spread with a worn woolen blanket. Volusia had collapsed into it as soon as they’d entered the room, and fallen asleep immediately. Her sprawled form took up almost all of it. They would have to get very cozy tonight, unless Max decided to do the honorable thing and sleep on the floor.
He wished he could fall asleep as easily as Volusia had, but the stress of their journey still had its claws in him. He paced the short length of the room, unable to sit still despite the soreness of his legs and ache in his feet.
His thoughts turned to Elephant once more. Worry squeezed his chest whenever he thought of her. Were Glabrio and his men taking care of her? What if they didn’t get the tangles in her mane out and it snagged on a branch? What if they didn’t rub her down properly and she caught a chill?
He tried to take a deep breath. Thoughts were racing in his head like bees around a hive. Elephant would be fine. If there was one thing soldiers knew, it was how to take care of a horse.
A knock came at the door, and Max let in two young women carrying a large vat of steaming water. “Thank you,” he said as they set it in the middle of the room along with a small bottle of oil and some clean cloths. He handed them a coin, and they nodded and left. The tub wasn’t big enough to sit or lie down in, but it was far better than nothing.
Max went to the bed and gently shook Volusia’s shoulder. She woke with a start, gazing up at him with unfocused eyes.
“Our bath is here,” he said. “I thought you might want to go first.”
“That’s kind of you.” She heaved herself out of bed and went to check the temperature of the water. “Oh, that feels good.” She bent to remove her dirt-crusted sandals.
Max turned around, realizing she was about to start undressing. “I could, er, go back downstairs…”
She gave a short laugh. “I’m much too tired to be modest, Max.” Fabric flickered in the corner of his gaze.
Instinctively, his head turned to catch the movement. Her dress was in a heap on the ground, and her lithe body was completely bare.
His breath stuck in his throat as he beheld her. Fucking Dis, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her back was to him, but that view was more than enough. His gaze traveled over her slowly, taking in the fine bones of her shoulders, the elegant line of her spine, and the lush curve of her bottom. Her skin was dirty and marred with scrapes and bruises, but nothing detracted from her beauty.
“You’re fucking beautiful,” he said, his voice a hoarse growl. “I hope you know that.”
