Her sleep had been fitful that night; she gave up on it well before dawn. Rising from her bed, Lucilla had wrapped herself in a richly embroidered silk robe and settled by the window, pushing back the shutters and letting in the cold night air. She took a deep breath and felt the breeze cool her feverish skin. It was quiet in the villa at that time before dawn when even the lowliest slaves have not yet been forced from their pallets to begin their endless labour to ensure the smooth running of this house.

She had spoken to Maximus the night before; her instinct had been right. If she wished to know the truth then he would always be the one person who would never hide from her. His nature was open and not given to guile for even when he tried, his expressive face and eyes always revealed what he was unwilling to say.

Maximus strode into dinner that night evidently preoccupied. Lucilla had watched him go through the ritual of polite greetings with the other assembled guests who were milling about before settling on the couches. He smiled and made small talk, moving from group to group but she was not fooled. He had that hunted look about him where he set his jaw and did his duty but his eyes always showed a different story. Something had hurt him profoundly; he was licking his wounds again.

It was not hard to imagine what might be the cause of this. From across the room during the serving of the meal, Lucilla made a point of observing young Antoninus who also seemed to have things on his mind. He occasionally glanced over at Maximus; there was a dark brooding look about the young man that gave his handsome features a more saturnine and sensual cast. She could scent the challenge between the two in the air even though Maximus had not even appeared to have noticed the other's presence. It was that in itself that told Lucilla more than if he had made it obvious.

She waited for her opportunity, sensing that tonight would be the best time to attempt an intimate talk with him. After the dinner when the more formal talk was done and the wine consumed had already loosened the men, she took her chance. Women were rarely present at such dinners but she had been  included on account of her involvement and political influence. However, as the evening progressed and the men began to drift into drinking challenges and gambling, the talk became cruder and some began eyeing up slave girls, so she rose to judiciously excuse herself. Maximus stood and escorted her to the door.

"A quick word, Maximus?' she asked softly.

He winced imperceptibly. "As you wish..."

"The tablinum?" Lucilla swept from the room; he followed behind. Inside the dark study, a slave hurried about silently lighting lamps. They both stood quietly until he had withdrawn.

"Is something wrong, Maximus? You look very tense this evening..."

He glowered over. "You are mistaken, Lucilla. There is nothing to worry about...Was that all?" He made as if to leave. She rested a hand on his arm.

"Stop, Maximus! Do not run away. Surely we can talk as friends after all this time?"

He continued to survey her calmly, his eyes betraying his thought process. It was obvious he was uneasy, hiding something and fully aware she would be the very one to see right through him. There was an edge of something more beneath their conversation. This was a man and woman who had deep and intimate knowledge of each other and it would always lie between them when they were together, memory blinding unwanted images, forcing them both to address the issues that lay between them. "As you wish. You know you always have my loyal support, my lady..." he replied with the veneer of social politeness, lowering his head in deference to her rank as he spoke.

Lucilla smiled wryly. "Thank you, Maximus, for that completely meaningless platitude. I think you can do better than that, surely? I see, as usual, it is left to me to open up the real issues. I do not intend to dance around on this one either - none of us has the time for such indecisiveness. I want to know how far things have gone with Aurelia. I am her aunt and her guardian at the present time and have the right to ask that question of you..."

"I beg your pardon?" Maximus replied. "Aurelia and I?"

"You heard me. Stop feinting, Maximus. I can see right through you both. Something has occurred between you that probably should not have done. You were thrown together in circumstances that must have seemed extreme and hopeless at times. She's a beautiful girl. It would not be unusual to imagine a man losing his head temporarily over such a young woman..."

"Lucilla, I am not going to stand here and be subjected to your dissection of my private life...it is none of your business...!" He rasped back brusquely.

"I take that as an admission of guilt then. And it is my business. For a number of reasons. Aurelia is vulnerable. I must protect her interests..."

"...and that is your only motive? How altruistic of you, Lucilla..." he replied with more than a touch of sarcasm. It only made Lucilla more sure that she was entirely right about her suspicions. Maximus always became surly if he was uncomfortable or cornered. He could be quite brutal when he wished.

"Come, come, Maximus, I am not trying to pretend I don't have feelings for you! I always have - and I have never hidden that from you. But I am also a pragmatist. Antoninus has shown interest in a marriage with her. As it stands it would be a very good move for them both. However I do not wish to encourage him if you, too, have intentions in that direction..."

Maximus pulled his lips into that petulant expression she knew so well. He would hate such a direct question. "Surely it would depend on Aurelia's feelings? Or do you intend to simply force her into yet another arranged marriage without even asking her opinion...?"

Lucilla gave him a mocking look. "I think she has already given her consent, Maximus. Aurelia is very taken with him. But she is very secretive about her feelings. I believe she is concealing something..."

He said nothing by way of reply, merely turned away, pacing towards the window and looking out. 

"Maximus...? Maxime...?" Her voice softened as she called the more affectionate version of his name. His back stiffened imperceptibly as her tone reached him. It had its usual effect. This woman would always affect him deeply; she could still intoxicate him, hypnotise him with just one word or glance in his direction. Lucilla stepped over to join him and placed a hand on his back, rubbing gently in a sensual circular motion. "Did you lie with her? Is she no longer intact? Please, Maximus...we have to know...Are you hoping to marry her? Or was it merely in the moment...? These things can be handled if I know..."

He swallowed hard and let out a low sigh before turning and facing her, looking deeply into her eyes. "We were lovers. I regret it now. She is young and he would make a fine husband for her...I think she is attracted to him but is caught now in a dilemma. I should not have touched her...!"

Lucilla drew a sharp breath of her own. He had simply told her what she wanted to know. How like Maximus to be unable to keep the real secret before her! She suspected that he was at the edge of some deep personal abyss of his own. His pain was written clearly on his face - and in every gesture in his body. "Do you love her? Really love her?"

He did not answer. It was an answer in itself.

