Plautius continued looking down, one finger gently stroking the rim of his cup.

Vespasian coughed. ‘Sir.’ “

The general’s eyes flickered up, tired and despairing. ‘What am I to do, Vespasian? What would you do?’

Vespasian did not reply. He couldn’t. What can a man say in the face of another’s awful predicament? If the Druids had been holding Flavia and Titus, he little doubted that his first, and most powerful, instinct would be to take a horse and find them. To set them free or die in the attempt. And if he were too late to save them, then he would wreak the most terrible revenge he could upon the Druids and their folk, until he too was killed. For what was life without Flavia and Titus — and the child that Flavia was carrying? Vespasian’s throat tightened uncomfortably. To distract himself from this train of thought he rose abruptly and went to the tent flap to shout an order for more wine. By the time he returned to his seat, he had composed himself, though inwardly he raged at what he saw as his weakness. Sentimentality was not permitted in an ordinary ranker; in a legion commander it was tantamount to a crime. And in a general? Vespasian gave Plautius a guarded look and shuddered. If someone as high and mighty as the army’s commander had so much trouble keeping his private grief from view, what hope was there for a lesser man?

With a visible effort Aulus Plautius stirred from his introspection and met the legate’s gaze. The general frowned for an instant, as if unaware of precisely how long he had been drowning in his own despair. Then he nodded emphatically.

‘I must do something. I need to make arrangements to have my family rescued before time runs out. There’s only twenty-three days left before the Druids’ deadline.’

‘Yes, sir,’ replied Vespasian, framing his next question carefully to avoid any hint of censure. ‘Are you going to exchange the Druid prisoners for your wife and children?’

‘No… not yet at least. Not until I’ve tried to rescue my family. I won’t let a bunch of superstitious murderers dictate terms to Rome!’

‘I see.’ Vespasian was not quite convinced. Why else would the general bring the Druids with him from Camulodunum? ‘In that case, what plan do you have in mind to recover your family, sir?’

‘I haven’t decided yet,’ Plautius admitted. ‘But the main thing is to act quickly. I want the Second Legion ready to move as soon as possible.’

‘Ready to move? Move where, sir?’