The service began, to Brigonius’s relief, and they all had something else to occupy their attention. There was a starter of salad, eggs and oysters from the coast - and snails, big salty beasts brought in from Gaul. Karus, Xander and Severa tucked in. Lepidina ate more sparingly but with every expression of relish.

Brigonius did his best. By the time the first plates were cleared he already felt full, but more plates, more food, quickly followed. There were to be several main courses, he learned, including boar, venison, pork, hare and dormouse; chicken, geese, thrushes and peacocks; more fish and seafood - and finally, in the far future, a dessert of fruit and cakes laden with honey. Even the vegetables were unfamiliar. Lepidina, gently mocking, named such Roman imports as cabbage, broad beans, parsnips, peas and celery. All this was served on fine plates of pottery or silver, and though you ate with your fingers there was a bewildering variety of cutlery: special little forks for pulling oysters out of their shells, knives for scraping meat from bone. Brigonius was continually bewildered at what a wide variety of things were available to a well-off Roman.

He kept trying. He sampled what he recognised, but was constantly put off by the peculiar flavours of the sauces. Everything seemed to taste both sour and sweet at the same time, and the Romans doused the lot with a disgusting fish sauce.

Severa glared at him. ‘Leave it if you want, but don’t pick. You eat like a child.’

‘But it’s all so appetising,’ Brigonius said dryly. He lifted up a dormouse by its tail, poached whole and stuffed with nuts and herbs.

That made Lepidina laugh, but Severa turned away contemptuously.

‘And anyhow,’ Karus said around a mouthful of minced pork, ‘the food isn’t the point.’ He sighed. ‘Though it should be. Food should always be the point. While the Emperor is still away we should review our strategy.’

‘Quite right,’ Severa said. ‘Xander! Come here. Let’s go over it one more time ...’

Xander, reluctant to interrupt the meal himself, joined Severa, and they began to discuss empires, borders and walls.