“Of course, Caesar.” She rose, taking up her lyre. Her royal lover watched her inscrutably. Had he gotten my letter or not?

“Beautiful.” Marcus applauded as she finished. “I remember the first time I heard you sing, Lady Athena. Your voice has always given me great pleasure.”

“I remember as well.” She made a little bow. “I was still scrubbing out fountain tiles. You were very kind about my warbling.”

“Then I owe you a great debt, Marcus Norbanus,” the Emperor called from his couch. “Without her warbling, I would never have met Athena at all.”

Happy thought.

“So what do you say, Athena?” The Imperial voice lashed out suddenly, freezing her in the act of swirling up her red-purple train. “Fortunate, isn’t it, that you can sing like the goddess you aren’t?”

“. . . Yes, Caesar.”

“I can see you now, scrubbing tiles and singing to frogs.” His voice drawled out, jovial and hard. “No silks, no jewels, no soft feather beds . . . no lover.”

A little nerve of excitement prickled along the back of my neck.

“No.” Her voice was neutral. “I’d have none of that. I have been very fortunate.”

“Yes, you have. All the luxury in the Empire at your disposal, an Emperor to dispense it to you . . . and behind his back, another man on which to shower it.”

Quite slowly, her face turned the color of chalk.

“Really, Athena.” Softly. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

A glorious golden shout erupted in my head.

Marcus and Calpurnia exchanged confused glances. Paulinus looked frozen. Flavia threw a quick glance from Domitian to Thea and back again. “Uncle, we shouldn’t—not in front of the boys—”

“Oh, but why shouldn’t they watch? Maybe they’ll learn something. How to deal with traitors. With deceivers. With unfaithful women.”

“Caesar—” Thea took a quick step forward. “Lord and God, I swear to you—”

“So I’m a god now, am I? How quickly you change your mind. Are you going to beg, Athena?”

I sat up eagerly. To see the so-called mistress of Rome on her knees—

“Sir.” Paulinus came to absurd attention on the dining couch. “Sir, I should have told you. I know that. But she’s done nothing wrong. I’ve watched her with him. There has been no betrayal—”

“Sshh, Paulinus.” The Emperor’s eyes never flickered from his concubine’s.

“But sir, I swear it’s the truth! Would I lie to you?”

“No, you wouldn’t. But she would. You don’t realize what liars women are. Athena—” The Imperial voice snapped out across the room again. “How easy was it to pull the wool over the eyes of an honest man like Paulinus?”

“I never—”

“Shut up!” he roared, and she recoiled.

“Sir!” Paulinus’s eyes were frantic.

“I’ll beg.” In the middle of the room, Thea slipped to her knees. “Is that what you want? I’ll beg. I’ll do anything. If you’ll just spare him.”

“Too proud.” He uncoiled from the couch, coming to her. “Still too proud.”