Ancient Ties (13 page)

Mounted again, Marek had not given Janney the option of riding her own horse. He wanted to feel her against him, to watch her yield to him. “Tell me about your work in the Twenty-first Century.” Marek liked saying those words. The time sounded exciting. He’d give anything to see it.

“I teach school.”

“A woman does this? This teaching? Does it make you happy?”

Marek felt her relax then in his arms as she talked. He quickly took advantage and subtly tightened his arms around her.

He laughed at her funny stories about her kids and commiserated with her problems of controlling their youthful high spirits.

“Do all women work?”

“A lot. Some want to. Many have to.”

“Don’t they want to stay home and raise their children?

Their kids?” he chuckled, feeling ridiculously happy. Good Gods, who would have thought that he would enjoy conversation with a woman?

“They probably would like to, but the cost of living is so high that most of the time both husband and wife have to work to make ends meet.”

“Why don’t they lower their cost of living?” Marek could figure out what that meant. It was the same in Rome, in Britannia. Prices were high. Services were costly.

“Well, like I said before, everyone wants a lot of stuff.

Belongings. Electronic toys.”

“Electronic toys?”

“Oh, Marek, you wouldn’t believe what’s out there in the future. There are so many more things to do than there are now.

So many things to buy. With airplanes and cars, you can travel anywhere.”

“But you say people aren’t happy with these things? Are you happy, Janney? Do you want to go back to it?”

Janney stopped talking and seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Marek wondered where she was. Probably back in her century. Is that where she wanted to be? She’d tensed up again.

He didn’t know what to do, so he remained silent.

They trotted along. He listened to the clip clop of his horse’s hooves, to the birds desultorily calling to each other in the late afternoon heat. The sun slipped beyond the horizon as night fell slowly around them. Eventually, Janney’s body softened, and she burrowed deeply into his arms. Finally giving into her weariness, she closed her eyes. Her head rested against his shoulder, and he was able to freely gaze upon her face. They plodded on deep into the night. Marek was in no hurry to get her out of his arms. She felt good there. She felt right.

Eligius, Marek’s chief servant, tall and skeletally thin, completely bald, with a pasty white complexion, carried himself distinctively straight. He was proud of his position. All the villa’s slaves had been freed when Marek purchased it three years before. Now paid good wages, the servants were all loyal and dependable.

Several hours past nightfall, Marek finally crossed the threshold of the villa with the woman nestled in his arms. Eligius had expected him hours ago and had almost given up. The fact that he couldn’t read his master’s expression did not dim his delight at this turn of events. He’d brought the woman.

Eligius hid his smile as he led them left toward the master bedchamber, but couldn’t hide his surprise when Marek hissed a negative, turned right, and headed for the second best chamber.

The servant, confused by the chaste behavior of his master, stood in the doorway as Marek laid the woman down gently, covered her with a light blanket, and brushed his lips over her cheek. Silently, each man watched as she stretched luxuriously and then curled into a ball with one hand under her cheek. Little moans that sounded like pleasure escaped her lips. Her brow creased then smoothed as she dropped more deeply into sleep.

Startled, Eligius jumped back as Marek brushed abruptly past him and swept them both from the room.

“Have Rhea look in on her in a few hours. If she wakes and asks for anything at all, give it to her immediately. Janney is my special guest. Treat her as if she were your mistress,” Marek instructed.

“Ahh.” Eligius, surprised but pleased with these new developments, tried to maintain his serene, professional countenance. Ever since his master’s breakdown, the commander had shown no interest in any woman. After physically recuperating in Aquae Sulis, Marek had aimlessly roamed the countryside around his villa by day and battled nightmares by night. It wasn’t as if the local women hadn’t fought among themselves to calm his nerves. Many would have done anything to lighten his dark moods and make him smile again. Marek would have none of it, and instead looked past their pursuit of him and submerged himself in his pain.

Fortunately, the commander employed a good, loyal staff and so the villa, its villages, orchards, and pottery works ran uneventfully, even without his constant attendance.

