‘Why, of keeping from the Emperor what is rightfully his,’ Primigenius said, as if it were obvious. ‘If you believed this document had truly prophetic powers you should have given it up at once. The Emperor’s advisers might have made use of it to advance the cause of the empire, and of the Emperor himself. Instead you kept its secret to yourself, didn’t you? And you hoped to use it to amass wealth for yourself - wealth that should be the Emperor’s.’

Severa turned away from Primigenius, as if in disgust, and addressed Sabinus. ‘Son-in-law, you are a senator now. Can you not think for yourself? Can’t you see what is happening here? All this business of secrets and lies, of jealousy and theft - it is the paranoia of the Emperor writ large, as if we were all living inside his head!’

Lepidina had her eyes downcast. She had never reminded Brigonius more of the subdued girl of the days of her visit to the north. ‘Mother, I don’t imagine that insulting the Emperor is going to help your case.’

‘What case?’ Severa shouted. ‘I ask you again, Sabinus - am I on trial here?’

‘Enough,’ Primigenius said sharply. ‘I take it you don’t deny the charge I have made against you.’ Without giving her a chance to answer he turned to Sabinus. ‘Senator, I suggest we cut this short and proceed to the matter of her repentance.’

Severa snapped, ‘And what is this repentance? More euphemisms?’

Sabinus said heavily, ‘Madam, it is this or a full trial. This or the penalty of the state. This or the Emperor’s wrath.’

She glared at him, but fell silent. Sabinus nodded to Primigenius.

The freedman produced a wax tablet. ‘I have had your finances investigated, Claudia Severa. Thanks to this Prophecy of yours you have made yourself wealthy. I am not vindictive; none of us is. I propose that it will be a sufficient act of redemption for you to pledge all you have earned to the Emperor.’

‘All I have earned?’

Primigenius read out a quick summary of his estimation, and then gave a total: ‘In excess of one million sesterces.’

There was a startled silence. It was a total, Brigonius knew, equivalent to the property requirement of a senator in Rome.

‘Your estimate is excessive,’ Severa said.

‘Well, you would say that, wouldn’t you?’ Primigenius tapped his wax tablet with a manicured forefinger. ‘But it’s all here.’

‘Whatever is true,’ Sabinus said, ‘if you can pay this sum to the imperial treasury, mother-in-law, then no more will be said.’

‘I cannot,’ she said. ‘Even if I had earned all that I could not, for much of it is spent.’

‘On luxuries?’ Primigenius scoffed.

‘On my children,’ Severa said.

At that word Lepidina looked up, shocked. Brigonius had thought she was an only child; evidently Lepidina had thought so too. What was this mention of children? ...