Free The Emperor's Silver: Agent of Rome 5 by Nick Brown Page B

away.’
    The maid drank her wine. ‘So how did you get to Syria?’
    ‘On a horse. Walked a bit too.’
    ‘Do you like Tripolis?’
    ‘Yes. It seems … nice.’
    ‘It’s not bad. I like being close to the sea.’ Kitra drank more wine.
    Cassius thought about intervening. Despite his earlier enthusiasm, Indavara had clammed up as usual. But he had to learn.
    ‘What about you?’ he asked suddenly. ‘Were you born here?’
    ‘No,’ she said, ‘a little village down the coast.’
    And off they went. Cassius switched his full attention back to Hanina, who was now enthusing about all the different types of fish that were caught at Tripolis and which ones went with which herbs and how Master Neokles didn’t mind her experiments because they always turned out well. Cassius found it all rather dull, and he now noticed the girl had thin lips (which he was not fond of), but the wine and the wait had made him keen to move things along.
    He wouldn’t go too far – they might be staying at Neokles’s inn for a while – but he wanted at least a kiss before bed. After a few minutes he turned the talk around to Neokles’s wine collection and persuaded Hanina to show him what they had behind the bar.
    By this point, Indavara and Kitra were getting along well. The maid was trying – but failing – to stop herself touching both Indavara’s marked, bulky forearm and his equally marked, bulky knee. When Cassius announced that he and Hanina were off to fetch more wine, the pair barely seemed to notice.
    Hanina lit another lamp in the parlour then went behind the bar. Cassius sat on a stool as she showed him each and every barrel mounted on a large wooden rack. ‘Here is the raisin wine, here is the sour wine, here is the honey wine. Then there’s the Rhaetic and the Caecuban. And this unlabelled one is actually Alban. Master Neokles doesn’t tell anyone; he keeps it for himself and his friends – never lets guests have it.’
    Cassius knew she wouldn’t take much persuading. Even if they weren’t slaves, maids and servants generally enjoyed minor acts of sabotage against their employers. Apart from Simo, of course.
    ‘I do love Alban,’ he said. ‘Have you ever tried it?’
    She smiled guiltily. ‘Just the odd drop.’
    Cassius grabbed his glass and her mug and emptied the contents into a bowl.
    With a squeak of delight she poured them both a generous measure.
    ‘Wonderful,’ Cassius said when they’d tried it.
    ‘It is.’
    Cassius put his glass down and leaned across the counter. ‘May I kiss you, Hanina?’
    She surrendered with a coy pout.
    Realising she was not the type of girl to appreciate an aggressive approach, Cassius kissed her softly on the cheek. Noting that her eyes were shut, he reached across and gently gripped her neck. He was just closing in again when a door latch snapped open.
    ‘Gods, he’s back!’
    Cassius could tell by the panic in her voice that discovery might well endanger her job. As Neokles announced his return, he downed his wine and pointed at the barrel. ‘You’d better plug that.’
    Cassius ran out to the terrace, where he found Indavara sitting sideways on the bench and Kitra sitting on him, one large, pale breast encircled by the bodyguard’s hand.
    ‘Sorry to interrupt but Neokles is back.’
    ‘Gods help me!’ In her haste to get off Indavara, Kitra fell to the floor, giving Cassius a flash of her wobbling thighs.
    He laughed as Indavara helped her up. Kitra rearranged herself then hurried back inside.
    Cassius heard something smash on the floor and Neokles telling Hanina off. He sat down opposite Indavara, who looked as if he’d just awoken from a dream.
    ‘Bad timing, eh? You’d better not get too excited, not in your condition.’
    Indavara looked down at his groin. ‘At least I know everything’s working.’
    ‘Again – really didn’t need to know that.’
    Neokles popped his head outside. ‘I do apologise for the noise, Master Crispian. I trust these