The Grass Crown by Colleen McCullough

Author:Colleen McCullough [McCullough, Colleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Marius; Gaius, Ancient, Historical fiction, Biographical, Biographical fiction, Fiction, Romance, Rome, Rome - History - Republic; 265-30 B.C, Historical, Sulla; Lucius Cornelius, General, Statesmen - Rome, History
ISBN: 9780061582394
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2008-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

Of course Julia was waiting for Marius, as anxious as only a politician’s devoted wife could be. It always fascinated Marius that she seemed to know by instinct when something formidable was going to be discussed in the Senate. He hadn’t honestly known himself before he set out for the Curia Hostilia today. Yet she knew!

“Is it war?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Very bad? Only the Marsi, or others as well?”

“I’d say about half of the Italian Allies, probably with more to join. I should have known it all along! But Scaurus was in the right of it. Emotions clouding facts. Drusus knew. Oh, if only he had lived, Julia! If he had lived the Italians would have got their citizenship. And war wouldn’t be upon us.”

“Marcus Livius died because there are some men who will not let the Italians have the franchise on any terms.”

“Yes, you’re right. Of course you’re right.” He changed the subject. “Do you think our cook will have an apoplexy if he’s asked to make a sumptuous dinner for a tribe of people tomorrow?”

“I’d say he’ll go into an ecstatic frenzy. He’s always complaining we don’t entertain enough.”

“Good! Because I’ve invited a tribe to dinner tomorrow.”

“Why, Gaius Marius?”

He shook his head, scowled. “Perhaps because I have an odd feeling that it will be the last time for many of us, mea vita. meum mel. I love you, Julia.”

“And I, you,” she said tranquilly. “Now who’s for dinner?”

“Quintus Mucius Scaevola, as I hope he’s going to be our boy’s father-in-law. Marcus Aemilius Scaurus. Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Sextus Julius Caesar. Gaius Julius Caesar. And Lucius Julius Caesar.”

Julia was looking a little dismayed. “Wives too?”

“Yes, wives too.”

“Oh, dear!”

“What’s that for?”

“Scaurus’s wife, Dalmatica! And Lucius Cornelius!”

“Oh, all that happened years ago,” said Marius scornfully. “We’ll put the men on the couches in strict order of rank, then you can put the women where they’ll do the least harm. How’s that?”

“Well, all right,” said Julia, still looking doubtful. “I had better sit Dalmatica and Aurelia facing Lucius and Sextus Julius, Aelia and Licinia opposite the lectus medius. Claudia and I will sit looking at Gaius Julius and Lucius Cornelius.” She giggled. “I don’t think Lucius Cornelius has slept with Claudia!”

Marius’s eyebrows danced wildly. “You mean to say he’s slept with Aurelia after all?”

“No! Honestly, Gaius Marius, sometimes you are exasperating!”

“Sometimes you are,” countered Marius. “In all this, where do you plan to put our son? He’s nineteen, you know!”

Julia placed Young Marius on the lectus imus at its foot, the lowest place a man could occupy. Nor did Young Marius object; the next-lowest man had been an urban praetor, his uncle Gaius Julius, and beyond him was another urban praetor, his uncle Lucius Cornelius. The rest of the men were consulars, with his father holding two more consulships than the rest put together. That was a nice feeling for Young Marius—yet how could he hope to better his father’s record? The only way was to become consul at a very early age, even younger than Scipio Africanus or Scipio Aemilianus had been.

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