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‘And how do you plan to entertain him?’

They locked eyes.

‘Just enough to keep him distracted,’ said Claudia.

‘Are you sure you’ll be safe without me?’ said Gia.

There was a softness to her face that made Claudia’s chest ache. She knew Gia was afraid, not just of assassins, but of what might occur between her and the prince, if she wasn’t there.

‘Good day, Empress,’ said Cassius.

Equipped in full armour, he waited for Claudia at the bottom of the stairs instead of Gia.

‘Good day, Cassius.’

It was endearing and disarming how much he looked like her. Older and hairier, of course, with a more prominent nose, but they had the same brows, the same brown eyes – even his smile had a hint of Gia to it.

‘I assume Gia has let you in on the plan.’

‘What plan?’ he said. ‘I have heard of no plan. My only plan is to guard the empress with my life.’

Claudia smiled appreciatively.

‘You’re almost as witty as she is,’ she said, after a moment.

‘Wittier, I would say.’

Claudia glimpsed Gia watching them from the balcony, winking at her before they stepped outside. She climbed into the chariot that waited for her, as they continued on to the theatre.

‘You wish to find a reason not to marry the prince,’ said Cassius. ‘I cannot imagine turning down such an offer, but I will do what I can to uncover his deepest, darkest secrets.’

‘I have my reasons.’

It was quiet between them. Cassius did not make small talk, leaving them to sit in silence.

‘It’s good to catch up with you,’ said Claudia. ‘We haven’t had much time to socialize, since we’ve been here.’

‘And here I thought that all emperors did was laze on lecterns all day, eating grapes,’ he said. ‘How wrong I was.’

‘Such is the privilege of being a man,’ she said. ‘If I did that for even a single day, I’d be ousted faster than you can say “Faster than you can draw your sword.” ’

‘Instead, we have gods attacking ships and statues coming to life,’ he said. ‘What next?’

‘They do say it’s a gift, to live in such interesting times.’

‘Hmm.’

The stone theatre loomed ahead, enclosed by a series of large columned porticos. Along the stretch of the covered arcade were rooms displaying various artworks and artefacts, but the building centred upon the circular seating arrangement that overlooked the curtained stage. At its very top, in the rows sometimes referred to as the nosebleeds due to their high altitude, was a small temple to a victorious Venus, which protruded from the exterior of the building as if it had been stuck on by the goddess herself.

Claudia had chosen the theatre as a kind of sanctuary, watched over by her divine ally. Though Caesar had been killed here, his son had restored it, ensuring its continued use.

A group of people crowded outside, awaiting her arrival, including the usual leagues of soldiers. Cassius gazed at them thoughtfully as he helped her out of the chariot.

‘I swore I would never serve the empire again after I returned from duty, yet here I am, dressed in uniform and escorting the empress.’

‘I would be interested to hear of your experiences,’ said Claudia. ‘Perhaps they could be of interest to the generals, too. They are still searching for the missing legion.’

Cassius scoffed. ‘I would not serve them,’ he said. ‘After what I have seen, I no longer support the campaign in Britannia at all. So many lives lost, and for what? So that Rome can acquire another tiny island?’