Lucretia let out a shocked laugh.
“If I’m wrong, you have an escape,” Dihya reassured her. “Remember, Caeso supplies the bread to Felix’s household, so if he’s bad in bed, we’ll just poison him!”
That evening, Lucretia broached the subject of Felix’s proposal with Marcus. His agreement, after all, was requisite. But she had to frame the matter carefully, as he couldn’t know of herotherinvolvement with Felix.
At dinner, she slid a plate of honeyed walnuts toward him, which was a fail-safe way to get his attention. “Lucius Avitus Felix came to see me today,” she informed him as he shoved a walnut into his mouth. “We’ve been discussing some business matters. You know we are competitors.”
“Which is why you hate him,” Marcus said through a mouthful of walnuts.
“I don’thatehim. But he is ambitious, and he wants to control trade in all of Ostia. To that end, he’s been undertaking efforts to sabotage my business.”
Marcus listened to this in silence, perhaps putting the pieces together of why she’d been so angry when she discovered his association with Felix.
“But we have recently reached an agreement. A truce. As part of that, he has offered to apprentice you. You will learn a great deal from him, I’m sure.”
Marcus’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t want to learn about ships. I want to learnboxing.”
Lucretia sighed. “I imagine Felix will be happy to continue that facet of your education. If he does, will you agree to apprentice with him?”
Marcus considered for a moment, chewing contemplatively on another walnut. His admiration for Felix must have outweighed his disinterest in ships, for he nodded. “Fine.”
“Good.” Lucretia kissed him on the forehead, ignoring how he shied away. “I’ll let Felix know.”
“Wait a moment.” Marcus frowned at her. “A week ago, you nearly murdered Felix. Then two days ago, you went to see a shipwreck with him. Now today, you want me to apprentice with him?” He gave her a suspicious look. “And apparently he’s been trying to sabotage you this whole time?”
Lucretia hesitated. “I told you, we agreed on a truce.”
“But why would he agree to such a thing?”
Because he really, really wants me. “The terms are not your concern.” Too much sharpness entered her voice, and she instantly regretted her tone.
Marcus’s gaze shuttered. “Fine. Whatever.” He dumped the remaining walnuts onto his plate and set about devouring them.
Lucretia watched him in silence, her chest tight. Why couldn’t one conversation with him go smoothly? At least he had agreed to be mentored by Felix. She hoped Felix’s influence would do him good.
Chapter 19
Lucretia felt as if she were walking on air as she arrived at Felix’s house by the light of a brilliant sunset. Earlier that day, she’d visited the temple of Neptune, where she paid for the sacrifice of three chickens in exchange for revoking the curse. Coupled with the fact that she no longer had to worry about Felix trying to sway her investors or pay off her crews, a weight seemed to have lifted off her chest.
At the direction of his steward, she entered Felix’s dining room. The dining room was smaller than she expected, but then again, Felix was not one to host a crowded dinner party. The walls were painted not with elaborate frescoes, but in the most modern style, which featured a rich red background sparsely decorated with painted architectural details, like slender columns and elegant candelabra. Lucretia usually found such décor rather flat, but seeing it in Felix’s stylish house, she had to admit there was a certain striking quality to the minimalist painting.
Felix was seated on one of the low couches that surrounded the dining table. He rose to greet her with a stilted nod. “Lucretia.”
“Felix.” A spike of awkwardness sliced through her good humor. How was she supposed to treat him, her rival turned paramour?
Felix seemed of a similar mind, as evidenced by his stiff greeting and silence once she joined him on the dining couch. They reclined facing each other, stretching out with their feet pointing away from the table, leaning on one elbow.
“Marcus is amenable to your offer of apprenticeship,” she said to break the silence.
“Yes, you said in your note,” Felix replied. Lucretia had sent him a note yesterday to apprise him of Marcus’s agreement and arrange this time for dinner.
“On one condition,” she added.
“I should have known your son would be a shrewd negotiator.”
“He stipulates that the boxing lessons should continue. And you should know he has little interest in learning our trade, so you may not find him the most enthusiastic apprentice.”
Felix nodded. “I can work with that. And I agree to his condition.”
