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‘Isn’t it strange, that the symbol of military success can be a woman,’ she said, gesturing at the statue, ‘sculpted with weapons in armour, yet women can’t join the legions? Minerva, the patron of wisdom, can be a woman, but a woman cannot occupy the Senate?’

Claudia paused, holding the gaze of Damocles. His expression had shifted from boredom and embarrassment to discomforting curiosity.

‘I won’t make promises I can’t keep. I won’t pretend that the years to come will be free of conflict. That would be a lie. If you asked me what kind of empire keeps expanding without limit, always looking afield and abroad without first ensuring that its own citizens are thriving, I would tell you, it was a fragile one. Even greatness,’ she looked pointedly at Marcellus, as he had done to her, ‘must be held in balance. I can promise to serve and protect every man in the empire, as well as every woman and girl. Every citizen of Rome will be my subject, including the ones you take for granted. Thank you for your time, gentlemen.’

As with Marcellus, a number of people now spoke in Claudia’s favour, including Celadus the Handsome, who regaled how she’d attempted to evacuate Pompeii and been prevented by the praetorian guard who served her brother. It was arresting testimony, but he was just a gladiator – a famous one, but not exactly a member of the ruling classes.

The senate was more impressed when Pliny the Elder entered, being a general known for his vast wealth of knowledge.

‘I joined the military as a junior officer,’ he said. ‘I commanded a battalion of five hundred men. In my time, I have seen female warriors in Germania kill Roman soldiers without mercy. I have heard of female generals in Britannia defend territories, even though they were vastly outnumbered. I have seen with my own eyes that women can be just as strategic and, indeed, victorious in battle. As a scholar, too, I have met many women whose minds were just as bright as any man in their field.’

He smiled fondly and gestured at Rectina, now living with him and his nephew, the young Pliny.

‘Yet their work goes uncredited, unrecorded by history.’

Pliny, a seasoned master of public speaking, paused to allow the audience to reflect.

‘I have no doubt that Marcellus would be a fine emperor, but Claudia would be a world-changing empress, symbolizing the philosophical advancement of Rome, along with its territorial conquests. We must grow in mind as we grow in might. For this reason, I support her claim.’

Damocles opened the Senate floor up to questions. Most of them were for Marcellus, trying to pin down his plan for British expansion as he rambled in circles, saying nothing in a lot of words. Then a bearded man raised his hand, nodding at Claudia.

‘Is it true that you claim to be blessed by the goddess Minerva?’

‘The goddess is my patron,’ said Claudia, guardedly.

Though she was certain that some of the men in the room were backed by their own gods, they were not aware of it, as she had been made aware. They didn’t speak to them as she did.

All eyes turned to her.

‘What exactly do you mean by that?’ the man pried.

‘She guides and protects me.’

‘You have communicated directly with the goddess Minerva?’

‘Yes, but also other goddesses.’

The senators stirred – curious, resentful.

‘You are in communication with multiple deities?’

‘It should not come as a surprise that the imperial family is connected with divinity,’ she said. ‘It is tradition.’

This inspired a wave of protests:

‘What do you know of what the pantheon desires?’

‘She thinks she’s one of them!’

‘She thinks she’s divine!’

‘The goddesses speak to me, and through me, as I was chosen by Minerva to rule,’ Claudia insisted.

Her last statement caused an outcry, as senators began shouting and jeering all at once.

‘Prove it!’ one man crowed, inspiring others to chant along with him: ‘Yes, prove it! Go on, prove it.’

These same men had been told that her father met with Jupiter, that he dined with the gods in Elysium, and they had never questioned it, just because he was the emperor. But now it was her turn to declare her divinity, they were suddenly sceptics of the firmest degree.