"I believe she loves you, Maximus." 

"...She does not know herself. She is a child. It is infatuation. First love always is..."

"...I was the same age as Aurelia when I fell in love with a man. I have loved him alone all my life..." she whispered ,her eyes closing over the single tear that trickled down her cheek.

"Lucilla...!" Maximus muttered, reaching out and taking her face in his hand. "I have treated you so cruelly..."

She shook her head, still emotionally affected. "Never...you owe me nothing...!"

"It was never that I did not care for you. I have always cared for you...!"

Lucilla smiled softly at that honest declaration and rested her cheek in his warm palm. "I know. Who could have expected that Aurelia would come along and win your heart? I am glad for you. For both of you. Truly I am. I want you to be happy above all things, Maximus. You deserve to be happy. If this girl is what you need then I will do everything in my power to make sure that you and she are able to be together..."

"Happy?" he laughed bitterly. "I am not sure happiness and I are meant for each other!" He looked away as if to escape. Too much had been said already. " I have to return to the others, Lucilla. Thank you for your concern. I do not know what lies in our future. Until this emergency is over, I will make no plans. What is the chance I will survive?" He paused as if making a decision and then continued, his voice dropping to a husky burr. Promise me this. If I die, make sure she is safe. Antoninus will care for her. Do this for me...please...?"

Lucilla nodded, unwilling to trust herself to words. Her hopes were finally crushed. But more than that, she sensed that he had accepted that this was his last stand - and his mood scared her. He was surprisingly passive about Aurelia, ready apparently to see his young rival take her from him. It was not a lack of love that motivated him. She felt sure, but his own sense of honour and fairness. Damn his goodness! Rome needed him. They all did. He was not to sacrifice himself just to atone for some misguided sense of guilt.

"I promise...but you must come back to us all, Maximus! There must be no talk of dying! Without you we are all lost!"

He smiled softly. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is high time people realised that I am just a man. Not a god. I leave immortality to others..." he bowed and took his leave of her. She watched him go, her heart finally breaking. He would never be hers. Whatever happened in their futures, whoever Aurelia married - Maximus would never come back to her. But he would always be her friend and protector - as she would be for him. That she would have to accept as her only consolation.

The scene had been replaying in her mind all night long. She had to undo the damage she had already done in fostering Antoninus' case with Aurelia. Thinking back on Aurelia's oblique comments when they had spoken, Lucilla realised now that the girl had been trying to protect Maximus. She was in love with him too. Antoninus had been never in truth been any more than a passing distraction, someone to wile away the tense and lonely time of waiting. He would never be able to turn the head of a woman who had known pleasure and love with Maximus. Whether or not Maximus understood it, Aurelia was no child. She was a formidable young lady with her head firmly set in place. Not infatuation, Maximus. The girl loves you deeply, as do I. She is what you need.

Her eyes strayed to the dark balcony which led into Maximus' quarters. She found herself wondering if he too had spent a sleepless night as she had or with that wonderful ability men of men, had he lost himself in the deep oblivion of slumber.

A lamp was suddenly lit in the very room she was watching and the shutters were opened. Aurelia stepped out, wrapped in a shawl over her flimsy shift. So she had spent the night with him after all; perhaps her own talk with Maximus had prompted him to take some affirmative action. Whatever had been troubling him last night may have been already put right in one passionate night with his young mistress.

Lucilla steeled herself for Maximus joining the girl, already wishing she could tear her eyes away from the scene that would soon unfold as he touched her. But no one followed her out. There was only Aurelia, pale and pensive as she took a seat and rocked backwards and forwards in a manner that suggested weeping..

Moments later, she heard the noise from down below, slaves rushing about and voices raised. Something was happening and a sudden fear gripped her heart. Was it beginning? Who was raising an alarm at this hour of the night? Rising from her seat she called her maid and dressed hurriedly before slipping down to find out what had occurred overnight.

But she arrived too late. All she saw was the three men as they thundered out of the courtyard and rode away. Gracchus then summoned her into his tablinum. It was time to fill the Domina in on the current developments.

The men rode hard and spent the morning largely in silence even when they stopped to rest or water the horses. Too much was on their minds for idle conversation. They had to cover a great deal of ground quickly, change horses regularly and hope that their progress was not observed. It would be a gruelling ride.

At midday, when the sun was high above them, Maximus called them to a halt.  They would take a break for lunch and a few hours' sleep while the weather was hottest, before returning to their ride in the late afternoon to continue all night if necessary.

Maximus and Juba ate together, talking quietly, discussing the route and their plans; Antoninus was ignored so took himself off, to sit on the other side of the small ridge they had chosen with its vantage over the plain below - and eat alone.

Antoninus sat on the ground and took his food, staring out thoughtfully, seeing nothing. Even though he was young and fit, he was already feeling the effects of the early start and the long hours in the saddle. His admiration for the other men rose. They did not look in any way tired even though he knew they had to be feeling it too. But these men were accustomed to hardship and refused to give into it. He had a lot to learn about being a warrior. It was not all about showing martial prowess on the battle field. The real work was done in the endless hours of endurance throughout the rest of the campaign.

Juba nudged Maximus and indicated the boy sitting alone. Maximus nodded and picked up the wine skin, carrying it over to where Antoninus was.

"Wine?" he extended his hand and Antoninus glanced up, surprised, then raising his cup.

"Thank you, sir." Maximus filled it and then his own before corking it up and slinging it to the ground, taking a place on the ground beside the younger man.

"I think we need to talk, Antoninus. I have been harsh on you. It is not my usual way with young men in my command. Unless I have to be, I prefer to get to know my men as comrades. Equals, even. For in the line of battle there is no rank. We are all the same. Just men, fighting for our lives, relying on each other for our own safety."

Antoninus thought about that for a while. "What do you want to know about me, sir?"

"Don't call me sir. It makes me feel old. Even if I am..." he smiled. "Tell me about your hopes and dreams. What do you wish for in life, Antoninus?" Maximus asked him directly.

