Love's Pardon by Darlene Mindrup

Author:Darlene Mindrup
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Lucius watched a cargo ship glide through the stone column entrance of the port of Caesarea, awed by the marvel of man-made engineering that had been commissioned by King Herod many years ago.

Herod had named the port city for his friend Augustus, and it was Jewish only in location. The spirit of this city was Roman, as were most of the buildings and trade, allowing Lucius to relax his guard for the first time since he had entered Israel. This city was like a miniature Rome, and he felt more at home here than anywhere in this wretched country.

The harbor was lined with buildings of white marble and limestone, their walls glistening in the bright sunlight. Several ships were anchored here, workers busily scurrying about with amphorae of wine and salt, baskets of grain and a host of other supplies waiting to be loaded onto them.

Several merchants had set up tents on the stone walkways to do their work out of the sun.

Lucius made his way to a Roman galley anchored close by. A new group of legionnaires had debarked only this morning and would be replacing Lucius’s group. The waiting ship would then take him, his family and his troops back to Rome.

Some unseen hand had provided the means by which he could leave Judea and return to his homeland. As he had been looking into a way to sell his mother’s villa, a post had arrived recalling his group to Rome. A new general would be taking over, one who was much more rigid than his predecessor. With tensions rising here and the threat of revolt a very real possibility, Rome was taking no chances.

At the same time, one of the centurions stationed at the Antonia had mentioned to Lucius that he was looking for a villa in the upper city. In moments, a deal had been brokered and Lucius was free of any hindrances that might keep him here.

Lucius walked up the gangplank that was still attached to the dock and met Andronicus at the top. He glanced quickly around at the hive of activity on the ship.

“Has everything been made ready?”

Andronicus nodded, a sardonic grin splitting his face. “Aye. Your cabin has been remade into a luxurious harem.”

Lucius gave him a look that warned him that his attempt at humor was not appreciated, and Andronicus laughed, not at all disturbed by his superior’s vexation.

“It has been made comfortable,” he amended, still grinning.

“I only hope I’m not making a mistake,” Lucius told him, his brows drawing down into a frown. “I will never forgive myself if something happens to my mother on this trip.”

Andronicus turned serious. “You are certain she was not poisoned?”

Lucius watched a stuppator caulking the sides of the ship, his agile movements while hanging from a rope speaking of many years’ experience. “At this point, I’m not certain of anything.” He glanced back at his bodyguard. “But it seems highly unlikely. Apparently my mother has had a condition for some time that she failed to apprise me of.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.