The Warrior's Bride Prize

Chapter Five

‘I won’t do it!’ Scaevola’s eyes glittered with anger as he stormed up and down the atrium.

‘You made an agreement with her brother.’ Nerva’s usual unruffled demeanour was severely ruffled. ‘If you refuse to go through with the marriage then he’ll have grounds against you.’

‘Better that than dishonour my family.’

‘You’re the one who’s brought dishonour on your family!’ Nerva’s tone was distinctly unsympathetic. ‘Drinking and gambling and who knows what else. Your father would be appalled.’

‘He still wouldn’t want me to marry a barbarian!’

Marius gritted his teeth at the insult. The combined effort of biting his tongue and restraining his temper was becoming more and more difficult, but unless he wanted to end up demoted, or worse, it was also necessary. His earlier interruption had been bad enough. Arguing with a superior officer was strictly forbidden, even when the officer in question had nothing superior about him. He wasn’t exactly sure what had come over him, except that the callous way Scaevola had insulted Livia and her daughter had enraged him to the point that he would gladly have given a year’s pay for the chance to beat the living daylights out of him.

In all honesty, he still would. It was bad enough that Livia was going to marry such a man—the very thought of which made him inordinately, inappropriately furious—but from what she’d told him earlier, she was still in mourning for her first husband. What kind of brother would force his sister to marry again while she was grieving? What kind of man would even concoct such a scheme, debt or no debt? Everything about it felt wrong.

‘If you’re so worried about your family honour, why don’t you ask your father to pay the debt?’ Nerva fixed Scaevola with a hard stare.

‘Because he would refuse.’ The Tribune’s eyes dropped to his sandals. ‘He already told me there’d be no more money before I left Rome.’

‘Then as I see it, you’ve no choice. I suggest that you either apologise to your new bride and hope that she forgives you or prepare to stand trial.’

‘Her brother wouldn’t dare to accuse me of anything!’ Scaevola blustered. ‘He knows who I am.’

‘I’m sure he does, but do you know who he is?’ Nerva held up a hand before the youth could answer. ‘He’s a powerful man in Lindum and you’re a long way from Rome. Your family name won’t protect you this far away. Now I suggest that you take the night to consider your choices. Try staying sober for once.’

Lucius gave an angry snort, his handsome features contorting with malice as he turned and almost walked into Marius. ‘As for you, Centurion, you had no right interrupting me earlier.’

‘You’re absolutely right, sir.’ Marius folded his arms pointedly. ‘I didn’t.’

‘Insolent dog! I ought to have you whipped.’

‘If there’s any whipping to be done then it will be on my authority, not yours!’ The last vestiges of Nerva’s self-control seemed to snap. ‘You deserved to be interrupted. Don’t ever insult a lady in my presence again, do you understand?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Now get out. I’m sick of the sight of you.’

Marius lifted his chin, meeting Scaevola’s glare with a hard look of his own as the latter stormed out of the room.

‘I apologise, sir.’ He unfolded his arms again as he turned to face his commander.

‘For which part?’ Nerva gave him a barbed look. ‘The interruption or the insolence afterwards? He’s right—you ought to be disciplined.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘I ought to have you whipped.’

‘Whatever you think best, sir.’

The Legate held his gaze for a long moment before waving a hand dismissively. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’d rather have Scaevola whipped, no matter what his father might say, but what on earth possessed you? I’ve never seen you behave that way to a senior officer before.’

Marius shrugged his shoulders non-committally. He’d never concealed anything from Nerva before, but he could hardly tell him the truth, that he’d resented the other man’s treatment of Livia. Or that, even now, he could hardly stop thinking about her. Even though she’d left, he could still picture every detail of her face: her patchwork of freckles, her sharply curved brows and, most of all, those luminous eyes fringed with dark lashes so long they seemed to caress her rounded cheeks.

When she’d pulled her palla back, proudly unveiling the mass of her burnished red curls, he’d found himself half-wanting to cheer, half to bury his face in them. The way she’d stood up to Scaevola had made him want to bury himself in other places, too, not that he ought to think about that. He ought not to think about those places at all. Even if he couldn’t seem to help himself. The way that she’d looked and acted had been nothing short of spectacular. He’d never desired a woman more in his life.