Antoninus looked down a little shyly, blinked his eyes a few times before replying. "My hopes? I hope for peace in the Empire. For a good emperor to continue the great work of Aurelius. A man of sanity. Who will fight only when there is no other course of action - but who will never do so purely for personal glory or gain..."

Maximus held up his hand and stopped him. "I meant your hopes...not for the empire but for yourself..."

The young man looked uncomfortable at that. "If I asked you that question, would you wish to answer it?"

Maximus grinned. "No, I would not. But I will. I want to go home. To my lands and begin again to rebuild a life for myself and the woman I love. I want to have children and see them grow. I wish never to shed blood again in my life. I want to be a farmer and live a quiet and uneventful life until I die of old age in my own bed...to smell the jasmine on the air and hear my children's laughter through an open window. To lie down beside my wife every night that the gods' grant me and wake to find that she is the first thing I see..."

Antoninus raised an eyebrow. "And how much chance do you have of realising that dream?"

Maximus shrugged. "Almost none. But a man must still have a dream. Without a dream he might as well be dead anyway. This I have learned in my life. For I have been in that place where death seemed a welcome relief. It is not a good state of mind. It is a bad place to be."

"Why are you telling me this?" Antoninus was shrewd enough to see that this man had a reason for his approach.

"Good man. Always watch the other fellow, even if he is your friend. I tell you because I wish you to know. My instinct tells me you are a fine young man who is destined for great things. I wish to surround myself with such men. Show me that I am right, in my assumptions about you..."

"I am searching for what I want in life. I do not really know what my hope is. Nor do I have a real dream. But I know what I do not want. I do not want to climb over others in the pursuit of vain prizes. I do not wish to marry some silly headed virgin selected by my mother merely to seed a future generation of identical Roman patricians. I do not want all my victories to be on a battle field or a court of law. I suppose I want to be remembered as a good man. Like my father Gracchus. Like you, Maximus. A life that counts for something..."

Maximus leaned over and patted the younger man's shoulder. "You already are a good man. I owe you an apology. I was gravely in error when I allowed myself to insult your offer of friendship...I can only say in my defence..."

"...She would be enough to make any man crazy. I understand, Maximus. If she were mine, I would not let any man near her..."Antoninus smiled shyly. "But she is not mine. She made it quite clear the other night. She told me to leave her alone. Now I know why. From now on I will be like a brother to her. I swear it...!"

That amused Maximus. "A brother? I doubt it. Love is not a candle that you can blow out at will. Nor is desire. The day may come when she needs more from you than a brother's love. I entrust her safety to you if anything should befall me. There are few men in this world I would deem worthy of that precious task."

He did not need to explain what this request said of his real trust in the young man. Antoninus gasped and rose to fall on one knee before him. "My lord...I am not worthy...!"

"Oh, but you are....and you shall be more so as you mature...We put our trust in each other as men - and friends. One has to have someone who one believes in. No man can survive entirely alone. I have Juba - and I hope you will come to feel about him as I do. He is a singular man, worth ten of any Roman. But, I have need of others too. Come...let us ride on and this time we will be a team. With three men such as we, I would shudder for the men who tried to take us down! Do you agree?"

"I do! I surely do...sir...Maximus!" Maximus put out a hand and raised the young man to his feet. He clapped him on the back. "We shall be brothers. I have always wished for a younger brother...and now, I have one..."

Aurelia had not taken the news of Maximus' departure well. So soon after their reconciliation, she was reluctant to see him leave her again and, despite his assurances to the contrary, she understood that any such trip was potentially dangerous. He was a marked man and there were many who would wish to apprehend him. There was also the natural fear of separation. For months he had been her constant protector. She had looked to him for everything. From him she took courage and strength. Alone she was unsure if she could be as brave as the times required her to be.

Fear gripped her and his absence left her bereft; the solid ground on which she had stood when by his side was to be taken abruptly from her. It was not surprising that their parting had been a tearful one, that she had clung to him longer than she should have done - and wept for a long time after he had torn himself away.

The intrusion of Antoninus that had preceded the news he was bringing had initially stunned her. She still felt the prickle of shame when she recalled his horrified expression at that first moment when he had seen the lovers together naked in their bed. There had been more than shock on his face though. Aurelia had seen the contempt in his eyes that almost immediate followed the surprise. Young men of her class were unforgiving, especially when thwarted in their own desires. To Antoninus now, she was little more than spoiled goods, a girl of few morals, worthless in his eyes. All thoughts of marriage would have disappeared in an instant. If she had any remaining attraction for him, it would be merely as a plaything. Everything had changed whatever he had earlier maintained about his lack of interest in the rigid morality of his elders. Girls of her class must be virtuous or they were vilified.

She understood that well. It had been drummed into her since childhood as it was to all Roman maidens - and most particularly to her with the example of her poor mother constantly held up before her as a warning. There were countless stories in history and legend told as cautionary tales either of women who failed to live up to the high standards set or on the contrary had been prepared to lay down their lives before bringing dishonour on their families. But only in that one look, did she fully come to comprehend how it worked in practice. It was a cruel and unbending hypocrisy that taught her the absolute reality of a woman's position. She was nothing but the tool of men. How different Maximus was from all the rest! How little she had really appreciated that before!

By the time she felt composed enough to leave his chambers and make her way back to her own, the villa was awake and the day's normal activity underway. She wrapped herself in the cloak that she had used the night before and made her way boldly back through the corridors. It mattered little to her if she was seen in the men's quarters. In the light of where they were and what might happen to them both in the coming days, her reputation seemed of scant importance anymore. She doubted anyway whether the gossip would cause much stir. There were greater scandals than this in the social world they came from. A love affair between a widowed general and a single noblewoman under his protection was hardly enough to catch the interest of the jaded patrician classes and their slaves.

Yanitra was waiting for her and rushed to greet her; the girl seemed distraught herself. "They have gone...?" she gasped.

