Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 88 ~ De Coniuratione

Although hours had already passed, their cries still echoed in his ears and made his body tremble. Even the familiar silence of his chamber provided no relief, so Clemens toyed with the idea of seeking distraction in the expensive wine that Gaius and Aurelia had in abundance. But he was still on duty and drinking went against his deepest convictions. He could never neglect his duty, no matter how much something might be hurting him. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, but the echo of her pain-distorted voice would not go away.
A nervous knocking against the solid wood of his door penetrated his thoughts, pushing his memories to the back of his mind. With renewed determination, Clemens opened his eyes, rose and walked with firm steps to the door. On the threshold stood a small boy who could not be much older than his son and all at once a wave of longing for his simpler life with the other part of his family in the country swept through him.
Before he could ask the boy why he had sought him out, the child said, without looking him in the eye, "City prefect Quintus Sanquinius Maximus has sent me to you with this message, sir. I am to tell you that this matter is of the utmost urgency and that he wishes to rely on your discretion in this matter."
Trembling with nervousness, the boy thrust a thin scroll into his hand, turned on his heel and darted into the darkness of the long corridors of the impressive palace.
Briefly, Clemens looked around in all directions, but he could not spot anyone who could have observed the scene. With a furrowed brow, he retreated into the silence of his chamber, broke the seal, unrolled the papyrus and skimmed the quickly scrawled words with growing dismay.

"And you are sure that this is not a forgery?", Julia wanted to know again, while her grandmother, deep in thought, played with the short note from the city prefect in her hands.
"I have already checked the city prefect's seal for you several times, milady," Caenis, Antonia's private secretary, interjected quietly, while Clemens wished for the umpteenth time that Julia had not insisted on accompanying her grandmother when he had her summoned to him. The fewer people knew that the doctor who had delivered the child of the most powerful woman in the state had been murdered in the Suburba only a short time after the birth, the better Clemens could pursue his duty to protect his Caesar's family. With Aurelia still firmly in Somnus' gentle hands for renewed strength, Clemens had had no choice but to turn to Antonia in this matter.
In a corner sat Aurelia's private secretary, logging the conversation for her lady. Presumably Aurelia would destroy the wax tablet after reading it. Apart from the two slaves and Aurelia's closest female relatives, the room was empty. Still, there were already too many people involved in this matter for his liking. But this matter could not and should not be put off any longer until he could turn only to Aurelia. They had to find a solution now.
Clemens took a deep breath and steered the conversation to the real question that was bothering him. For in his eyes, the easiest way to investigate the authenticity of the letter was to gather as much information as possible about the demise of Aulus Aemilius Paetus. As prefect of the Praetorian Guard, he was, like his predecessors, perfectly capable of making these enquiries without consulting Gaius' family. But unlike his predecessors, he did not intend to lose the trust of this family and so he preferred to make such decisions together.
"I would prefer it if you would immediately gather your men and search the doctor's house thoroughly," Antonia admitted, adding a second later plaintively that unfortunately this was not possible because an investigation would only startle their enemies. Caenis looked as if she too was thinking hard, while Julia reached for a cup of wine and interjected: "I don't see what's so special about a murder in the Suburba. The man had a lot of money with him because we rewarded him generously. He was probably on his way home when some criminals noticed him and because he wouldn't give up his wallet, they killed him"
"The man didn't live in Suburba, not even close to it," Caenis clarified quietly, and Antonia clicked her tongue impatiently.
"Did the man still have his wallet with him?", Antonia wanted to know, and Clemens just shrugged. He knew no more than the city prefect had told him. For a few more minutes the two women argued about the meaning and significance that could be attached to the murder of Aurelia's doctor and Clemens began to squirm inwardly. This discussion was going round in circles, and they were wasting precious time. Why was Julia here at all if she couldn't contribute any results in the end?
"Why don't we just wait until Aurelia wakes up?" suggested Clemens, who by now regretted not having waited for Aurelia. He would have found a common solution with her long ago. Antonia eyed him coolly and shook her head irritably.
"I don't understand why we should even inform Aurelia about this. She has just given birth to a child. We must go easy on her and not upset her unnecessarily. After all, she will be back in the Senate in less than a week and she must not appear weak," Julia said and she would have said more if Antonia had not slapped her across the face. Staring at her grandmother in disbelief, Julia rubbed her cheek, making her look younger.
"I raised you better than that, child," Antonia said coldly, shaking her head in disappointment. "How can you display such ignorance and lack of political sense? Do you really not understand that this is no small matter? Your own sister was banished to her estate for making decisions for her behind Aurelia's back. Do you want to be the next to be at her brother's mercy? Besides, I taught you that strength as a woman can only come from knowledge. Ignorance leads to carelessness and carelessness leads to negligence and negligence can be fatal for any of us. If Aurelia falls, a new civil war will break out in Rome. Can you even begin to imagine what that will mean for our family?"
Wide-eyed, Julia stared at her grandmother. Her mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to contradict, but she remained silent. More than ever, she reminded Clemens of a little girl who had been reprimanded by her mother. What a huge contradiction to the strong and intelligent woman she was in Aurelia's presence. More than ever, Clemens understood how important Aurelia was to the continuity of this family. She not only exercised her husband's office and thus protected her family's position within Roman society. Aurelia kept this family from breaking apart and waging war against each other. Augustus may have brought peace to the Roman people, but Aurelia brought peace to Augustus' quarrelling and competing descendants.
"My lady would order the matter to be reviewed discreetly," Prunia interjected quietly, and Julia glowered at the slave girl for speaking without permission. But Antonia only nodded thoughtfully and rubbed her nose with her index finger. A hint of pride flashed in Caenis' eyes; after all, she had trained Prunia.
"I will look into the matter myself," Clemens declared calmly. Threateningly slowly, grandmother and granddaughter turned to him and instantly all their pent-up emotions hit him. Antonia shook her head and insisted that it was already too late, while Julia reproached him for leaving Aurelia unprotected. Clemens gritted his teeth and tried to control his emotions, but when the two women did not calm down and showered him with further reproaches, he slammed his fist down on the expensive oak desk. Suddenly there was silence.
"By the gods, women, can't you even let me finish?" he ruled them gruffly. "My duty is paramount to me, and I will never do anything that would jeopardise the safety of your family. At the moment my best fighters are outside Aurelia's chambers and I have ordered that her children will be brought to her. I advise you to go there as well after our conversation because it is the safest place in all of Rome right now. I have no intention of removing even one man from his post; I shall look into this matter alone. We must lose no more time. Will you let me go about my duty or do we want to waste any more time in pointless quarrels?"