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‘Maybe you will accept these, as a peace offering.’

He clapped his hands and Mehdi retrieved a bouquet from a bush. It was a large arrangement of exotic flowers: desert roses, oleander, black irises, pink cyclamen and white jasmine.

‘They’re divine,’ said Claudia. ‘I will display them with pride and tend to them for as long as they will survive.’

The prince’s advisor passed the flowers to Gia, as if she was a servant. She accepted, though she didn’t look happy about it.

‘My guard having her hands free is a key requirement of the job,’ objected Claudia, as the arrangement obscured Gia’s face from view.

‘One hand on the sword, one hand on the flowers,’ said Gia, passing the flowers off to Aurelia. ‘I’m sure I could still do some damage.’

‘Even with roses in your eyes?’

‘I will pray to Fortuna for inner sight.’

‘And there is this.’

Darius gestured, and again Medhi presented Claudia with a gift – a stunning pearl and jet necklace.

‘It’s… stunning,’ she breathed.

‘Let me,’ said Gia, her fingers gently grazing the back of Claudia’s neck as she put it on. Claudia could feel her warm breath, her whole body calling out for Gia’s firm touch.

‘Sorry, it’s fiddly. I can’t fix the clasp.’

Claudia was sure Gia was delaying, to tease her. Her desire was so strong she felt sure the prince would pick up on its rumblings, like a tremor beneath their feet.

‘There, got it.’

Gia fixed Claudia’s hair, smoothing down the back of her robes as Claudia’s skin thrummed deliciously.

‘What do you think?’ said Claudia, turning her back to Darius.

‘It’s perfect, Empress,’ said Gia, as professionally as she could manage. ‘The prince has fine taste.’

Darius perked up when they visited the Temples of Venus and Vesta where they made offerings, complimenting the beautiful fashions of the goddesses. By the time they paid their respects at the Mausoleums of Augustus and Caesar, he was practically bubbly in conversation.

‘Your Roman gods are interesting to me,’ he said. ‘The stories make clear their flaws. They are like mortals, in that way, consumed by their own fears and desires.’

‘It is relatable, indeed,’ Claudia agreed.

‘I also find myself fascinated by the legends of your most infamous emperors. Such colourful characters! Is it true, about the horse? Did Caligula really make it his consul?’

‘Not quite. I heard that he said it in jest, as a way to display his displeasure with the Senate. He was saying “a horse could do a better job than these politicians” not “I will literally employ this horse”, but given that his reputation for wild behaviour preceded him, it wasn’t difficult for people to believe the more lurid version of the story.’

Darius stroked the pendant he wore around his neck. Claudia hadn’t noticed it until now. It was small, but it depicted what looked like a lotus flower, its petals jewelled in quartz.

‘This is pretty,’ she said, pointing at it.

‘Pretty?’ he echoed.

Claudia sensed that he was offended by her choice of word. Had she somehow emasculated him?

‘It is more than that,’ he said. ‘It is a symbol of my goddess.’

Claudia stopped walking, as Gia almost crashed into her.

‘Your goddess?’