Aurelia nodded. "Before dawn. Just the three of them. We must wait and pray for their safety."

"Is it dangerous?" Yanitra asked.

"I don't know. It could be. We must try not to think the worst..." Aurelia replied with a feigned confidence that was as much for her own benefit as her servant's. She decided to deflect Yanitra's attention. "You have grown very fond of Juba, have you not?"

Yanitra shrugged dismissively. "He's a man. Better than most. But still a man. I keep him happy and he rewards me well. It's better than whoring."

Aurelia smiled at her offhand manner. She didn't believe that Juba meant nothing more to her than a business deal. "I think he means more to you than that...I have seen how you look at him - and how he is with you..."

Yanitra tossed back her long dark hair. "What do you know? You've only know one man in your life. I have known hundreds. Little girl, let me tell you something. Never trust them too much. In the end they all let you down - even the good ones!"

The younger woman raised an eyebrow, making it obvious she did not really believe what was being said to her. "Maximus will never let me down. I doubt Juba will you either...You're just trying to appear tough. It doesn't fool me..."

That made Yanitra scowl darkly. "If Juba's wife shows up he'd dump me pretty damn quick...and I dare say the same for your precious Maximus if his wife was miraculously restored to life. That's the thing about men. Absent women are always dearer to them. Dead, even better. We're just filling in for women they'd rather be with. Second choices..."

Aurelia sighed, giving the girl's words some thought. "It's a fact that they had wives before. You can't change that. You have to give them time to grieve. Sometimes they are bound to remember and be sad. But you're wrong if you think they can't love again properly. I don't think Juba will ever find his wife again in this life. Or his children. He knows that. But if he did? It is something we have to accept. All we can ever be sure about is the here and now, Yani. We have today and our memories of yesterday. The future is uncertain for us all. Let me ask you this. If you died...would you want him to be alone, or find another woman?"

Yanitra frowned. The words had made an impression. "I don't know. Find someone else, I suppose...he's just a man anyway..."

"Stop saying that. You don't believe it anyway. He's special to you. Why can't you admit it, even to yourself...?"

"Because I..." then her manner changed and for once she allowed herself to reveal a glimmer of her true emotion. "...because...because I'm scared. I'm really scared. I never cared for anyone before. Not really. And I care for him. What will I do if I lose him? How can I ever go back to what I was after knowing a good man?"

How indeed? Aurelia could not answer and instead put her arm around the woman's shoulder in solidarity. It did not matter who you were in life. Love was always love. It was the sweet pain that meant life could never be the same again.

Cinna held back his men to ensure that when they made their move there would be no possible chance of failure. He estimated that Gracchus kept a guard of about thirty men on the property but it was evident from their surveillance that most were stood down with just a small body in a private bodyguard on the consul most of the time. It would be simple to swoop in; they would be powerless to resist such a superior force, especially if taken by surprise.

By mid morning the estate was busy. It was harvest time and the fields and barns were thronging with slaves hard at work. The weather was good and it was not long before it brought the ladies out. He caught sight of Aurelia and Lucilla with their maids walking about the garden. The younger girl was busy with the flowers but her aunt had found a shady spot in which to read. It was the perfect time to move.

The men donned their helmets and cloaks and mounted up. Cinna surveyed the ranks, fully cognisant of the impression that they gave of sinister malevolence. The black armour and insignia seemed to do the opposite of the regular military uniform. That inspired respect and obedience; the Praetorians screamed out fear.

He rode through the lines, a comment here, a censure there and a word of encouragement where it was appropriate. Then he outlined their task and the limits of their authority. There was to be no wholesale destruction or rape. This was the Consul's estate and he was still the token head of the government along with his consular colleague at least until the Senate tried him for his treason. But they were to respect the honour of his office and ensure that everything was done to show Quintus Metella in the best light as the innocent victim of a vicious plot led by his own wife and friends. He was to be perceived as the good man who had been betrayed by power hungry rebels who wished to damage the peace and harmony that the Senate had restored.

"We want the women and Gracchus only, plus any senators who are with them at the villa. Nothing else. Fight only if attacked. The key to this is swooping so fast that the guard will know they are beaten even before they raise a hand against us. We outnumber them five to one. They have to see there is no purpose in making of this a bloodbath. And they have no leader. He is well away by now..."

Placing his helmet firmly on his head he raised his arm and the men did likewise. "Strength and honour!" They echoed his shout before the whole party set off at a fast pace in the direction of the villa. And like a thundercloud they descended on the rural idyll nestled in its valley at the height of its sleepy midday languor.

It was a warm day, unseasonable for the time of year, autumn already and with winter peeking on the horizon. The sunny morning had tempted the women out; the fields were full of slaves who were bringing in the harvest, the grounds crowded with house slaves busying themselves in the gardens or washing and drying clothes and sheets taking the advantage of the fair climate. Lucilla was reading in the shade of a leafy tree; Aurelia was attending to the plants.

Aurelia detected the rumble of the horses' hooves as they approached down the valley road. Looking up she first surveyed the sky, imagining that it was thunder in the distance. But the heavens were still blue and clear. She raised a hand to her eyes, shading her vision while she looked around for an explanation. A cloud of dust caught her interest and she stood up staring in the direction of the unexplained phenomenon. For long moments she remained in that position. Sometimes the brain struggles to make sense of what it sees, even if a more likely explanation is readily available. Yet still she did not allow herself to believe that what had happened was the culmination of all their fears.

It was Lucilla who reacted first. "By the mother! Praetorians!" she screamed, dropping her book and running for her niece, gathering her up and dragging her backwards towards the house. "Aurelia! They have come for us! Run!!!!"

Shocked into action, Aurelia responded, dashing back to the villa, constantly checking behind her for affirmation that the nightmare had come true. There was no doubt about it. As they grew nearer, the imposing malevolence of the black clad troops was unmistakable. And the arrival of Praetorians could only mean one thing.