He cleared his throat at the thought. ‘Scaevola just seems to bring out the worst in me, sir.’

‘He does in all of us. We’ll be lucky if the fool doesn’t start a mutiny. Half the legionaries already want to stab him in the back, or so I’ve heard.’

‘I couldn’t comment, sir.’

‘No, of course not.’ Nerva gave him a penetrating look. ‘Although I do expect you to inform me if the situation deteriorates any further.’

‘I will, sir.’

‘Good. Now tell me about the woman.’ Nerva gestured for Marius to follow him into the villa, leading the way past the colonnaded courtyard to his office. ‘Not exactly a blushing young bride, is she?’

‘No, sir.’ The words made him strangely defensive. ‘I suppose not.’

‘You’ve had a chance to speak with her. What do you think?’

‘I don’t dislike her, sir.’

He didn’t trust himself to say any more. None of his thoughts were exactly appropriate for sharing. Admittedly, she wasn’t young, in marital terms anyway, and she certainly hadn’t been blushing that evening. She’d looked more like a ghost when Lucius had insulted her. And he definitely didn’t dislike her.

‘And there’s a child...’ Nerva closed his office door behind them. ‘Well, Scaevola’s right about one thing. His father will be furious when he finds out.’

‘Couldn’t you lend Scaevola the money, sir?’ It was an indelicate question, but one Marius felt compelled to ask for her sake.

‘I’ve thought about it.’ Nerva threw a quick glance at the doorway. ‘But it’s a considerable amount and, between you and me, his father’s a hard enough man to get money out of in person. From this distance, I’d be lucky to see so much as a denarius again. No, the boy’s made his own bed. He’ll just have to lie in it.’

‘What about her, sir?’ The mention of bed made Marius’s temper rise again.

‘What do you mean?’ Nerva’s brow furrowed. ‘She’s here willingly, isn’t she?’

‘I don’t think she had much choice in the matter. And even if she did, she might have changed her mind after meeting him.’

‘Who could blame her? But she’s come too far to change her mind now and the last thing I need is her brother turning up with a grievance.’

‘What if—?’

‘No.’ The Legate put up a hand to forestall him. ‘This is Scaevola’s problem, not ours. We’re supposed to be soldiers, not marriage brokers.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Marius straightened his spine at the reminder. That was true. He’d been about to suggest that he escort her back to Lindum and speak with her brother himself, but Nerva was right. It was none of his business. Just as the way Scaevola spoke to her was none of his business. Now that he’d delivered her safely to Coria, she had nothing to do with him, no matter how attractive he found her or how much he didn’t dislike her. He was a soldier first and foremost and he had more important concerns than one woman.

‘Have there been any signs of activity over the wall, sir?’

Nerva arched an eyebrow. ‘Still worrying?’

‘The local tribes are certain that trouble’s brewing. I spoke to some Carvetti farmers on the march this morning. They said they haven’t had sight or sound of anyone from north of the wall for weeks. It’s too quiet.’

‘Quiet is good.’

‘With respect, sir, not if it’s the calm before the storm. With your permission, I’d like to take a patrol north tomorrow.’

‘No.’ Nerva shook his head firmly. ‘Give your men a chance to rest. They work harder than any other century in the legion.’

‘Then let me go, sir.’

‘On your own? It’s far too dangerous.’

‘I could ride to some of the other forts to see if they’ve noticed anything suspicious.’

That was a reasonable request surely. Then he’d be doing his duty and putting some distance between him and Livia at the same time—something which seemed of vital importance suddenly. If he couldn’t keep her out of his mind, then he could keep her out of sight instead.

‘All right.’ Nerva sounded exasperated. ‘I don’t suppose you’ll let the matter drop otherwise, though I very much doubt that the northern tribes will rebel again now we’re back up to fighting strength.’

Marius sighed inwardly. For all his many good points, Nerva was still a Roman through and through. That anyone would dare to challenge Rome’s authority was still a mystery to him. Now that the Legion was back to full force, albeit with half of it still based in Eboracum, he simply assumed that the rebellions of the past few years were over.

