Ides of March, 44 BCE. The death of Julius Caesar.
When Caesar is assissinated his only living child, Lucretia Julia Caesaris, is left alone in the turbulant Rome. That is until her cousin, and new brother, Gaius Octavius arrives and changes the lan...
11th Day Before the Kalends of September (22nd August)
Lucretia rolled her neck back and stretched her fingers. The half finished tunic on the loom before her was almost taunting. She'd promised Gaius that she would make him a new tunic to commemorate his ascension to Consul. What she hadn't mentioned is she hadn't made any new clothes since she made one for her father after he was named Dictator... two years ago. It wasn't that she had forgotten how to weave, it was that her hands didn't like doing it anymore.
For the past day she'd been attempting to weave the tunic from some dyed wool that she'd purchased at market, but her body didn't want to and now she was hurting and tired. "Lucretia?" Octavia's voice rang through the house.
"In here!" Lucretia called back, standing as she did. When Octavia entered the room Lucretia walked over to kiss her cheek. Her cousin was heavily pregnant, Lucretia noted. "It's been too long my dear." The two cousins hadn't seen each other very often over the past year. Octavia was three years older, married and had friends of her own. It was no wonder she preferred to spend time with them and her mother, who Gaius had told Lucretia was beginning to show her age.
"It truly has," Octavia smiled, "you must come with Scribonia and I to market one day."
Lucretia smiled stiffly and motioned for Octavia to take a seat, "maybe, I am quite busy."
Octavia raised an eyebrow, "you just don't like her," she accused. It was true, Lucretia didn't like the wife of Publius Scipio, she was always asking after Gaius, and the one time they'd been in a room together she'd been falling all over him. "Oh, you're jealous."
Lucretia blinked, "what would I be jealous of? We are both married and--"
"--don't play the fool. I see how you both look at Gaius." Octavia rolled her eyes at Lucretia who slipped onto the seat next to her.
"Our brother is free to be with any woman he pleases." Lucretia said sharply.
"But you want it to be you?" Octavia asked.
"It does not matter. Gaius and I have more important worries. We all do." Octavia sighed at that.
"Yes we do... any more plans I need to know about?" Ah yes, Octavia was still slightly annoyed that Gaius hadn't told her about his bid for Consul before he'd made it.
"None that I know of, but I'll be sure to keep you involved." The two cousins smiled at each other.
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Ides of September (13th September)
Agrippa ran his hand through Lucretia's hair. "So beautiful," he murmured.
"So handsome," she responded. He laughed and kissed down her neck.
The sound of a door closing cut them short. Pulling apart to see Gaius walking into the atrium. His lips were pursed and eyebrows furrowed. Agrippa sighed. Well, that stopped anything else happening today.