As the women and their attendants reached the relative shelter of the buildings, they were met by Gracchus who was running forward with his guard; other men were mounting and ready to surround the property in defence. But it was obvious that they were seriously outnumbered.

"Go into the house! Wait in the atrium! I will deal with this!" he commanded as he took up his position in the courtyard, surrounded by his own men, and waited for the arrival of the intruders. Aurelia stopped to watch but was pulled inside by her aunt.

"Do not let them see us!" Lucilla hissed. They sat on a bench in the dark and shady atrium, their hearts thudding as they awaited the forthcoming coming blow. No one spoke as they strained their ears for some sign of what was transpiring outside.  They did not have to wait long. Shortly afterwards, the heavy main doors burst open and in strode Aemilius Cinna flanked by officers of his troop and an ashen faced Gracchus.

"Ladies..." he affected a mocking bow. Lucilla stood, stony-faced, drained of colour but still facing him with her usual imposing disdain.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. Aurelia stayed in the shadows, her hand on her heart. Had they taken Maximus?

"I think you know very well why we are here, my lady. Something to do with treachery towards your husband...and the Republic..." he cast an eye about the room. "Ah! The lady Aurelia! So you too are also hiding out here, I see...? How true it is that like attracts like, hey? I have been looking forward to this moment for a long time. You and your lover have led me a merry dance..."

Gracchus broke in. "...These ladies are my houseguests! I have no idea to what you refer. Get off my lands now before I set my guard on you! I am the Consul! You are under my command! How dare you trespass on my property uninvited and make such insinuations against the noble ladies..."

Cinna merely laughed and pushed him away. "Yes, sir, you are the Consul. For now. Which makes your treachery even less forgivable. Conspiring together with the wife of the Prefect, a woman who is actively working against her own husband? And you ask me what I am doing? I am protecting the honour and dignity of Rome that you have cast down into the dirt...I have all the authority I need. Call off your men, Gracchus. If they move against my troops, they will be annihilated. None of us wants that, surely?"

"What then do you want?" Lucilla rasped.

"You, your little whore of a niece and the Consul will be joining us on our journey north. Your husband is eager to see you again..."

"You cannot make us leave! You have no rights to arrest us! On what authority do you make such baseless accusations!" Lucilla argued.

"On the contrary, we have had this estate under observation for days. We know the name of every senator who has visited. You are the leaders of a plot to place the renegade and ex-gladiator Maximus Meridius on the throne..."

"...What nonsense!" Gracchus shouted.  "Maximus? And where then is the general who is supposedly  the focus of this inane conspiracy of yours...?"

Cinna smirked; he had been waiting for this moment. "Where is the general, you ask? He is in our hands already. We apprehended him as soon as he rode out this morning...along with your son and an African freedman..."

"...NO!!!" Aurelia exclaimed rising and staggering forward. "You cannot have him! He cannot be taken...!"

The young man swaggered over, grabbing her by the hand and drawing her into the middle of the room.

"Do not touch her...!" Lucilla ran forward and tried to put herself between the two; Cinna demonstrated his contempt by casting her roughly aside.

"Since when has she been so particular about who touches her? Like her mother, her licentiousness and moral turpitude is well known. Even here in your own house she has been whoring for two men...and one your own son, Gracchus..."

Aurelia hit him across the face with a resounding slap. "You filthy animal...!"

He caught her hand and pulled her close, breathing in her perfume, his face buried against her neck beneath the tumbling curls. "You will live to regret that, Aurelia...just as your lover will live to regret the night he took the life of my friend...It is time to claim what is due to me...and I intend to take what is mine...!" he sneered.

Throwing her to the ground, he looked around at the three of them. "Secure the prisoners. The Consul can ride. Find a covered wagon for the ladies. We wouldn't like to inconvenience them now, would we? One maid to attend them..."

Yanitra stepped forward; she had been cowering at the rear of the hall throughout. As scared as she was, she would not leave her mistress to face this alone. And if what the officer said was true, Juba was a prisoner already. There was nothing for her here if he was to die. "I will go with them..."

Cinna looked her over then smiled coarsely. "As you wish. No doubt we can find a use for you as well... Bring the slave too..."

His men came forward and placed rough hands on the women, hauling them towards the main door. Gracchus gave no resistance and walked out himself, his head held high. They had been so close - but it had all been in vain. He knew he could expect no quarter now.

Outside in the sunny courtyard, he saw the huge force of black clad Praetorians and his own guard, disarmed and surrounded. He held up his hand to tell them not to attempt any futile resistance. Soldiers were leading out a consular coach which the slaves were hurriedly furnishing and loading with food. Cinna tolerated their attention for a short while and then told them enough. Lucilla and Aurelia with the maid were thrust inside and the door secured. Gracchus shuddered inwardly at their fate. Whatever awaited him, it would be an honourable death. He doubted that would be allowed to the women who had betrayed the Prefect.

His mind strayed to the whereabouts of his son. What had they done to the men? Where was Antoninus now? Had they attempted to fight their way out of the ambush?  Chilly fear gripped his bowels at the thought that he might have sent his precious son and heir to his death that morning. What else did he have left to lose if the boy was gone or taken too? Antoninus was his future, the continuation of his name, a legacy for his descendants and immortality to his ancestors.

If he died without issue then his whole line died with him. There could be no return from that.

It was deep in the night when the horsemen finally came upon what they had been searching for. Following the Via Latina as it branched to the north east after some deliberation, they chanced that the men they were looking for would take the higher ground through Latium rather than the more busy coastal Appian Way.

Luck appeared to be with them. Not far along, approaching the narrow pass near Teanum, Maximus did indeed observe the first signs of a watch in the hills above. He knew that the fires of the generals' camp would be somewhere in the vicinity. They had not been seen yet.

Halting the others, he indicated that they should conceal themselves on the slopes of the ravine; he sent Antoninus to skirt around and spy out the lie of the land. The young man was soon back, running smoothly in a crouch, before throwing himself beside the others.

