‘You’ve only recently joined the household, according to my wife.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Who did you belong to before then?’

‘Tribune Plinius, master.’

‘Plinius!’ Vespasian’s eyebrows shot up. That changed things. What was a former slave of Plinius doing in his household? An agent? A spy trying to gain access to his safe-box? Yet, looking at her, it was hard to imagine that she could manage the guile required for the job. Another facade? It was impossible to tell at this stage.

‘Why did Plinius sell you?’

‘He grew tired of me.’

‘You’ll forgive me if I find that hard to believe.’

‘It’s true, master,’ Lavinia protested.

‘There must be more to it than that. Speak up, girl, and mind it’s the truth.’

‘There is more, master,’ Lavinia admitted and bowed her head, as Flavia had told her to do, before she continued. ‘The tribune wanted to use me… in certain ways.’

I bet he did, thought Vespasian.

‘But he wanted more than that, he wanted me to have feelings for him. I couldn’t bring myself to and he grew angry with me. And when he discovered I loved someone else he flew into a rage and hit me.’

Vespasian tutted in sympathy. ‘And who might this other person be, the one you loved?’

‘Please, master,’ Lavinia looked up, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. ‘I don’t want to say.’

‘You have to tell me, Lavinia.’ Vespasian leaned forward to pat her arm comfortingly. ‘I must know who this other man is. It’s vital that I know. I can command you to tell me.’

‘Vitellius!’ she blurted out, and broke down in tears, clutching her hands to her face.

Vitellius. So she loved Vitellius. Enough to do his bidding? A further thought struck Vespasian.

‘Have you been seeing Vitellius since you joined our household?’

‘Master?’

‘You heard me. Are you still seeing him?’

She nodded.

‘Did you see him last night? In my tent?’

Lavinia looked up at him with a shocked expression and shook her head.

‘But you were planning to. Weren’t you?’

‘He never turned up, master. I waited, but he never came to me, as he had promised. I waited in the dark and he never came. So I went to bed. I never noticed the ribbon was missing until this morning.’

‘I see. Did Vitellius ever ask you to tell him anything about me? Did he ask you anything about my household?’

‘We talked,’ Lavinia replied carefully. ‘But I can’t remember much of what we said about my lady Flavia and you, master.’

‘And he never asked you to steal, or borrow, anything from my tent?’

‘No, master. Never.’

Vespasian stared into her eyes for a long time, trying to determine if she spoke the truth. Lavinia just stared frankly back at him, until she could no longer meet his gaze and stared down at her feet instead. Certainly her story had the ring of truth. But if she still loved Vitellius it was conceivable that she might be persuaded to steal for him, or arrange access to the general’s tent so that the senior tribune could steal the secret scroll after she had given up on him and gone to bed.