‘Believe me, sir, nothing would make me happier than being proved wrong, but I still think we need to investigate.’

‘As long as you’re not looking for problems that don’t exist.’ Nerva gave him a meaningful look. ‘I know you still feel the need to prove yourself.’

He tensed immediately. ‘That has nothing to do with it, sir.’

‘I’m glad to hear it. Now go and get some rest.’

‘Yes, sir.’ He paused. ‘What about my punishment, sir?’

‘I think a reprimand ought to be sufficient for now, but don’t let it happen again. Scaevola’s a fool, but he has powerful connections. They might not lend him any money, but they have influence and they enjoy using it.’

Marius didn’t doubt the last part. Powerful men always did—and they’d enjoy nothing more than destroying the son of a disgraced mutineer.

‘I’ll keep away from Scaevola, sir.’

‘Good. Because if you want to be a senior centurion some day then it would be wise not to make an enemy of him.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Marius turned and strode out of the office, unable to shake the feeling that he already had.

Chapter Six

Livia descended the villa steps, inhaling deep gulps of morning air to help clear her head. It was her favourite time of the day, when the air still felt clean and fresh and the sky was a hazy mixture of rainbow colours: yellow and orange and even green in the east where the sun was just rising, pink and purple and pastel blue in the south where the night and dawn met. The north and west were still grey. She knew that she oughtn’t to be outside on her own, but she wanted to get a sense of her new surroundings, to feel in control of one part of her life at least, even if she felt completely lost in the rest of it.

She draped a shawl over her hair and kept her head down as she made her way past the camp headquarters and hospital, heading towards the northern rim of the fort. Despite the emotional turmoil of the previous day, she felt surprisingly well-rested. After tucking Julia into bed in the evening, she’d lain down for a few moments beside her, intending simply to nestle, then fallen fast asleep in her clothes.

At least that had stopped her from brooding, though it hadn’t taken long for all her anxieties to come rushing back again once she woke. Her meeting with Scaevola had been nothing short of disastrous. He’d looked at her as if she were some kind of monster, so that now she had no idea if their marriage was even still going ahead.

She didn’t know which was worse, the thought of marrying a man like him or of being sent back to her half-brother, but neither alternative was in her control—a thought which only made her more despondent than ever. If Scaevola refused to go through with the marriage, however, then she had no doubt that Tarquinius would find a way to blame her. She was stuck between a rock and a very hard place, but whichever way her future was decided, there was one thing she desperately wanted to do first.

She wanted to see the wall. Marius had said that the landscape was too hilly, but on such a clear morning, surely there was a chance... In any case, if this was her only opportunity, then she had to try.

Fortunately the camp was quiet. It was early enough that most soldiers were either still inside their barrack blocks or eating breakfast on the steps. Those who were outside looked at her curiously as she passed, but she kept going, making her way determinedly towards some steps that led to a walkway around the top of the palisade.

She climbed to the top, looking out over the ditch defences to the landscape beyond. There was something strangely familiar about it, as if part of her had always known what it would look like, though her imagination had failed to do it full justice. It was even more beautiful than her mother had described, with rolling hills and a sky that seemed to stretch on for ever. It gave her an unexpected sense of freedom, ironically, given her current circumstances. Of yearning, too, as if the land itself were calling to her. She tipped her head back, letting her shawl fall around her shoulders as she breathed in the feeling, though to her intense disappointment there was no sign of the wall, no matter how hard she screwed up her eyes.

It was only two miles away, Marius had told her with his customary stern expression. Only two miles. It might as well have been the far ends of the earth.

‘Lady?’

A sentry approached her and then halted mid-step, his gaze slipping past her shoulder before he turned and marched away again. Perplexed, she turned around, wondering what had changed his mind, only to find herself face-to-face with Marius Varro.

She gave a small, surprised yelp. She hadn’t expected to see him again, but now his unexpected arrival, coming so soon after she’d just been thinking about him, seemed to be doing alarming things to her breathing, not to mention the rest of her.