"Two men watching the pass; we could easily make our way around. They're looking out for a larger force. I saw the smoke of fires less than a mile away..."

"We go on foot. At this time of the night most will be asleep....there will only be a cursory watch...they are not expecting us..."

The first Servius Galba knew about the intruders was the cold steel pressed against his throat. He woke in an instant and found himself staring into a face he had not seen for years. He gasped out : "Decimus...!"

Maximus had not been called that for many years. Its very unexpected quality made him relax his hold. No man who is lying would use a boyhood intimacy; that was a heartfelt exclamation.

He grinned and made a wry face. "Sexte, you old dog...slower than ever, eh?" They had been young boys together in the army and had known each other even before that coming from the same area of Hispania. Their fathers had been friends before them.

"Still fighting dirty, I see?" The man threw back his blanket and shook sleep and shock from him. "You bastard...!" he laughed. Maximus nodded to Juba to release the servant who was pale with fear, the life half throttled out of him. He strode to the door and called in Antoninus who had been keeping watch.

By then Servius Galba had risen, slung a cloak round his shoulders and poured out a few cups of wine. "By the Mother, Maximus, you three could have got yourselves killed...ever heard of just riding up and asking to be let in?

Maximus accepted the drink and raised it in salute. "Now, where would be the fun of that, old friend?" He clapped him on the back and felt a real and unlooked for joy to see him again. They had once been inseparable. What had happened down the years to keep them apart?

Servius of course knew quite well what had prompted this unorthodox nocturnal visit; Maximus had not trusted him. Who could blame him? He himself would have done much the same probably. "How are you, Dec? It's good to see your ugly face again. I mourned your death. And celebrated your miraculous resurrection. A gladiator, hey? If there was any of us better suited, then I can't think of whom...!" He laughed heartily at that before growing sombre again. "But joking apart...what happened to you was a degradation such as I have never before known. I do not know how you survived it - although I suspect you are the only man who could have done. I did not even know until the story of the death of Commodus was circulated and they said it was the general, Maximus, who had reappeared as a gladiator and died in the assassination... I am so sorry about your wife and son...I know how important they both were to you..." Servius' voice trailed off. He was not a man who felt comfortable expressing himself on such personal matters nor was he usually given to emotional responses. But for Maximus he felt true affection and was prepared to make the exception. He was also eager to prove to his former childhood friend that the fears of betrayal he might have harboured were unfounded.

"Thank you. Your words are appreciated..." There was a finality in Maximus' tone that suggested he was unwilling to linger on the topic. It had left a deep mark on his friend. Once Maximus had been an open and friendly boy, innocent and trusting. But then, so had he. Life soon beats that out of a boy, more's the pity.

"How did you find out we were on our way to join you? We doubted you were aware of our presence. Which is why we camped here longer than we intended. We were just about to make alternative arrangements..."

Maximus frowned, unsure what Servius meant. He glanced over at Juba and then across at Antoninus who was standing stiffly by the door, still alert and uneasy. "What do you mean? Why would we not know you had sent an emissary....?

Servius paused - and it was immediately evident that instant something was very wrong. "How did you know we were here? We came across the body of the messenger this afternoon. He had been tortured. The letter was missing..."

The fading notes of his words lingered in the air heavy with portent for long silent moments after he had spoken. No one reacted at first as the truth sank in. Only Maximus' eyes revealed that he had understood in an instant what this meant for them. But even he seemed momentarily too shocked even to respond.

It was Antoninus who uttered the words that catapulted them back into action. "The women! They have gone for the women....!"

It had all been a ruse, the diversion that Aurelia herself had first mentioned. Quintus' move had been an exemplary demonstration of clever strategy and subterfuge; Maximus felt almost impressed by its simplicity - and deadliness. They had been fooled, not by a lie but by the truth. Of all men Maximus might be inclined to trust, Sextus Servius Galba was one such man. To raise the spectre of doubt about his possible treachery was perfectly poised to obfuscate the real plan. A masterstroke, indeed.

Juba seemed to be having some difficulty grasping the full implication; he was a man of a simpler mindset for whom the labyrinthine disloyalties and intrigue of the Imperial political world were alien. "Why not seize us all together? All they have now is the women and an old man...how will that stop us?"

Servius ran a hand down his face as he began to see how he and his fellow general had been used. All along they had suspected that they were under surveillance but it had not occurred to them that the watchers had not been trying to prevent them giving their allegiance to Maximus, but were actively ensuring that was they did - and then to make use of it for their own gain.  He groaned. "They might be cowards but they aren't fools. We have two cohorts of battle hardened men with us, as a proof of our sincerity and also a protection against anyone who tried to interfere.  Over 1200 armed men. Praetorians rarely fancy such odds. They are more used to preying on the defenceless. In a stand off we would have driven them back and most likely destroyed their force.  Once they were aware of our involvement then Quintus would never seek to engage us in the field. Between Veranus and I, we have seven legions ready to move. Metella is not even assured of the loyalty of the Felix should Maximus shows himself. He knows the combined strategic response of the three of us and the men we have - plus Gracchus consular guard would have swung the balance in our favour and given us the perfect excuse to move against them..."

"...There is nothing we can do if they hold Aurelia and Lucilla. Gracchus too - he is the Consul and the Senate will be quaking at the knowledge that the plot has been uncovered...he doesn't even have to raise a hand in anger and we are hobbled from action..." Maximus grunted.

Servius listened but appeared to differ. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that. So we are out in the open now...but is that such a bad thing? The die is cast and we now have no other choice but to go forward. There are always going to be casualties in an endeavour like this...and the loss of a few noblewomen and an old man can hardly prejudice our cause....some might say it could enhance it. Such abuse of those perceived as victims is never seen as honourable..."