This was an interesting development, the arrival of the commander, carrying in the pretty young woman. Eligius was impressed with the gentle way he treated her and the look of longing he gave her as he left her curled up in sleep. Well, he, for one, was very happy to see a shift in his employer’s frame of mind. Marek hadn’t deserved the beating he gave himself because of what had happened in the heat of battle.

One minute Janney was asleep, the next she bolted awake, eyes wide-open, heart pounding. She lay still, unsure where she’d find herself now in this crazy scenario her life had become.

She listened for the sounds of another person. Without moving her head, her eyes searched the room as far as they could, searching the shadows and the lighted areas. She was alone, on a bed it seemed, not bobbing up and down on a hard, bouncing horse. Thank God. Alone. Not safe and protected in strong arms.

Disoriented, she sat up slowly and looked about the room.

The light from a low, fluttering oil lamp silhouetted furniture that she recognized as typical bedroom furniture, with a few Second Century variations. In the shadows on the walls painted

faces peered down. Filmy, gauzy hangings swayed gently in a breeze coming from an open window.

Relieved not to be completely in the dark, she found her way to the door and crept out. Janney gasped at the beauty of the courtyard illuminated by a huge, bright moon making it almost seem like daytime. The air was fresh, scented with flowers and the fragrance of citrus trees. Similar to Augusta’s courtyard, the space here was larger and not as formal. A fountain in the center splashed musically. Grass surrounded it, and narrow gravel paths tracked around, bordered by low bushes in some places and flowering plants in others. Stone benches nestled in wooden arbors. The whole garden was incredibly beautiful. Had Marek designed this?

A breeze ruffled her hair and caressed her cheek. So, this was Marek’s villa. He surprised her. She hadn’t really expected a career Roman soldier to own such an elegant place. She’d figured that he lived in something the likes of an ancient log cabin. This was magical. Romantic and luscious.

Janney rubbed the goose bumps suddenly springing up on her bare arms, not sure what caused them. It wasn’t that chilly.

She almost wished that she were still in his arms. She was also somewhat surprised that he hadn’t been in the bed with her, thankful he wasn’t, or wanting him to be—she wasn’t entirely sure which.

A howl disrupted the quiet, piercing through Janney’s thoughts. Her heart pounded as she backed defensively to the nearest wall and peered about her into the shadows. Another howl. Frozen in place, Janney hugged herself, shivering in fear.

Words? She couldn’t quite make out the words. Someone was in trouble. Janney raced toward the sound, toward the light coming through an open doorway.

Peeping around the edge of the doorframe, she saw several oil lamps glowing closely around the bed making the corners of the room dark and eerie. Shadows jumped jerkily, crazily.

Women, two that she could see, moved around silently. She observed a huge bed covered with heavy hangings. She heard

groans. A hunched figure, back to the door, sat on the edge of the bed. Marek. She couldn’t see his face, his expression.

His back was bare, but he wasn’t entirely naked. Something that looked like designer men’s under-shorts hugged his body from his waist, over his bottom, to a heavily muscled thigh.

Janney felt the pulse beat in her throat. Wanting to go to him, she took one step, then stopped. One of the women already in the room dropped to her knees in front of him. Close. Very close. It looked as if she was…going to…
Ohmigod!
Janney’s face flamed in shock.

Sickened and embarrassed, Janney couldn’t accept what she saw with her own eyes—didn’t want to. Why should she be surprised? Of course, the Romans were famous for orgies. For all kinds of excesses. Why would she think he didn’t take part in them? Her heart breaking, she backed silently out and pressed her back against the cool stone wall outside the room. None of the people in that room had noticed her.

Thank God!

Unable to chase the image from her brain, she leaned her head back afraid if she lifted it off the wall, she’d faint—or throw up. Her chest tightened painfully.

I have to get to my room. I have to get out of here.

Miraculously, she spied the open door of the room she’d left only a few minutes before. Why had she ever left it? She wouldn’t have witnessed that horrible sight. She wouldn’t now know what kind of man he is. Janney felt humiliated. Angry. So angry. Why had she ever left Aquae Sulis?

