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‘Nothing unsuitable for a lady’s ears, I hope.’ Ario winked at her and she had to stifle a laugh. Apparently Marius was right about the lack of discipline amongst auxiliary troops. The Decurion was nothing like any Roman soldier she’d ever come across, though the speculative way he was looking at her hair made her uneasy, too.
‘Ario.’ She inclined her head, lips still twitching, before turning back to her husband. ‘Is this where you came two days ago?’
‘One of the places. I have to visit Ario whenever I can.’ Marius grinned. ‘He gets grumpy otherwise. You know we met on the very first day I arrived at the wall. He fell off his horse at my feet.’
‘Fell?’ Ario shoved him hard in the ribs. ‘I was being chased by a war party of Caledonian warriors, as I recall. They shot my horse out from under me and I rolled to a stop in front of this man. Still, under the circumstances, I was glad to meet him. He saved my life that day.’
‘And now I’m stuck with him as a friend.’
‘That insult works both ways.’ Ario gave another, even harder shove. ‘So how long are you here for this time?’
‘A few weeks, perhaps. You and I have an expedition to lead.’
‘Over the wall?’ The Decurion’s expression turned serious at once. ‘It’s about time. Nerva’s finally taking the threat seriously, then?’
‘Not exactly. He just wants me out of Coria for a while.’
‘Ah.’ Ario’s gaze settled on Livia appraisingly. ‘In that case, you and I had better talk. But first, let me show you to your quarters. I have just the place for you two to stay.’
‘In a moment. I think my wife would like to visit the wall first.’
‘Really?’ Livia looked up eagerly.
‘Really.’ Marius twisted his head slightly towards Ario though he kept his eyes fixed on hers. ‘We won’t be long.’
He gestured towards a side tower and then let her precede him up the stone steps on to the wall itself. She drew in a few deep breaths, bracing herself for her first view of the north, though she made sure to turn around first, looking southward so that the direction of her interest wouldn’t be too obvious. To her surprise, the walkway was only a few feet wide, though the parapet wall was taller than she was, albeit with gaps at regular intervals to look through. She peered through one at last and then bit her lip to stop herself from exclaiming aloud.
The land beyond was everything she’d imagined and more, wild and sweeping and vast, making her chest ache again with a sense of belonging she hadn’t felt since childhood. Belonging? The idea surprised her, but then why not? Surely this, if anywhere, was where she belonged, here on the line between the two worlds, half-Roman, half-Caledonian, neither belonging to nor accepted by either and yet inherently a part of both. Maybe here on the border she could finally be herself.
‘It’s beautiful.’ The words emerged as a whisper.
‘It is.’ Marius’s voice came from just behind her shoulder. ‘Even more so to the west. The wall follows a natural ridge of cliffs and crags, so it looks even more impressive. You can see for miles.’
‘You sound as if you like it.’
‘I do. It’s beautiful on both sides of the wall, but...’
‘But?’ She risked a quick glance behind her, surprised to find him gazing into the distance with a look that seemed to mirror her own admiration. ‘But what?’
‘But...’ his brow furrowed slightly ‘...when I look to the north, I can feel the beauty somehow, down deep in my gut. When I look to the south I see roads and forts and ditches and order. There’s a beauty in them, too, but they take something away from the land as well. All of our forts and towns are built on the same patterns. All of our lives are ordered the same way. Sometimes I think we have too many rules. Over there, there’s a sense of freedom.’
‘You think the northern tribes are free?’
‘Probably not, but maybe more than we are. We’re all slaves of Rome in a way.’
She studied his face curiously. The subject of slavery wasn’t one she wanted to discuss, not yet anyway, but it was strange how a man who could say that soldiers ought to follow orders without question could at other times sound so subversive. Apparently there was a rebellious edge to him when it came to Roman order after all, on every subject except for his father. On that, he seemed completely intractable.
‘Thank you for bringing me here.’
He gave an ironi
cal smile. ‘You should really thank Scaevola. He’s the real reason we’re here.’
‘I doubt he’d appreciate my gratitude.’
‘Perhaps not. In that case, you’re welcome. You said you’d always wanted to see it the first day we met.’
‘Yes.’ She was surprised that he’d remembered, though she supposed her behaviour must have made it obvious, too. ‘And I appreciate you letting me on the walkway.’