Maximus rose up so quickly that his chair overturned and the cup he had been drinking tumbled to the ground, spilling its contents like blood spatter. Juba responded and advanced quick enough to anticipate the surge of anger that coursed through his friend. He blocked his advance and struggled to hold back Maximus who seemed for a while to have completely lost all rational control. This was not the man he had come to know but he recognised what had driven him to this place of near-madness. Maximus had lived a long time in the dark, wandering on the brink of insanity, brought there by devastating loss and horror. Somehow his great will had pulled him back from the abyss.

But a second time would be too much to hope for. The thought of any harm befalling his beloved Aurelia, not to mention the others who he had taken under his protection, would destroy him once and for all.

Servius was stunned at the force of Maximus' insane anger at his suggestion and stood up sharply, observing the struggle Juba was having to restrain him - even Antoninus had to come to assist. The two men spoke to him in hushed tones and gradually sense penetrated his tormented mind. He fell back into a chair, his head in his hands, while they crouched by him and continued in their gentle remonstrations.

"...Forgive me, Maximus....I did not pay proper regard to your state of mind. You are bound to feel sensitive in the circumstances..."

Maximus slowly raised his head. His eyes were almost too pained for any of them to bear. "There will be no casual dismissal of the innocent again...I will not allow this to proceed unless they are safe...do you understand me? There is no cause greater than the protection of those we love...no empire worth one dead woman or child...I did not come back for Rome. I came back for her. She is all that matters..."

Servius had no idea what he was talking about and began to wonder if the traumas he had suffered had not in some way affected his reason. He opened his mouth to speak, but Maximus pre-empted it. "Rouse your men. We ride as soon as the camp is raised..."

"Back to Beneventum?" Antoninus exclaimed. "Surely the chance of missing them is too great..."

Maximus shook his head. "They won't go the whole way by road. They would never risk walking into our forces...they will have sailed...probably from Misenum...by the time we reach there, we will have missed them. No...we ride north and seek to cut them off or at least reach the City on their heels. The women are safe for now. They are simply luring me in, rolling up the threads of the skein..."

"And you intend to deliver us all into the midst of that?" Servius mocked. "Have you lost your mind, Maximus? I am not offering my life and that of my men on a platter to the slaughter..."

Maximus smiled but it took on the appearance more of a grimace than a genuine sign of amusement. "No, that is not my intent. Quintus has dared to touch my world again and now I intend to reign down terror on his head. We are going to reclaim the Felix legions and if needs be every citizen of Rome who ever called my name in the arena...It is I who have the bargaining power, not he. He will be left abandoned by all - and the only way he can then barter for his miserable life is with the safe delivery of the people he is holding..."

"You would let Quintus live after this?" Antoninus gasped.

A slow smile spread across Maximus' face; he turned and cold and steely eye on the boy. "I will tear him apart limb from limb- and it will be my pleasure to do so. But only after they are safe. We all have an investment in these people, brother...you have your father, Juba has his woman...and Servius, old friend, you have your precious empire. Come...let us ride and unleash hell on those who dare to stand against us...!"

The carriage was more comfortable than most prisoners of the state would expect as a transport but within the closed confines it still seemed every bit a prison. Aurelia had said very little since she had been pushed inside; she had remained lying on her cot, face turned to the wall, her body curled up.

Lucilla had thought she had fallen asleep so still had she been for a long time. Yanitra sat on the floor on a few cushions, her back ramrod straight against the door, staring into space. None of them needed to discuss their likely fate. Roman law and sense of civic honour had never taken a lenient stance on those amongst its women who let down the high standards that it proclaimed to uphold.

Then she observed the girl moving her legs. Lucilla rose from her cot and went over to kneel by the bed. "Aurelia...are you bearing up? Come here, child...let me hold you..." She perched on the edge and the younger woman scrambled into her arms. It was a bittersweet sensation for Lucilla. So often she held herself aloof from others, and the unlooked for moment of intimacy touched her more than she expected. She realised from the smudged tracks of tears on Aurelia's face that the girl had been softly weeping to herself.

"Oh my sweet girl...!" she whispered and held Aurelia to her breast. They remained like that for a time. Lucilla realised that it had been a long time since her maternal instincts had been given any outlet. It made her think of Lucius. At least he was safe in Greece. She doubted whether they would ever meet again in this life. But she had done what she could to safeguard him - he was in the hands of the gods now. Her thoughts returned back to Aurelia and the tragedy of her short young life. She recalled her mother, her elder sister, and wished she could somehow make things right for her poor daughter. But what could anyone do now?

"Forgive me, Aurelia. I have never really been the mother to you that I should have been. For too long I was wrapped up in my own problems. You were far away and I am ashamed to say I did not give you much thought over the intervening years. And yet your mother was always like a mother to me. She made many mistakes in her life but she never let down those she loved... for all the opprobrium heaped upon her reputation, she was a good woman in her fashion ..."

Aurelia looked up at her aunt. "There is nothing to forgive! You had your own demons to contend with! Lucilla...I grew up happy and safe in Sicily. My father may never have been a loving and warm hearted man, but he ensured I was surrounded by good people who cared for me. I wanted for nothing. You have been here in the time when I needed you....please, do not reproach yourself for anything. We have no time left worth wasting on what might have beens. All we have now is each other. There is no woman in the world I would want by my side at such a time, but you..."

"I tried to turn Maximus away from you..." Lucilla whispered.

Aurelia smiled sadly. "We both love him. I would fight for him too. Some might say that I was the one who had seduced him away from you...I have been inordinately cruel to you in the things I have said. I thought that I might lose him. You see how we are when we fight over a man? No better than animals...You helped him even against your own brother...no one has been a better friend..."

They both broke into smiles. It was absurd. "Aurelia...all we have is each other now. I swear until the end I will be a mother to you at last...he would want me to look after you. I cannot bear what he must be suffering at the thought of what has happened..."

Aurelia sat up straight at that and looked carefully at her aunt. "And Maximus...don't forget we still have Maximus...he will save us..."

Lucilla sighed. "He is only a man. They have him. Aurelia, you must accept the inevitable. The odds were always against us....I pray his end is swift and he does not suffer long..."

