Nature called, and Hadrian was shown by a slave girl the way to the lavatory. Noticing that Laberius had risen and was following, but pretending not to have seen the other man, Hadrian slapped the girl on the rump. She gave a little squeal, but had the subdued expression of so many slaves and even this show bored him.

There were three wooden seats, the sound of water trickling constantly from below and a strong scent from incense burning around the hanging lamp to cover almost all the smell. Laberius came in, lifting his tunic to sit alongside and soon started to talk. Hadrian wondered how often matters of state were discussed by two men defecating, but paid close attention.

*

The next morning Laberius went to call upon the emperor and was given a private audience, rather than being received with others obeying the same courtesy.

‘You spoke to him?’ Trajan’s voice was gruff, but then it often was. There was no sign of the after-effects of last night’s wine, even though any man must have felt them.

‘I did.’

‘And explained.’

‘As much as he need know.’

‘Good.’ Trajan had a habit of rubbing his chin. His hair was dark and thick, and Laberius knew that he often was shaved more than once a day. ‘Let’s hope the little shit can do his job.’

‘You really do not like him, do you, my lord?’

Trajan shrugged. ‘Don’t have to like him, he’s family.’

‘But he is capable,’ Laberius said, ‘and very bright indeed.’

‘Exactly. How can you trust a man as clever as that?’

‘Spoken like a Roman, my lord, if you will forgive me for saying so!’

The emperor’s laugh was rich and deep. He liked that. ‘Well, thank you, but I had better get back to work being polite.’ He clapped Laberius on the shoulder. ‘You can go back to sleep again, if you like!’

‘Good advice, my lord, but I have to be at the Senate in an hour.’

‘Best place to sleep, if you ask me!’

Laberius was almost at the door, the chamberlain opening it for him, when the emperor called to him.

‘Well done,’ he boomed, before lowering his voice. ‘Old friend, I am so glad that I can trust you.’

The former consul left, wondering how he should take that.

VI

Piroboridava

The first day of the festival of the Quinquatria

LATINIUS MACER LEFT three days after his dinner with Ferox, for the storm the prefect had feared blew up suddenly from the west and kept him waiting longer than he had hoped. To his considerable satisfaction, no one killed Flavius Ferox. At the same time the snow turned to sleet and then to rain, all driven in by ferocious winds, and cleared altogether by the next dawn, leaving the ground with less snow than there had been for months. Ferox suspected that the men would be riding or marching through mud by the time they were lower down the valley. A lot of off-duty men gathered to see Macer and his escort set out, whether from fondness for the old man, envy for those leaving with him or a mixture of both.