What was he doing there? There had been no one else with her a moment ago, no sound of anyone behind her either. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air, looking just as she remembered, even wearing the stern expression she’d just been thinking about! Unlike most of the other men in the camp, he was fully dressed, too, looking every inch the imposing Roman soldier. She doubted he ever looked anything else. He seemed like the kind of man who might sleep in his uniform.

‘Are you following me?’ She felt heat flare in her cheeks, though whether from anger or some other emotion she hardly knew. She seemed to be feeling so many emotions at once.

‘Yes.’ He made an impatient gesture, as if the question were irrelevant. ‘I saw you from the stables. You ought to take more care.’

‘Why?’ She looked along the walkway in surprise. ‘I’m only taking a look around. It’s not so high.’

‘I didn’t mean the ramparts. You’re one of only a handful of women in a camp full of soldiers. You shouldn’t be out on your own.’

The implication made her cheeks flush an even brighter shade of pink. The fact that it came from him made it feel even more personal. After all, he was the one she was standing alone with, the one she’d woken up dreaming about...

She tossed her head, pushing that particular memory aside.

‘Do you think so badly of your men, then?’

‘No, but they’re not all my men. I’m sure Nerva will assign you a guard if you want to look around.’

She shuddered at the thought. Another man to watch her, to follow her every footstep and then report back as if she couldn’t be trusted. It would be like living with Julius all over again.

‘No!’ She shook her head adamantly. ‘I’ll take my chances. I’d rather be on my own.’

‘As you wish.’ He scrutinised her face for a few seconds before walking back to the top of the steps and then standing there.

‘What are you doing?’ She stared after him suspiciously. He looked like one of the sentries.

‘Waiting.’

‘For what?’

‘To escort you back to the villa.’

‘I don’t need escorting. I remember the way.’

‘None the less.’

‘I just told you I’d rather be on my own.’

‘So you did.’

She glared at him, seized with a combination of irritation and guilt. He’d caught her off guard—again!—and now she was being rude, unfairly so since he hadn’t done anything to offend her, not really. On the contrary, since they’d met he’d been thoughtful and protective and sensitive too, in a severe kind of way. Even now he was still being thoughtful and protective!

But she was angry, not just at him, but at her whole situation. Somehow he made her feel even more powerless than before. It wasn’t his fault, but if they’d never met then she would only have had Scaevola and Tarquinius to worry about. Without him she wouldn’t have imagined, even for a moment, that her future could have been anything more than a prison.

She heaved a sigh, oppressed by the thought. If only it had been someone else who’d come to greet her! If only it had been someone else who’d defended her the previous evening, too. But it had been him, the only man apart from her father who’d ever stood up for her, who’d put a stop to Scaevola’s insulting behaviour as if he’d been personally offended. Now the fact that she ought to feel grateful made her even more irritated. But it was only right that she thank him.

‘About yesterday evening...’ she strove to sound calmer than she felt ‘...thank you for interrupting when you did. I hope you weren’t in any trouble for it.’

‘No.’

‘Good. I appreciated your help.’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I only stated the facts. You and your daughter were tired.’

‘None the less.’

She repeated his words ironically and saw one side of his mouth twitch upwards. It was the first time she’d seen any hint of a smile from him and it made her feel slightly less irritable.

‘Are you going somewhere?’ She gestured at his cloak. ‘You said you were in the stables.’

‘I’m visiting some of the other forts today.’

‘Then you shouldn’t let me detain you. I’m sure you’re eager to be going.’

‘It can wait.’ He gave her a look that suggested the subject wasn’t up for further discussion. ‘I’ll be here until you’re ready, lady.’

She sighed again and leaned forward against the parapet, gazing into the distance, but it was no use. There wasn’t even the faintest hint of a wall on the horizon. Meanwhile, Marius’s refusal to leave was infuriating. Perhaps he was right and she ought to go back, but she refused to be coerced, even for her own good.

‘Have you ever been north of the wall?’ She glanced back over her shoulder at him.

‘Yes.’

‘More than once?’

‘More than once.’

‘More than ten times?’

His lips twitched again. ‘I’ve lost count, lady.’

‘Oh... Have you ever been attacked?’

‘Yes.’

She twisted around fully this time. ‘Do you agree with Scaevola, then? Do you think that Caledonians are all savages?’

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.