"Maximus has not been taken! Cinna lied..." Aurelia stated softly with an assurance that would accept no denial.

"...Aurelia...you have to stop grasping at straws...it is over. We have failed..." Lucilla answered blankly.

The girl sat up and crossed her legs on the narrow bed, staring off into the distance. "No...you must not talk like that! Maximus taught me never to think like that! We must never expect defeat and always to fight as if we will be victors... even with our last breath...We are not dead - until we are dead! I refuse to believe we will not prevail. The gods have a purpose for us all and I do not think it is meant to end here like this! I will not let him down! I have been thinking. All these long hours. Cinna was definitely lying when he told us he had captured the men. If he had them, he would have flaunted them before us - or us before them. He would not miss an opportunity to humiliate us all further and turn the knife even deeper in the wound. Think, Lucilla!  How many men does it require to guard two women and an old man - especially if you have already apprehended the only men who could try and intervene? I estimate there is an entire cohort out there. So who has Maximus? Why is Cinna escorting us and not the main threat? Think about it...if Maximus was taken, then a handful could go with us and the rest would be deployed on him and Antoninus and Juba. But if the main force is surrounding us then it means he is still at large..."

Lucilla gave Aurelia's words some thought and quickly she came to understand that the girl was absolutely right. She had thought this through logically without an emotional reaction. It astonished her how calm Aurelia was despite the tears.

"You are so brave ...and so right. It makes sense. Cinna was trying to frighten us, get us to talk, give up hope of being saved...Aurelia, if he is at large, he will come for you...he will never let them have you..."

Aurelia's face was sombre as she turned back to look at her aunt. "Yes, he will come for me. But he will come for you too. And he will come for Yanitra and Gracchus -  anyone else whom he feels is being sacrificed in his name...this is what I fear. It is a trap. We are the lure...he will walk right into it willingly for our sakes..."

So this was the source of her tears. Little Aurelia was not afraid for herself but for him. Lucilla was unsure whether it was innocence on the part of the girl or sheer courage. Either way she felt humbled by the girl's poise and intelligence.

"Aurelia...he is a master strategist. He will have a plan...do not give up hope! Let me tell you something. Back then...when we plotted against Commodus, he uncovered the conspiracy. All he lacked was the details...Aurelia, when it came down to it, it was I who handed Maximus over. Commodus threatened Lucius. I could not stand against him...not where my son was concerned...so I am not such a great support to him as you think. In the end, I always look to the main chance, wherever my loyalties  should lie."

Aurelia opened her arms and this time it was she who comforted the older woman, cuddling close. "You did not have to tell me that. It was never your fault! Any woman would have done the same...Maximus understood that! Your son was always more important than anything. He is an innocent child!"

"..You would not have betrayed Maximus!" Lucilla broke in. " I let him down once before when I was a much younger woman - and again when he needed me most. I have never deserved him...!" she sobbed.

"That is arrant nonsense, Lucilla. Neither time did you have a choice! We are women. They take the choices from us and then wonder why we cannot be what we aspire to be. I love Maximus more than I love myself. I would die for him and count myself lucky to be able to do so. But there is one thing I love even more than he..."

It was an unexpected remark that made Lucilla frown. What did the girl mean?

Aurelia took her aunt's hand and guided it to her stomach. "I believe I am carrying a child. And I am so scared. I will do anything I can to save this baby...although I know that there is in reality very little I can do..."

"A child?" Lucilla gasped. "How long have you known? Have you told him?"

Aurelia shook her head. "I have suspected it for a week or so. I know little about these things, but it is so long since I bled...I know that much. We are lovers, Lucilla. We have been all along...I should have been more honest about that when you asked...I am so afraid now. He warned me that it would be worse if we made a child. I did not want him to know until I was sure. Now I am glad he will never know. At least he is spared that pain..."

Yanitra had sat and listened to the interchange between the women - or as much of it as it as she was able to understand. Some of the events and people they referred to were unknown to her. She was still unsure if she trusted the Lady Lucilla whose cool haughty presence had always annoyed her. Personally she had urged Aurelia to tell no one, for Yanitra could see herself that if the men in power knew that there was a son and heir, it would go even worse for her mistress than it was already. She stood up and poured out some water, taking the ladies a cup each.

"I'd keep that quiet if I were you, mistress. If they think he knocked you up, then that's your last chance of saving yourself..."

"Is it not possible even now for you to keep a civil tongue in your head?" Lucilla snapped back at the unwelcome intrusion of this common woman.

"I tell it as I see it. And, begging your pardon, my lady, but the way thing stand, you aren't calling the tune anymore..."

"Aurelia...can't you shut your slave up?" Lucilla retorted, refusing even to acknowledge the woman.

"She isn't a slave..." Aurelia replied with a grin. "She's a whore...I met her in a brothel we were staying in..."

Lucilla's face was a picture. "I'm not sure I even want to know the details...a brothel...? Whatever was he thinking?"

Aurelia smiled and took her aunt's hand. "He will come for us. I know this. And until then, I will do all in my power to protect us in the meantime. I have a knife. Hidden in my clothing. The fools never think women might be able to defend themselves so they did not search me. Maximus gave the knife to me. Juba taught me how to use it. It is only for the last resort. I know I must not be reckless with our lives. There is little we can do against these men in reality...but if I get a chance and I am sure I can make it tell...then I will use it...!"

Lucilla felt overwhelmed by the assurance of this young girl. She held her face in her hands. "Without a doubt, you are the woman meant for him! You even make me believe that we can survive this...He would be so proud of you if he could see you now..."

At that Aurelia's voice wavered. "I am not as brave as I pretend. Inside I am shaking with fear. Will I do my duty when the time comes? Oh my baby...oh, Maximus...what will become of us...?" she exclaimed as he hugged her aunt close to her and reached her hand out to Yanitra. They had to stay together from now on. It was all up to them alone now to stay alive until the men came for them...