“Please don’t,” Pompeia said. “Please let him go away from Rome. You’ll never have to see him again. I will do anything you want.”

Julius turned his cold eyes on her. “Are you offering to be a faithful little wife now? It’s too late for that. My heir must carry my blood, girl, without rumor, without gossip. That’s all you had to do for me.” He grimaced, unable to bear the sight of her any longer. “In front of these witnesses, girl. Three times I say this to you: I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you. Now get out of my house.”

She took a step away, unable to reply. Dark circles made her eyes looked bruised. She looked at Publius and they shared a glance of despair.

“I doubt that dry womb of yours will ever be filled, but if it shows life while I am gone, the child will be a bastard,” Julius told her. He wanted to hurt and was pleased as she flinched.

When Julius faced Publius again, he snorted at the look of hope on the young man’s face. “Please tell me you’re not expecting to get through this, boy? You’ve lived long enough to know what must happen, surely? No one can be that young and stupid.”

“If you are letting Pompeia go free, it’s enough,” Publius said.

His eyes were bright with righteousness and Julius was tempted to hit him again. Instead, he nodded to two of his men. “Take her out and leave her in the street. Nothing in this house is hers.”

Pompeia began to scream then, as the soldiers grabbed her and dragged her outside. The sound continued in the background as Publius and Julius looked at each other.

“Will you kill me now?” Publius asked, holding his head up.

Julius was ready to give the order, but the boy’s courage was extraordinary. Even in the absolute certainty of death, he remained calm and almost aloof from what was going on around him.

“If it hadn’t been you, the whore would have had someone else in her bed,” Julius said softly.

Publius lurched at him and the soldiers beat him to the ground with a rain of heavy blows.

“No, I’m not going to kill you,” Julius told him, leaning down. “A brave lad like you will do well in my legions. I’ll see you get a posting to the front line. You will learn my trade quickly there, one way or the other. You’re going to Greece, boy.”

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

In the darkness, Julius could see the stern lamp of a galley like a distant firefly, twitching with the motion of the sea.