“There is another way.”
He turned at the familiar voice, smiling when Caelia appeared. Her face was a mask of serenity, but her eyes roiled with hatred. It pleased him to see her like this, as she had been on a few other occasions. It lent her a fire that translated well into passion. “And what is that?”
She moved her lips into the semblance of a smile. “It is simple enough in principle, but it may require a bit of orchestration in practice. You must be ready to seize the moment whenever it arrives, Master.”
Caius’s heart lit with the same spark. “Tell me.”
*
“The bruises are all but gone. Another day or two and the marks will have vanished. By that time, I will have the villa ready for you, my love.”
Abigail smiled and turned into the hand with which Titus caressed her face. She cradled Benjamin, trying to urge him into sleep. “Thank you, Titus. I know you do not wish me to leave your side, but this is the best decision.”
“I know.” He smiled and leaned over to kiss her softly. “The morning after next, I will have to make a trip that will keep me away for two days. I have located a man wanting to sell two ships for a very reasonable fare, but he will only deal with the owner, not my steward. The new business this will procure will ensure my independence from my father, Abigail. These will answer only to me.”
“That is good,” She nodded, but her brows drew together. “I hate that I have come between you, Titus. I want to believe your relationship has a chance to improve once I am out of his sight and his mind, but that will require a great effort on your part.”
His expressiona implied it was one he would not make. “Our relationship was bad long before you entered the scene, beloved. I will never please him entirely, and there is no use in mourning that.”
She drew in a deep breath, let it out again slowly. As she recovered over the past weeks, Titus had made a conscious effort not to discuss anything trying with her, she knew. But there were many things they needed to talk about soon. At the top of the list was what she was going to do when Ester arrived in Rome. She could not really imagine going back to Israel now, after all she had been through with Titus. But she had to face the fact that he would never be hers. It would surely be far less painful to think of him moving on if she were on the other side of the sea.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Miriam went to open it. A moment later, Aquilia and Samuel entered together, the boy holding the woman’s hand and chattering away happily. Aquilia was smiling.
“Good afternoon, Mother.” Titus got up from the chaise he had perched on and went to kiss her cheek. “Did you enjoy your trip into the markets?”
Aquilia nodded with a smile at Samuel. “We had a lovely time. Samuel was telling me about a rather interesting thing that happened while you were in Israel, though. Something about a vision you all had of Jason?”
Abigail and Titus exchanged a somber look. “It was not a vision,” Abigail said softly. Her brows drew together. “At least I do no think it was. We all saw him, even the midwife.”
Aquilia regarded her evenly. They had spent many hours talking during her recovery, and Abigail had shared much of her beliefs. But often Titus’s mother balked. Like now. “How is this possible?”
Abigail’s eyes slid shut. “Because it was a day for the miraculous, my friend. A day when the world turned upside down. When the scriptures were rewritten. When the dead rose again. I did not realize it at the time, but as my son was being born, God’s was resurrected. New life. A new world.” She smiled, but it felt almost sorrowful. “And yet it is trapped within this old one. How long will it take for the truth to spread?”
“As long as it takes for believers to travel with it,” Titus answered with a smile. “We have already brought the word here, to Rome. Who knows where else it has reached? All I know is that the truth does not need anything but itself to be recognized. God will speak into the hearts of his children.”
Abigail nodded and looked back to Aquilia, who seemed perplexed. She smiled. “You are listening, my friend. That is good. You have spent many years serving your gods, and it is not to be expected that you revise your views in a day. But you are in my prayers.”
Obviously unsure how to respond to that, Aquilia turned to Samuel with a smile. “Tell your mother what we saw in the markets, Samuel. She will enjoy the story.”
Samuel settled beside Abigail on the chaise, and she prepared herself for a tale of fun.
Chapter Forty-Three