Augusta by Dora Ilieva

Author:Dora Ilieva [Ilieva, Dora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B092229778
Goodreads: 57906743
Publisher: #PrB.rating#0.0
Published: 2021-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 31

Empress Agrippina was a lot younger than her uncle and husband, Claudius, but had already been married and had a son, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus who was almost the same age as Claudius' son, Britannicus. When I first saw the twelve-year-old boy, who wasn't yet wearing the toga virilis, even though rumours said that he was pestering the emperor to allow him to don it earlier, I did not for a moment suspect what the Parcae had planned for us. My first encounter with the Empress and her son occurred during a dinner organized in honour of Carementis, the goddess of prophecy, whose festival was celebrated in the same month. There must have been about three hundred people attending the banquet. Some were sitting, others were milling around, several groups were engaged in various forms of entertainment. I was far from where the imperial couple sat, but I didn't mind it as it allowed me to observe without being observed. Empress Agrippina wasn't beautiful like Claudius' previous wife, neither did she have her lustful charm. Her clear face exuded force and determination - the nose was powerfully prominent, the chin showed strong will and decisiveness. The most feminine thing about her was her hair - soft and brown, it counteracted the masculinity of her face. She was attentive to her husband and poured his drinks herself, but the only time that I saw her eyes shine with love was when she turned towards her son instructing him to leave the banquet. He didn't take his mother's directions gracefully and didn't bother to hide his annoyance. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but it was obvious from his gesticulations that he wanted to stay and dance with the troupe that his mother had invited to perform at the banquet.

"The boy has quite a penchant for singing and dancing."

I turned brusquely to see a stout young man leaning towards me. He wore a yellow linen toga fastened with a gold fibula. On the fingers of both hands, he wore rings with shiny sapphires. The subtle scent of lavender caressed my nostrils.

"I am Marcus Otho," he said pleasantly and moved closer to me. "You don't have to tell me your name. I know who you are - the Goddess Poppaea Sabina. It is true what they say. You are the most beautiful woman in Rome. Crispinus is a lucky bastard. However, since he is not here to take care of your needs, I'd be glad to offer myself." He came closer; I pulled away.

"What, you haven't inherited any of your mother's sense of adventure? Maybe you just need to warm up a little. May I offer you a cup of this exquisite Falernian wine?"

The jug closest to him was empty. Annoyed, he looked around for a slave, but the dancers had already started their breathtaking whirling and the jug-bearing slaves tried to stay out of their way. Unimpressed by his arrogant insinuations, I used his momentary distraction to slip out and leave the banquet.

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.