Virginia Henley by Enslaved

Author:Enslaved [Enslaved]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Marcus told Kell to order the food and wine for the feast and paid a visit to Julia Allegra to arrange the entertainment. He did not broach the matter with Diana until the day arrived, then before he left for the fortress, he sat on the edge of the bed and cleared his throat.

Diana loved to see him in his polished breastplate. Whenever he touched her while wearing his armor, it made her go weak all over.

“Paullinus leaves with the legionaries tomorrow. It has become a custom for the governor and his officers to dine here before they depart.”

Diana looked alarmed. “You mean he’ll be here at the villa tonight? Oh Marcus, can I not go somewhere else?”

Marcus’ spirits lifted. She was not going to prove difficult at all. “Perhaps that would be best. Paullinus detests Britons and so I like to keep even Kell away from him. Why don’t you and Kell go to the theatre tonight? When you return, you must come straight up here and bar the door. You saw what my brother was like when he’d been drinking and I’m afraid when the men get together, they carouse until they are legless.”

“The theatre is a lovely idea. Paullinus disgusts me.” She shuddered delicately, remembering the hirsute giant who resembled a great mangy bear.

Marcus kissed her goodbye. “I won’t see you today; you’ll be asleep by the time I come up, but once the legionaries leave tomorrow, I’ll have more time to spend with you. I’ll take you on that boar hunt.” He stood and fastened on his leather weapons belt. “Enjoy the theatre.”

“Enjoy your feast,” she replied innocently, which only made him feel wretched about deceiving her.

Wearing her ultramarine stola and matching palla, Diana received more attention at the theatre than the performers. Her blond tresses attracted the eye of both men and women. Whispers of Who is she? were answered by those with the privileged information that General Magnus had taken a concubine. The men were instantly envious of the general, while the women would have paid any price to take Diana’s place.

She was amused that Kell kept one hand upon his flagellum as a warning to the masses to keep their distance. She and Kell had chosen a musical entertainment that turned out to be like an extravagant ballet. Diana enjoyed herself immensely watching the singers and dancers in their elaborate costumes and masks. It got a little raucous when a troupe of female acrobats tumbled across the stage, for they wore little more than wide black leather bands—one to cover their breasts, the other their groins.

The entertainment wasn’t over until quite late, then Kell took her into a vintner’s, which was a traditional after-theatre stop where patrons were served either hot or cold drinks. Diana chose calda, which was warm, spiced wine, while Kell preferred Setinian, a choice old wine imported from Italy. He grudgingly agreed that Roman wine was superior to that of his native land.

Diana returned in a litter with Kell walking at her side so they could converse about the evening.

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.