Nobilissima (33 page)

I decided not to risk meeting his eyes and turned slightly away. Our relationship had been fraught with disagreement, from the first encounter when he had lectured Sylvia on the dangers of paganism, to his cowardly self-interest during the forced march with the Goths. Engaging in conversation with one of the senators from Rome, I hoped Alanus would tire of waiting and go away.

That was not to be, however. The crowd parted to allow Pope Innocent through with Alanus in his wake. “Nobilissima,” said Innocent. “I believe you know Alanus? He has been of great assistance to me for the last year. A most promising young man.”

Alanus looked much as he had the last time I had seen him, slightly overweight with pink cheeks and mournful brown eyes. The tattered grey tunics he had been wearing in the Goth camp had been replaced by elegantly cut woolen robes, embroidered with gold thread. His brown hair was long and carefully groomed. He looked like one of the plump cats that lived in the kitchens, well-fed and self-satisfied.

“Nobilissima.” Alanus bowed. “It is a great pleasure to meet you again. We all heard the news of the terrible cruelty you suffered at the hands of the Goths and I extend my sympathies.”

I hid my annoyance with a smile, aware of the courtiers watching us. “Not at the hands of the Goths, Alanus. Only of one man and his followers. The Goths, as you must surely know, were my family and friends and treated me with great respect.”

He pulled a face as if choosing to disbelieve me. Fighting the impulse to reprimand him, I looked at Innocent, waiting for him to explain why Alanus was there.

“We have some good news for you, Placidia,” said the Pope.

I stared at him, wondering what it could be. “Alanus has requested to be assigned permanently to the palace here in Ravenna,” said Innocent. “Now that you are back in residence, I felt that you would welcome an old friend as your spiritual advisor. And Alanus has a great many ideas on expanding our influence in the city. You told me that you are interested in constructing a new church and he is most enthusiastic about the opportunity of working with you on such a wonderful project.”

He beamed, and waited for my response. I bit back the words that sprang to my lips and paused before replying. “That is most considerate of both of you but I wouldn’t want to drag Alanus away from Rome where so much work is being done.”

“I assure you,” interrupted Alanus. “I come here most willingly. I find the prospect of working for the imperial family most exciting. And there is so much we could accomplish together. And lady Aurelia is here too, and we are good friends, are we not?”

Aurelia nodded but her look of astonishment made me smile.

“That’s settled then,” said Innocent. “Please excuse me, as I have many more people still to meet.”

He took his leave, accompanied by his entourage and Alanus.

“I have to talk to Innocent in private,” I said. “I’m sure he thinks he is being kind but I must persuade him to take Alanus back to Rome with him.”

“Alanus was most insistent on staying. He clearly loves the idea of being close to the throne,” said Aurelia.

“Yes, there are plenty of ambitious young men who would do anything to have access to the Emperor and the court,” I sighed. “But I thought such worldly considerations wouldn’t be important to a priest.”

Aurelia laughed. “I know you don’t believe that, Placidia. Look at how the Pope lives in luxury and security. It’s the next best thing to being Emperor.”

The rest of the evening passed without incident. The food was excellent and, in the presence of the Pope, the guests behaved with decorum. Honorius retired early, claiming fatigue. He had barely managed to conceal his look of boredom during the dinner and no one seemed surprised when he left. I was relieved to see him go. He hadn’t passed any words with me in private.

Not long after he had left the room, Innocent leaned close to me and kept his voice low. “I assume you have something to say to me regarding the Goths and their settlement?”

I looked at him in surprise. “I do,” I said. “I have found all the documents relating to the agreement, including the one signed by Honorius. Would you like to see them?”

Innocent shook his head. “I will take your word that the agreement exists,” he said. “It seems that the real obstacle is convincing your brother to acknowledge it, yes?”

“It’s his duty to acknowledge it,” I said, a little more loudly than I intended. “He must do what is right and follow through on the promises we made. I know Wallia, and I’m confident that he will align the Goths with Rome and fight the Vandals and other nations to further our best interests. He’ll be a strong ally if we give him what he needs to keep his people happy, fed, and with roofs over their heads.”

“Wallia is presumably an Arian as his predecessors were?”

“Yes, but they are good Christians, Your Holiness. They pray, they go to church and they believe in God. Over time, I believe that they can be brought to see the true faith and to accept Jesus as the Son of God. We must first demonstrate that we are also good Christians and that we keep our promises.”

“I agree,” said the Pope, leaning back in his chair and placing both hands on the table. “I always supported their claims, as you know, and my feeling is that we’ll convert them only by bringing them into the fold. If we alienate them by denying them the land and rights we promised, then we’ll lose them, both as allies and believers. You should talk with Honorius while I’m still in Ravenna so that I can add my opinion if it is required.”

I patted his hand. “Thank you,” I said.

It took two days to be granted an audience with Honorius. When I arrived, he was seated on his throne, surrounded by his courtiers. Gardius was there and gave me an encouraging smile when I entered.

“Sit here,” said Honorius, pointing to a stool at his feet. Obediently, I sat, facing him, aware of his advantage in sitting higher than I was.

“Well?” he asked.

I held up the pile of documents that I had collected from the library and a functionary rushed forward to take them from me. He riffled through them as though checking that nothing dangerous lurked there and then put them in Honorius’s outstretched hand.

“I can guess what these are,” said Honorius. “What makes you think I will change my mind now?”

“We discussed this before. You need to do what’s right. Gardius and the Senate believe this and so does the Pope. Wallia will be your ally forever, and God knows we need all the allies we can get to fend off the constant attacks at the edges of the Empire.”

