“You were right.” She did not intend her voice to be hushed, but it was so nonetheless. “The teacher healed him.”
Dinah just nodded and smiled. “I made your favorites.” She bent down to be on a level with him. “Would you like some now?”
Abigail met her gaze again, well understanding the unspoken message within it: they ought to be grateful he was well, and question nothing else. Questions of this sort never had answers one could believe.
*
The wine was excellent, the food superb. It was no surprise to Jason; he had yet to receive anything but the best treatment when a guest in the Asinius house. His main pleasure came from the others, and the fact that they were all there. Menelaus, for instance, had never even been invited here before, nor had the other two soldiers present, Lentulus and Apidius. To be sure, if they were not all going to Israel together, this gathering would probably never have occurred. But since they were much livelier than Titus, Jason was glad to have them in on this particular celebration.
Caius and his wife, Aquilia, were out for the evening; Jason was certain they wished to have no part of their son’s party, but they had made sure he had ample provisions for it.
“Jason, is the food this good in Jerusalem?” Lentulus asked, taking a large bite.
Jason laughed. “In my mother’s kitchen, perhaps, but not where you will be. Besides,” he added, motioning to the dish in his friend’s hand, “you will not find that particular delicacy anywhere in Israel.”
“Oh. Pork. Right.”
Jason nodded and tasted it himself. He did not consider himself bound by the laws of his mother’s people, and had, therefore, no qualms about eating what he wished. “I know I will miss it.”
“What are the women like?” Menelaus asked, not for the first time. His gaze followed one of Titus’s slaves as she refilled his wine and gave him a sultry smile.
Titus shook his head. “Menelaus, your mind is on but one thing. Have no fear; I am sure there are harlots in Israel, just as in Rome.”
Menelaus threw a chunk of bread at his friend. “Spoken as a man who has no reason to pay for what he can find in his own house.”
Titus shrugged but smiled, not hesitating to put his hand on the thigh of the slave as she moved to refill his glass. The woman kissed his proffered lips before moving off to tend to Jason’s drink.
“I will miss Rome,” Apidius said. “And I do not mind saying so. Nowhere else can you find the culture and opportunity. Art. Freedom.”
“Drusilla,” the rest added in unison, which quickly turned into laughter.
Apidius flushed but joined in the laughter. “You are all just jealous that I have a woman who is worth being a wife.”
“And a lot of good it does you.” Menelaus stifled his mumble with a gulp of wine. “You are getting shipped to Israel with the rest of us.”
“Feel free to stop mentioning it at any time.”
“A lot of good that would do, as well.”
“Menelaus, you depress me.”
The insulted man held up his glass in salute before tossing its contents down his throat, then kept the empty vessel in the air to be filled yet again by the smiling maid.
The woman looked at her master silently. When he nodded, she proceeded to descend into Menelaus’ lap, setting her pitcher on the side table in the same motion, and capture his receptive mouth with hers.
“Well, at least one of us is happy.” Lentulus sighed, his eyes skirting to the couple and then back again to the wall.
“Why do you two not go elsewhere to spare the other poor gentlemen?” Only disinterest colored Titus’s tone.
Jason watched his friend and the tempting slave get up and move out of the room. He took a deep breath, telling himself to be glad Titus was finally accepting Menelaus. But, as that man would say, a lot of good it would do now, two days before they left Rome. Even with these thoughts, though, part of his mind was remembering his own pleasant experience with the sensuous wench now entertaining his friend.
Another slave entered at that moment, one Jason had seen less frequently. She was beautiful, graceful, tasteful. Her clothing was not the sheer and barely-covering material of the other women serving them, but it still showed the curves that put all the others to shame. She went directly to Titus, whispered a word in his ear, waited for his equally short murmur in reply, then departed again without even glancing at the other men.