He flicked his gaze through the open door he had been about to go through, where he could see Abigail just inside, sitting in the sun that came through the window, Benjamin nursing at her breast. He felt himself relax, since his ward was in sight. He disliked leaving her even on the errands she sent him on, at least when Titus or Panther was not there to watch her in his stead. She did not seem to realize that a threat could pounce at any moment.
Caelia followed his gaze, her eyes turning dry, then kindling. “Your mistress is a beautiful woman. Did you know I met her husband before he went back to Israel last year? A handsome man. Charming. I had no chance to get to know him, though; Titus was protective of me. Possessive.”
Phillip regarded her evenly, wondering what her point was.
Caelia raised her chin another degree. “Now my master will not even look at me. And why? For her?” She let out a mocking laugh. “I know the laundress, and she assures me that if they are lovers, they hide it well, even from their sheets.”
Phillip stiffened, and the woman smirked. “I have bribed her to keep the information to herself. But know this: I will tell Caius if I want to, and he will be so angry at the deception that he will take her and teach her her place. He will throw her into the streets and disown Titus for succumbing to her spells. He is not the man he was when he left, and it is all her doing!”
“What do you want?” Phillip demanded.
Her eyes smoldered, and it reminded him of his childhood, his aunt. . . she was a priestess, and this was the look on her face as she prophesied destruction. Almost unconsciously, he whispered a silent prayer to his mistress’s God. For her protection. Not for his.
Her hands balled into fists. “I want Titus, and I will have him again. Tell your mistress that if she stands in my way, I will give her over to Caius, and Titus will be the one blamed for her death when I kill her in her sleep after he’s through with her.”
Moving with lightning speed, Phillip closed a hand around her throat, picked her up, and slammed her into the wall. He kept his voice a bare murmur. “You will die by my hand before you will raise yours against Abigail. You will not blame my mistress for your master’s decisions.” He noticed with satisfaction that her eyes were not so powerful when they were bulging, nor her lips so poisonous when they were gasping for breath. He released her as suddenly as he had grabbed her, and she slumped against the wall.
“Harm me, and you will die,” she said through her gasps.
Phillip smiled. “I will tell Caius it was on Abigail’s orders when she found you in Titus’s arms, and he will slap my wrist and proceed to rejoice that his son is not so devoted to Abigail after all. He will buy three women to replace you, and you will never be missed.”
She faltered for a moment, obviously wondering if he may be right, but soon regained her confidence. “We shall see. If I were you, I would not bargain my mistress’s life on that possibility.”
She walked away, and Phillip was left knowing she had scored a victory. He would not risk Abigail’s life. Which meant he would have to make sure he was not alone in his plan.
*
Titus slammed his fist against the wall. “I am such an idiot! I should have bribed the laundress myself.”
Phillip folded his arms across his chest. “Regrets are not to the point, Lord. More pressing is what to do now that Caelia knows.”
Titus sighed, raking a hand through his hair as he paced his chamber. “She will do it. I know her well, and she is a viper. If she approaches me and I turn her away, she will go to my father and tell him everything.”
“Perhaps Mistress should leave this house,” Phillip suggested soberly. “We can go to that estate of her son’s.”
“And you think my father will not find her there? It is the first place he will look, and he will be angry enough to follow her immediately. Will you fend off all the army he brings with him?”
“Then what?” More irritation entered his voice than Titus had ever imagined him displaying; proof, to his mind, of the slave’s devotion to Abigail.
“I know not.” Titus raked his hand through his hair and cursed. “Perhaps. . . perhaps I will just have to not turn her away.”
“What?”
Titus spun around when Abigail’s voice invaded the room. Guilt vied with frustration in his chest. “Abigail, this does not concern you. Go back to your room.”
She looked at him as though he had taken leave of his senses. “Am I now your slave to be commanded? And is it none of my concern when you talk about taking another woman to your bed?”
“It is not what you think, Mistress.” Phillip stepped forward, hand up in a calming gesture. “Caelia knows you and Titus are not lovers, and she has threatened to tell Caius of your deception unless Titus takes her back.”
Her gaze stayed on Titus all through Phillip’s short speech. “And you think the answer to this problem is doing as she demands? You would give up all you have worked for, you would open yourself to sin again just because she bids it?”