The Golden Dice - A Tale of Ancient Rome by Elisabeth Storrs

Author:Elisabeth Storrs [Storrs, Elisabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: historical romance, historical fiction, roman fiction, history, historical novels, Romance, rome, ancient history, roman history, ancient rome, womens fiction, roman historical fiction
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY

His decurions gone, Camillus groaned and pressed his fingers against his temples.

“A poultice will help you, my lord,” Pinna said. “The heat loosens the muscles. Go inside and lie down while I prepare one.”

“I don’t have time to rest.”

“It is because you sleep so little that you suffer. Come, none of your men would begrudge you some respite. And no man would ever accuse you of weakness.”

Camillus rose and entered the tent. Pinna liked the subtle power she exerted over him. It reminded her of how Fusca could coax her father.

Breaking the hard puls bread into pieces, Pinna placed it in a cook pot and moistened it with water. When it had turned to porridge she ladled some of the mixture into a bowl, adding mustard and vinegar. The afternoon was hot and the fire only added to the temperature. Sunset would not be for hours.

Carrying her basket and the bowl inside, she found Camillus lying on his cot, eyes closed.

The interior was roomy enough for his officers to gather and consult with him. It was furnished austerely with only a pallet, chair and wooden table. An unfurled map was held down at the corners with paperweights, and scrolls and correspondence were stacked in a pile together with his stylus. His panoply was positioned against one wall, the boss on his shield and the bronze pectorals on his corselet molded with a wolf’s head, teeth bared, threatening and terrifying. A wolf’s pelt, not a sheepskin, covered his bed.

When she knelt beside him he opened one eye to view the bowl and bandages, then closed it again. “I suppose you’re going to slap mustard on me.”

She stirred the porridge. “You know the vinegar lessens the burn. Besides, a general should hardly fear a little heat.”

He smiled and shifted his shoulders to make himself more comfortable on the bed.

Pinna was no longer worried about being bold. The first time she’d teased him she expected him to bark at her. Instead he indulged her joking. In fact she thought he rather liked it when everyone else about him was careful of what they said. She also suspected he liked flirting, although there was a boundary set between them. He never made advances nor did she encourage them.

Sometimes he would talk to her. Like Genucius, he would tell her his worries in the quiet times when the pain eased. Their conversations were different to the plebeian’s, though. Whereas Genucius expected her to keep her opinions to herself, Camillus let her speak. She knew she was not the only one to whom he listened. He made it his business to know all that happened in his camp. He visited the sick and injured, and inspected the healthy too. Here was no patrician officer aloof from his soldiers. He recalled the names of all he commanded. He knew the veterans’ histories too: how they had gained their wounds, how often they had volunteered to fight for Rome. She saw how they would grin when he hailed them, appreciating being the center of his attention, even if just for one brief moment.

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