Labienus nodded. ‘He’s taken over a slave trader’s house for himself and a rather pretty young wife he’s just married. A very nice little filly.’

Marcus felt his anger rise at this disrespectful reference to Portia.

‘The little filly is my niece,’ Caesar said sharply. ‘Very well, my men and I shall stay with her. Once you’ve given the orders I want a full report sent to me in Ariminum. I need to know the names of my officers and the strength of the units chosen for the job. Also, I’m expecting a man to arrive here in a few days’ time. The lanista of the school Brixus ran away from. Clodius is searching for him now. He’ll send the man here as soon as he is found.’

‘Yes, Caesar. I’ll send him to you the moment he arrives.’

‘Good, then that concludes our business.’ Caesar stood up, followed by Festus and Marcus. ‘Now let’s find a decent bathhouse in the town and get ourselves cleaned up before we descend on Portia and her husband.’

9

‘Uncle Cams!’ Portia beamed as she saw him enter the atrium. She flew across the tiled floor and hugged him tightly as Caesar laughed. Caesar was wearing a tunic borrowed from one of Ariminum’s magistrates, and a slave had cleaned his boots while he and the others had been through the town’s largest bathhouse. The steam, massage, scrape and cold plunge had left Marcus feeling clean and refreshed, and he and Festus were wearing the spare tunics from their saddlebags.

‘Easy there! You’ll crush my ribs.’

Marcus and Festus stood at the threshold looking on, and Marcus felt a pang of envy that he was denied a family. Until he had tracked down his mother and set her free, there would be none of the simple pleasures of such a homely scene.

Caesar took her shoulders and eased her back as he beamed down at her. ‘How is my favourite niece?’

‘I’m your only niece.’ She punched him lightly on the chest.

‘Well, there you are then. Still my favourite. And how are you adapting to married life? Where is that husband of yours, young Quintus?’

Marcus saw her smile waver for the briefest instant before she replied. ‘Oh, he’s down at the officers’ club. They’ve set themselves up in an inn on the harbour front. They’re very busy at the moment, as you must know. Getting the army ready for the new campaign. I suppose they are entitled to a bit of fun now and again. But we’re happy. Very happy. Although I know that I will not see him for a long time when you take the army north, into Gaul.’ Her smile faded as she took his hand. ‘Please don’t give the order too soon.’

‘My dear, empires are not won by men who stay at home with their wives.’

‘And men who win empires are not born if their fathers are never at the side of their mothers,’ she shot back.