Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 40 ~ In matrimonium ducere

Unnoticed, Aurelia entered her room and hurriedly changed her clothes. Inwardly, she scolded herself for not leaving a note for her family. But what should she have written? I'm on my way with Gaius. See you tonight. She brushed her hair quickly, then a timid knock sounded at her door. Aurelia took a quick look in the small mirror and put on a neutral expression. Then, without haste, she ran to the door and opened it. The young kitchen slave, Segimer, stepped unsteadily from one foot to the other. Without lifting his eyes, he murmured that Vespasius was waiting for them in the library. Aurelia nodded, dismissed the young Teuton and strolled leisurely through the city villa. The slaves began to light the oil lamps on silent soles and bowed when Aurelia passed them, giving each of them a warm smile. Involuntarily she had to think of light switches. How much easier light switches made life! In the past, it had been so natural for her to turn on the light herself when she entered an empty room. I wonder if the slaves often hurt themselves lighting the lamps. She frowned thoughtfully and decided to talk to Vespasius about it.
All too soon she reached the wooden door decorated with mythological scenes; like the rest of the artwork in the house, these carvings also bore witness to the sexual preferences of the master of the house - only here, after all, most of the men were engrossed in conversation. What she liked most was the depiction of Apollo and Hyacinth. When she had been to the Old Masters with her school class, she had discovered the metamorphosis of Hyacinth in a tiny painting, and later this part of Apollo's love life had appeared again and again in a series of books by her favourite author on modern Greek mythology. She ran her hand thoughtfully over the relief. All at once she missed her real family in their real world and felt out of place. Certainly, her parents would not have been pleased if she had simply disappeared to move around the houses with a boy. But her parents would have understood her. She could always talk to them openly and honestly and they listened to her. What could she expect from Vespasius? In those days a woman had few rights. Would she have had to ask his permission before leaving the house? Would he punish her for simply disappearing for a day?
Aurelia took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. She took a step back, straightened her shoulders and stood up straighter. The next moment, Vespasius' secretary Sophos opened the door and told her she could now enter. She smiled kindly at him and stopped first in front of Vespasius, who was lying on a sofa reading. When she sat down opposite him on Sophos' stool, he put his scroll aside and signalled Sophos to withdraw. Quietly, the door closed at her back and their eyes met. Nervously, Aurelia brushed a strand of hair from her face. Vespasius' mouth twisted into a friendly smile.
"I hope you had a good day, my dear," he said good-humouredly and taken aback, Aurelia nodded.
"I'm very glad to hear that," Vespasius continued. "Of course, I would rather you discuss your plans with me next time and not just leave me a short message. But I understand that you could not refuse a direct invitation from Gaius. However, during your absence Pallas came to us with an invitation from the worthy Antonia for you and I unfortunately had to send him away again. But she asked me to tell you that she would like to receive you tomorrow morning. Presumably she would like to discuss a few important things with you about your wedding, or do you already have other plans for tomorrow?"
Aurelia quickly explained that she would like to visit Antonia tomorrow and Vespasius clapped her hands in delight. Silently she thanked Gaius for his foresight in informing her family of their day together.
"Then let's have dinner now - we were just waiting for you," he said with a wink, they rose at the same time and together they strolled chatting to the dining room. Vespasian, who always stayed with his uncle during his stays in Rome, was already lying there with two surprise guests: next to him was his brother Sabinus with his wife Clementina, who just jumped up to greet her friend. Full of joy, Aurelia embraced Clementina tightly.
"What are you doing here?" she asked excitedly. "Weren't you supposed to return to Rome in November when it got too cold at your country estate?"
Clementina laughed and pushed Aurelia a little away from her. She returned her gaze with mock sternness and replied: "Do you really think I would pass up your marriage to the most desirable man in Rome?"
During the meal they exchanged stories about how they had been during the time they had been apart and even though Vespasian and Sabinus were constantly teasing each other, the mood was relaxed. Aurelia realised how much she had grown fond of these people. They had welcomed her into their family without asking questions about her past and were there for her when she needed them. Within a few months they had become her new family and even though she would be leaving this house in a few days to join Gaius in the imperial palace, these people would remain an important part of her family.