Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 79 ~ Perfidia

Some days Aurelia rushed from one appointment to the next. She had never thought about how she would one day reconcile her job and her family. Why should she have? Before Gaius, she had never had a serious relationship, and only a few months ago, her only obligations had been social - as befitted a Roman matrona. In history books, politics seemed so simple: a string of causes, occasions, events and consequences. But nothing was further from reality than this scheme. Events did not wait dutifully until the previous one was completed, but all knocked on her door at the same time and demanded her attention to the same degree. By now she was talking to his nannies more often than to her son. Hopefully she would pay more attention to Julius as soon as the Senate went into its summer break. Soon she would be able to inaugurate the first building of her university, but they were still short of professors. She had already spoken to some candidates for the fields of rhetoric and politics, but until now she was unsure who would be most suitable for these positions. She would prefer to postpone the opening of the university until all the buildings had been erected and professorships allocated. Perhaps she should hint at this at the next senate meeting.
Since their last open conversation, Clemens had not said another word about her pregnancy. Nor did he press her to inform Gaius anymore, and she was grateful that she could rely on Clemens. His presence and honesty calmed her nerves.
Suddenly, excited children's voices reached her ears. Curious, she rose from her desk and stepped to the window. Below her window, Julius, Lucius and Titus were playing tag. She watched the boys smiling for a while and it warmed her heart to hear Julius' laughter. With a heavy heart, she turned away from the sight, returned to her desk and devoted herself to listing the grain shipments from Egypt. It bordered on a miracle that all the ships had arrived safely in Ostia and the warehouses were well stocked.
"Please forgive the intrusion, milady," a nervous voice said, making Aurelia look up from her papers. She was about to put Nara off impatiently when she saw her maid's expression. Worried, she beckoned Nara to her and gently inquired as to the reason for her nervousness.
"It's about your sister-in-law Agrippina, milady," the girl whispered, pulling a small vial from a pocket of her dress. "This morning she gave me this tincture for you. She said that if I really want to serve you, I should administer this remedy to you tomorrow during your meeting with your sisters-in-law. But I recognised the seal and I think you should know it. It comes from a Gaul who mixes poisons in a seedy neighbourhood."
With pointed fingers, she took the small vial from Nara and held it against the light, examining it. Quietly she thanked the girl and as she slowly moved away, Aurelia played with the small bottle, lost in thought. She rose with a jerk, called Prunia to her and issued a series of orders to her secretary.

Two hours later, Clemens sat opposite her, turning the bottle thoughtfully in his hands.
"And this slave is credible?" he wanted to know, and Aurelia sighed. Nervously she played with her earring. Of course, she had been asking herself that question over and over again in the last few hours. But she knew Nara and Agrippina. Sophia had only had to smell the potion to recognise it. The intended use was clear.
"She didn't lie to me," Aurelia murmured. "Nevertheless, can you please check this matter for me discreetly?"
Wordlessly, Clemens rose and left her study. Restless, Aurelia tried to concentrate on the report of the governor of Africa, but the words blurred before her eyes, and she could make no sense of the sentences. Another hour passed before her door opened once more and Clemens entered with a scowl on his face. His expression was answer enough. Groaning, Aurelia buried her head in her hands and tried to swallow her feelings.
"Bring the most incorruptible of your Praetorians to me," she ordered coldly. "We must proceed very wisely."

The next day was her first day off this month and until yesterday she had been looking forward to it very much. Melancholy, Aurelia put her head back and enjoyed the feeling of the sun's warm rays on her skin. It could have been such a beautiful day, she thought to herself. Then she shook off her feelings and continued unperturbed on her way. Her friends had already gathered in the pavilion and she felt Clemens' presence at her back. She was not alone. They had a plan.
With her brightest smile, she greeted her friends and sat down unconcernedly next to Agrippina. Quickly she asked if she had missed anything and already Flavia and Agrippina began to tell her the latest gossip. Clementina listened attentively while Julia kept adding another juicy detail to what they were saying. After a while, a slave girl appeared at her side and handed her a cup, which Aurelia accepted carelessly. Because the other women's attention was currently focused on Flavia's anecdote about the wife of a petty senator, Aurelia unobtrusively leaned closer to Agrippina.
"I want to thank you for your understanding," she said in a lowered voice. Surprised, Agrippina blinked at her, and Aurelia gave her sister-in-law a grateful smile. Then she continued, "I know that you would act differently in my place. But I thank you from the bottom of my heart for respecting my decision, even if it is not yours. You are a true friend, Agrippina."
Agrippina's mask began to crack. Perfectly calm, Aurelia stirred her cup, placed the spoon on the saucer and slowly brought the cup to her mouth. Just before the ceramic touched her lips, Agrippina knocked the cup out of her hand. The elaborately crafted cup hit the floor with a clang and shattered into a thousand small particles, while the blood-red liquid sought a way out in the joints of the tiles. Surprised, she looked into Agrippina's dark eyes, which were dilated with panic. The tears shimmering in them made them look even bigger. Clementina and Flavia gave a little cry and angled their feet so their shoes wouldn't soak up Aurelia's cup contents.
"Why did you do that?" hissed Julia, aghast, staring uncomprehendingly at her sister. Agrippina ignored her, slid off her chair and sank to her knees in front of Aurelia. Her chest rose and fell as if after a sprint. Coldly, Aurelia looked down at her sister-in-law and could read in Agrippina's eyes how she understood that she had fallen into a trap.
"I'm sorry," she whispered breathlessly. "I should never have betrayed you. You are my friend, my sister-in-law, my sister. All these years you have kept my secrets, corrected my mistakes and protected me from all dangers. I thought it was now my turn to protect you. But that does not give me the right to decide for you. Please forgive me."
"Sister, what have you done?" cried Julia, aghast, neither Aurelia nor Agrippina paying any attention to her. Expressionless, Aurelia eyed her friend whom she had trusted so much and been so disappointed in.
"What you had planned cannot be forgiven," Aurelia replied icily, and all colour abruptly drained from Agrippina's face. Her breathing became even more panicky. Then, lowering her eyes, struggling for a last vestige of dignity, she asked if Aurelia intended to have her executed.
"No, Agrippina," Aurelia said callously, grasping her chin so that she had to look into her eyes and leaning down to her. "I will not make a decision about your fate. I will leave that to Gaius once he returns from Britain. So, pray to every god and goddess you know that he may forgive you. Because until he does, you will stay on your estate. You will not leave the compound. You will not receive visitors; you will not even write a letter without my permission. Do you understand me?"
Whimpering, Agrippina nodded. Disgusted, Aurelia let go of her treacherous friend and rose.
"What about Lucius?" asked Agrippina in a trembling voice. "Are you going to take him away from me?"
"I am not like you, Agrippina. I will not separate a child from its mother," she returned pointedly, turning her back on her for good and walking out of the pavilion without haste. She did not turn around. Not even Agrippina's little sob could soften her. Clemens detached himself from the shadows, nodded to his men to follow him, and his footsteps echoed muffled off the walls of the pavilion. Agrippina's cry no longer touched her. For her, Agrippina had already died.