‘Jane, you’re wanted for murder. I’m probably wanted for treason. Temporal Tourism hardly registers on our criminal scale, does it? So that’s settled then. Tomorrow we’ll go and have a look at the Hut of Romulus.’ He turned his scratchpad around, trying to orient himself. ‘Which way now?’

‘This way,’ said Jane and they turned left.

‘To return to the sanctuary thing, Jane, I don’t mean actual hanging on to the altar style of sanctuary, but we could ask them to take us in. We could say we’re friends of Matthew.’

‘Luke . . .’

He finished the sentence she had barely started. ‘Yes, I know – it would probably start some sort of international incident.’

She considered this, head on one side. ‘Actually, that might be the best way to approach them. It’s not as if they’re any strangers to international incidents. Don’t trip over that rope.’

He dodged around a coil of rope. ‘What do you think? Shall we give it a go? It’s not as if we have anything to lose.’

‘All right. If we get the opportunity. They might not be here.’

‘And miss one of the most important events in history? St Mary’s? Come on.’

‘OK. I think possibly, in the first instance, I should make the initial approach. After all, I’m not the one who shot Matthew.’

‘I don’t think we should bring that up. Not initially, anyway. Wow – look at this.’

Rome was all around them. They stood for a moment, absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of Rome going about its daily business, completely unaware of the violent, history-­changing events about to occur. The Field of Mars lay ahead of them, already dazzling in the morning sunshine.

‘We’re looking for the Theatre of Pompey,’ said Jane, blinking against the brightness. ‘It’s a big building. The first stone theatre in Rome. Look for a curved wall.’

‘Good God,’ said Luke, surveying the tangle of buildings ahead of them. Buildings everywhere were surrounded in wooden scaffolding. Whether they were going up or coming down was unclear. Sweating men with bundles of long wooden poles shouldered their way roughly through the throng and everywhere was the sound of chisels on stone.

‘Don’t they have town planning here?’ he continued, staring around. ‘I thought Roman cities were all built on a neat grid pattern. Important buildings at the centre and so on.’

‘I don’t think that applied to Rome,’ said Jane. ‘It’s already very old. I think they just built wherever the fancy took them, knocking down anything in their way, no matter how much people objected.’

‘A bit like town planning today,’ said Luke. ‘Do you think there will be a big crowd to watch Caesar arrive at the Senate?’