“Do you know the price of this land?” Max asked. That could easily be an insurmountable obstacle. He had some money saved from his army salary, but he doubted it would be enough to buy land, clear it, and build. Perhaps he could ask Aelius for a loan, an advance on his inheritance.
She shook her head. “I don’t. But I’ll give your name to the seller and have him write to you. I should warn you though”—her eyebrows wiggled jokingly—“the land borders that of a farmer with no less than three unmarried daughters. I guarantee you’d have someveryfriendly neighbors.”
“I’d have to build a wall,” he muttered.
“Well, if you’re going to settle down, you’ll need a wife at some point to look after you. Appius was lost before he found me.”
“I don’t want a wife.” The words came out sharper than intended, but they were true. He only wanted Volusia, and she was lost to him.
Furia’s smile faded. “Has some girl broken your heart?”
“No—yes—I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
Understanding lit in her eyes. “Is that why you were considering going all the way to Egypt? You want to run away from someone.”
“Yes,” he admitted. “Sort of.” He hadn’t spoken of his feelings for Volusia to anyone, and the hopelessness of it all weighed on him. In a few words, he told Furia all about Volusia. Their childhood infatuation, her stepfather’s hatred, the circumstances that had brought them together once again, and the differing paths that would tear them apart.
Furia listened closely. When he finished, she gathered Appia into her arms. “So you were willing to save her from an assassin and lose your position in the army for her, but now you’re about to give her up because she wants to live in Rome and you don’t?”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Max muttered. “And saving her life was the work of a moment. This is the rest of our lives.”
“If you love her, and she loves you back, don’t let her go so easily,” Furia said. “Such a love is hard to come by. Don’t throw it away.”
The prospect of a life without Volusia was bleak and joyless, and his sister’s words kindled a tiny spark of hope. Now that he had the idea, even if implausible, of buying land in the country instead of returning to the army, maybe there was a way to craft a life that would please both him and Volusia. A life that would satisfy him while still fostering Volusia’s ambitions for her son.
He had no idea how, of course, but fresh determination to try filled him. After all they had been through, he had to trysomethingto keep Volusia at his side.
Chapter 26
Thelitterswayedtoa stop and gently lowered until it rested on the street. Volusia brushed the curtains back and peered out into the street. She frowned. “Are you sure this is the right address?” she asked Triton, the closest litter bearer.
“Yes, lady,” he said. “This is the address that Orion gave us.”
After a few days of searching, Orion had succeeded in finding someone who knew Silvanus and where he lived, for which Volusia had rewarded him handsomely. Today, Volusia had set off to speak with Silvanus. She’d taken a risk by arriving unannounced, but she feared that he’d ignore her letter if she sent a message first. They hadn’t parted on the best terms in Narbo.
She’d expected to find Silvanus living in a humble home on the outskirts of Rome, or maybe in an apartment building somewhere. But this street was barely a few blocks from where her family lived, filled with grand homes. A senator lived around the corner. How had a former secretary come by such a prime location?
Triton walked up to the front door and knocked, then announced Volusia’s presence to the slave who answered the door. Volusia waited inside the litter as the slave went to alert Silvanus of her arrival. She wondered if he’d pretend not to be home.
But a few moments later, the door opened once more, and she was invited inside. Triton helped her down from the litter, and the four litter-bearers waited on the street as she entered the house.
“Please wait here, lady,” the slave said as she entered the atrium. “The master will be with you shortly.”
“Thank you.” Volusia adjusted her palla as she glanced around the atrium. It was large and bare. No statues of ancestors adorned the space. The floor tiles had been half-chiseled off in one corner, perhaps to make room for a mosaic. The walls looked like they’d recently been given a fresh coat of paint. A few crates sat in the corner, likely belongings waiting to be unpacked.
Her list of questions for Silvanus was growing. A seed of suspicion took root. Why had he lied about staying in Narbo? Why had he come to Rome, where he had no family? And now, how could he afford a house like this in a prime neighborhood?
Silvanus entered the atrium. He no longer had the gaunt, exhausted look of the last time she’d seen him, and he’d exchanged his sober gray tunic for an embroidered blue one. A golden bangle adorned his slim wrist. She’d never seen him wear jewelry before.
His lips pulled down in a frown as he surveyed her. “Volusia. What are you doing here?”
She smiled despite the rude greeting. “Forgive me for the surprise. I heard that you’d returned to Rome, and I thought it would be nice to pay a visit.”
“Nice,” he repeated unenthusiastically.
“This is such a lovely home,” she said. “I didn’t realize you had connections in the city.”
“I don’t.” He stared at her in cold silence for a few long moments.