“I hardly need a lecture on our military situation from you, Placidia,” he said. He stared at something behind my head for a long while, and I fidgeted on the stool but said nothing. Everyone in the room was silent. With deliberation, he leaned forward with both hands planted on his knees.

“I have a proposition for you, sister,” he said. My heart fluttered. Nothing good could come of a deal with Honorius.

“I’ll sign the deed to the land of Aquitania and I’ll release the gold that was promised to the Goths,” he said and paused to look around the room. A few senators nodded their approval and several courtiers clapped their hands.

“Ah, a popular decision, I would guess,” he said. “Good, I like to do things that are well received. But I think my generosity should be rewarded, don’t you?”

Everyone dropped their gaze to the floor or raised their eyes to the ceiling as though studying the astrological signs painted up there. The silence was palpable and broken only by the drone of an insect somewhere in the room.

He leaned further forward and cupped my chin in his hand. “What do you think? Should I not be shown some gratitude?”

“Yes, brother,” I replied, although my stomach churned.

“Excellent,” he said. “Then we have a deal. Your precious Goths get what we want, and you’ll marry someone I choose for you.”

“I won’t do that, Honorius,” I said quietly. “It’s not fair for you to make that demand.”

But, even as I spoke, I knew I could not win this battle. Parents made matches for their daughters all the time and Honorius, as both Emperor and my older brother, would be expected to assume that role. I was of an age where I could refuse but Honorius had the ultimate bargaining chip in his hand. If I agreed, I could win the deal for the Goths with no further campaigning.

He removed his hand from my face and leaned back. “Your choice, Placidia,” he said.

“Who is it that you wish me to marry?” I asked.

He laughed. “Surely, you must know that? Someone who admires you greatly. He comes from an aristocratic family and holds a position of considerable power. I wouldn’t choose anyone less qualified for my beloved sister.”

I stared at him, unable to form any words.

“I believe that he’s already asked you to marry him,” continued Honorius.

“Constantius,” I whispered. “No, Honorius. I can’t. He’s the man who ordered the blockade and forced the Goths to flee to Hispania.”

“He acted only on my orders,” said Honorius and stood up. “You don’t have to decide now. Leave me and come when you are ready. That is all.”

He gestured to his guards to escort me from the room. Gardius followed and caught up with me in the hallway.

“Can I be of assistance? You don’t need to consent to an unwanted marriage, you know. Together, we can win the battle for the Goths. It will take a little longer, that is all.”

“Thank you, Gardius. I need time to consider this and will talk with you soon. When do you intend to return to Rome?”

“I’ll leave with the Pope within a day or two,” he said. ‘I have much to do there and cannot linger much longer. Innocent’s tours of the churches and monasteries is complete and he too is eager to get back to Rome.”

“Then I’ll tell you before you leave of my intentions,” I said. “For now, I need some quiet time to think.”

Back in my apartments, Sylvia and Aurelia were waiting. “How did it go?” asked Sylvia. “Did he agree?”

Aurelia held up her hand. “Sshh, Sylvia. Let her tell us what happened.”

I told them about Honorius’s proposal.

“Ridiculous!” cried Sylvia. “Constantius is a horrible man. You can’t marry him.”

Chapter 31

“I need some fresh air,” I said. “Let’s walk in the gardens.”

Once outside, Aurelia took my hand and led me to a quiet bench in a small arbor covered with vines. Next to the bench was a pretty fountain that spouted water through the mouth of a bronze fish into a basin shaped like an oyster shell. The sound of the water was comforting.

“Placidia, we could go back to Rome,” suggested Aurelia. “If you are away from Honorius, he can’t harm you. You have your own finances and your own household and don’t need to depend on him. He can’t force you to marry.”

“Maybe not, but then I throw away the chance of ever securing this deal for the Goths.”

“I’m sure that will come about without such a sacrifice,” said Aurelia. “You have powerful friends who will see it through to conclusion. It’ll take longer, perhaps, but it must happen eventually.”

I stared pensively at the fountain. “I would be out of Honorius’ grasp, it’s true, but to leave my home and my work here would be hard. Besides, what about you? You like Ravenna. And so does Marcus.”

Aurelia held her hand under the flowing water. “That can’t be an obstacle to doing what is right for you.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the leaves drift from the trees and land soundlessly on the tiled patio. I thought about moving to Rome. I liked the city well enough and would be able to work with the Pope on his projects there. Gardius and his family would welcome me, as would many of the friends I’d made during my year-long stay there. Yet something didn’t feel right. I wanted to exercise my duties as a member of the imperial family. If I cut myself off from Honorius completely, my influence would be diminished, probably quite drastically.

“Placidia, why are you smiling? Is there some private joke I don’t understand?” asked Sylvia.

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. How to confess something that I had just realized about myself? But I had to be honest with my friends.

“I don’t want to leave the court,” I said. “I like being part of the imperial family. I want to keep my position, and to use it. For good, of course…” I stumbled over the words, still struggling to comprehend the fact that going to Rome felt like running away, abdicating my responsibilities.

“Placidia, you’re confessing that you have ambitions!” Aurelia exclaimed in mock horror.

“Well, I do,” I agreed. “I hadn’t realized how strongly I felt about it until now. There is so much I can achieve if I can just find my place here.”

“You’d get more done than Honorius can,” said Sylvia. “You’re a lot smarter than he is.”

We all laughed and fell silent again, pondering the issue.

“Of course, you could marry Constantius,” Aurelia said after a while and then clapped her hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“Don’t be daft,” said Sylvia. “She hates him.”

“I meant,” said Aurelia, “that you have to face the fact that you won’t marry for love again. I don’t know if what you had with Ataulf could happen twice in one lifetime. But you must consider marriage. There are many advantages.” She stopped. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Marriage is one thing, but I realize that marrying Constantius is quite another.”