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‘With respect, lady, I suggest you wear your normal clothes. Fine robes would only create interest among your slaves – and who knows whom Zetso may already have bribed to bring him information?’
    She was still hesitating. ‘But the festivities . . .’
    ‘They can be arranged later. If you do not marry him today, you may lose him for ever.’ I saw her face and produced my trump card. ‘Of course, he might be prepared to go to Rome, wed this girl and then divorce her – there would be no shame in that once he had done his duty by her.’ Made her pregnant, I meant, though Celtic delicacy prevented my saying so to a lady.
    Romans, however, have fewer inhibitions. ‘Get her with child? I won’t have that. Besides, Marcus is such a soft-hearted fool, he would lose his heart to the infant and I should never win him back. No, I’ll do it. What exactly does he want me to do?’
    I outlined the instructions we had agreed, and she listened attentively. ‘Very well,’ she said, ‘I will do as you suggest. But with your agreement, I shall bring two of my servants with me. Have Marcus send me the boys who were attending him. That way they cannot report to Zetso, and it cannot be claimed that I was abducted. If Felix is the kind of man you describe, he would seize on such an excuse to declare the contract illegal.’
    I nodded, appreciating her intelligence. I added one or two suggestions of my own. Then I accompanied her back to her door. ‘I am sorry, lady, to drag my patron from you,’ I said, loudly enough for the waiting handmaidens to hear. ‘But Perennis Felix awaits him. I am sure you understand.’
    She was quick-witted as well as beautiful. ‘I suppose it cannot be helped,’ she replied, her voice a model of disappointed affront. ‘Make my farewells to Marcus. He need not bother to seek me – I am going out, to choose some new cloth for a
stola
. A poor widow must have some amusements in life.’
    I went back to Marcus with this news, and he chuckled proudly. ‘A remarkable woman, Libertus. Now, are you ready? Zetso is waiting.’
    Which is how I came to be a witness at the wedding. In fact it was all very simple. Marcus tried his case, and by the time it was finished Delicta had arrived, with her attendants, and the six additional witnesses had been found. She took off her hooded cape, and stood demurely, looking stunning in a simple long-sleeved sleeved tunic and a
stola
in shades of amethyst. It was hard to know what wedding outfit could have been more becoming. The magistrate and the
auspex
did what was asked of them, we witnesses added our seals to the contract, and Marcus and Julia Delicta formally made their vows. ‘
Ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia
’ – ‘Where you are Gaius, I am Gaia.’ They even exchanged rings as tokens, hurriedly blessed on the imperial altar.
    Then we returned to Zetso. Delicta would follow us to Glevum in a few days, where Marcus had promised her all the formal feasts and celebrations she could wish. Zetso was bad-tempered at having been kept waiting, but was obviously entirely unsuspicious. Marcus and I sat in the carriage, bouncing home, and smiled at each other triumphantly.
    If we had known what lay ahead we might not have been so delighted.

Chapter Four
    It was getting dark by the time we got back to Glevum and the gates were closing but Zetso scarcely seemed to slacken pace. He was justified: at the first glimpse of the imperial carriage the huge studded gates were opened again with such alacrity that I am sure the poor guard responsible must have reported afterwards to the military
medicus
with a rupture.
    Once back within the city, however, our progress was much slower. The edict which restricts wheeled vehicles within the walls during the hours of daylight may keep the roads clear for military and imperial transport by day, but it has a contrary effect after the gates are closed. At twilight the
colonia
becomes a heaving, torchlit jostling mass of horses, donkeys,