He sat behind his desk, leaning forward as interest and concern mingled on his lined face. “Oh?”
“I require a large sum of ready coin. I would ask you for a loan of eight talents of silver. It will be repaid within the week.”
Lentulus’s gray eyebrows shot up. “Eight talents? What could you possibly need that for?”
She briefly relayed the details of Felix’s capture by pirates and Marcus’s near escape.
Lentulus frowned. “Lucius Avitus Felix is your enemy, is he not? If I recall, but a few months ago he was doing everything in his power to ruin you. Including trying to convince me to sell him my stake in your operations.”
“Yes,” she admitted. “But things recently changed. We agreed on a truce, a condition of which was that he would apprentice Marcus.”
“A truce?” Lentulus repeated. “Why would he have agreed to such a thing?”
Lucretia strove to keep her face neutral. “Forgive me, but the terms of our agreement are confidential.”
“I see.” Lentulus leaned back in his chair and surveyed her. “So you want my money to free Felix from the pirates. And he will repay it immediately upon being released.”
Lucretia nodded. “With whatever interest you deem fair.”
“It is a significant sum,” Lentulus said. “And a risky proposition. Pirates are unpredictable and underhanded. They could take the money and refuse to release him.”
“I know,” Lucretia admitted. “But I fear this is our only hope.”
Lentulus took another moment to consider, while Lucretia waited, hiding the anxious twisting of her fingers beneath the fold of her palla in her lap.
“I would require significant collateral to make such a loan,” he finally said. “You know there is little I wouldn’t do to help you, Lucretia, but when it comes to a loan of this magnitude, I must be prudent.”
“Of course,” Lucretia replied. She had been prepared for this. Lentulus would have been a fool not to require collateral. But this was the most painful part of her plan. At first, she had thought to offer her house as collateral. But the house did not technically belong to her; after Cornelius’s death, it passed to Marcus, held in trust by Lucretia until he came of age. Besides, even if she could, she would have hesitated to risk losing the very roof over their heads.
There was only one other thing of value which she owned.
“I will offer my ships as collateral,” she said. The words hung in the air, ominous as a thundercloud. If anything went wrong with the exchange of ransom, she would lose everything. But somehow, she was willing to make the gamble if it could see Felix freed.
Lentulus’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’m sure.”
Lentulus sighed. “I want you to know, as your friend, I advise against all of this. I would sooner have you leave Felix to his fate and go on with your life. Don’t take such a risk.”
“I appreciate your counsel, but my decision is made.” Felix had sacrificed himself to save Marcus, and for that, she owed him anything she could do to save him.
It was only in return for Marcus’s safety, she told herself. Not because she wanted to see him again. Not because she longed for his touch, for the devotion in his gaze when he looked at her. He had betrayed her, hadn’t even apologized for it, and she would not forgive so easily.
“Very well.” Lentulus reached for a blank piece of papyrus. “Let us draw up the terms.”
The next day, Lucretia met Siro at Felix’s home as the eight talents of silver were delivered, escorted by a guard of six men. The crates of coin joined the further seven talents withdrawn from Felix’s own coffers.
It had taken longer than she hoped for Lentulus to gather and send over the money, and the day was already half gone. The sunset deadline loomed large in her mind. They would have to move fast to make it.
Lucretia stared at the mountain of wealth before her. It was a true fortune. One talent was roughly half a man’s weight, so the fifteen talents came out to about seven or eight men in silver.
Siro stood beside her as they watched the crates of coin be loaded into the house. “I’m not sure what you did to achieve this, lady, but you have my eternal gratitude. And Felix’s as well, I’m sure.”
She refrained from telling Siro what she had staked to attain this much coin. Nerves spiraled in her belly as she surveyed the massive fortune. If anything went wrong today, she would lose everything.
She tried to distract herself by focusing on the logistics of the day. “Is everything prepared?” she asked.
Siro nodded. “I have hired two boats that will transport the silver, along with the guard, down the coast to where the pirate vessel waits. The man who delivered Felix’s message gave me clear directions.”