Was he having sex with those women? Janney slammed her own door and bolted it. Her stomach roiled with hurt and frustration. She’d let him fuck her with his fingers and mouth.

She knew her thoughts were crude, but that’s what he’d done.

Of course, he wanted his turn.

Of course, he did. He’s a man. I bet he couldn’t wait to get here so
he could get his own blow job.
Shaking with revulsion and betrayal, she threw herself on the bed and pounded it with her fists until the ache in her arms and her heart was replaced by cold anger.

That bastard. Damn him. I have to get out of here. Damn, damn.

Damn him. Thank God, I found this out in time. He was going to fuck
two women. What a creep!

Janney groaned. She did not want to open her eyes, she barely could. Even though they felt heavy and gritty, she knew, through her closed lids that it was light out. Testing her limbs, she found them tight and aching. The memory hit her brain, and her groan turned into a whimper. The sight of Marek and the woman on her knees in front of him shredded her confused heart.

Idiot. Fool.
Janney berated herself.

“Fool,” she repeated out loud. She knew nothing about him.

Very little about this time in history. He was so far beyond her experience.

Panic hit hard. Janney’s throat closed like she was strangling. Tears filled her eyes.

“He has to take me back. Today. Now.”

Janney paced the bedroom trying to stifle her tears and worry. She had to get control of herself before she left this room. She was determined that the pictures of Marek last night would not be permanently planted in her brain. Finally charged up, ready to do battle with the man, Janney burst from her room.

The courtyard appeared empty. Birds trilled prettily for such a miserable day. The day was beautiful. She was miserable.

Two young girls, about the age of her third grade students, stared at Janney from the shadows of the colonnade. They giggled, and one covered her mouth as if embarrassed to be caught. Then they turned and disappeared in an instant. Was she just going to be ignored?

She took the opportunity to wander around the peristyle. It was enchantingly overgrown with the flowering bushes and fruit trees she’d smelled in the night. Apples? And cherries? She forgot her anger and confusion for a moment when she saw these

familiar things. Janney turned. There were marble statues.

Whole statues, not with missing body parts like she’d seen in museums. Marble benches. A huge fountain. She approached it and trailed her fingers through the water. The bed of the fountain was covered with a mosaic of fish and mermaids.

Mermaids? Did the ancient Romans have mermaids? She couldn’t recall. They must have.

Janney loved the garden. Even though all the plantings were full and lush, she could still see that it was laid out in a rectangular, formal way. Just like English gardens to this day.

She cringed. Did she even know anymore what century she was in?

Janney became aware that she was no longer alone. The man she knew was Marek’s servant, Eligius, materialized out of the shadowed archway.

“Where is Marek? I want to speak to him immediately.”

Janney vibrated with anger.

“The master will be home this evening. He is meeting with his managers.” Eligius bowed. “I am sorry for not attending you sooner.”

“This evening! That’s too long. I need to find him. I have to leave now!” Janney struggled to keep her composure.

“Please, Mistress,” Eligius said, staying calm in the face of her distress. “You must wait for the master’s return. I am so sorry. The master has commanded that you be given whatever you need to make you comfortable. We will take good care of you. Surely you would like some food and to bathe.”

“I’d like a horse and someone to take me back to Bath, I mean Aquae Sulis.” She didn’t know how much Eligius knew about her and whether he’d know the city as Bath. “Would you have someone arrange that please?”

“Again, I am sorry. The master did not say anything about that. You must wait until he returns.”

Janney fumed and paced. Trapped. Marek’s staff was nothing if not gracious and accommodating. She was offered food and the freedom to wander. Nevertheless, the freedom was

only inside the villa’s walls. The outer gate was barred at the big double wooden doors, and a man squatted there opening them to admit deliveries and then closing them again. It seemed anyone and everyone was free to move in and out but her. It was a silent reminder that she was under Marek’s control. No one but Eligius spoke to her. The maids covertly, and at times not so covertly, watched her.