At a village South East of Rome, some distance between Rome and Capua a group of armed men rode in.

The villagers, mostly farmers of no import scurried for their small homes as the men passed.

However, the men didn’t pause in the little village until they reached the last home. This home was more a villa than the rest and housed the head man.

Then again, Kaeso, Centurion of the Senate, knew this well. If the villagers had taken time to look harder, they would have noticed that these five men we accompanied by several children.

Dismounting carefully, for his arms were full, he strode with purpose to the entrance porch and knocked at the door. The shutter opened and two eyes stared out…..immediately recognition formed and the eyes widened.

“Master!” came the exclamation from behind the door and swiftly the door was opened.

“Marcus, is my father at home?”

Marcus stood and stared at the package, the moving package, that Kaeso held close to his chest. The pause was too much for Kaeso.

“Marcus! Is my father home!?”

“sorry sir, no, he went to Capua this week past. We don’t expect him back for a few more days…….he was trying to sort out some shipments.”

Kaeso sighed

“I suppose it is just as well, what about mater and my sister?”

“Your mother is in the library but you sister married last month sir? You’ve been away so long…”

“I still read! Could my own family not even take the time to write me to inform me of this matter? What clutz did she finally entice into her bed then?”

“Beg your pardon young sir but she was wed to Tiberius Antius before he set off for his training in Ancona.”

“Tiberius! The lucky beggar, I bet he thought all his festivals had come at once that day, the ugly son of Poseidon.”

Kaeso began to laugh but the package he was holding started to cry. He opened it up to reveal a baby of about one year of age and he comforted her.

Marcus started at the scene

“May I ask young sir…”

Kaeso cut him off

“..No! it is best that you do not ask nor that you get to know Marcus. Believe me this is for your health I say this not from any pride of my own. Now, you were to direct me to my mother?”

Marcus bowed slightly and bade Kaeso follow him.

Kaeso’s ignoble mother, Sabina Doudecima Vecchia, sat on a low recliner as she stared at the parchments she held. Greek mythology……bored as she was, even this seemed a poor choice of reading material.

Still, she thought, she was very lucky indeed to be even able to read Latin let alone the Greek she now tried to absorb. Though high-borne she was betrothed below her own status when she was 11, the Prefect of the Senate Estates South of Rome was kind enough, wealthy enough and he’d even waited until she felt “ready” before consummating their arrangement. However, there was the problem, it was an arrangement and nothing else.

Aulus was nice enough but she didn’t love him truly, nor in fact, had she ever loved anyone truly. Never met a man in her little world since she was 11 that could impress her, she had been to fancy parties and rubbed shoulders with the Elite of society……but not a single one of them appeared to be in anyway attractive to her.

Fat and Bald!

She laughed to herself at the thought of it. She still worried though if something was ‘wrong’ with her? She had female friends, wives of other men in her circle that she knew had taken lovers, some were nobles, others common men or men of station…there were even some who had taken slaves as lovers!

The thought of such debasement caused her to wince. Still, once the feeling had gone, there was still that nagging doubt that the fact she, amongst all those women she knew, hadn’t taken a lover beyond the perfunctory relationship she had with her husband Aulus.

Marcus’s arrival broke her out of this stupor.

“Young master Kaeso is here to see you my lady.” Marcus bowed and withdrew to reveal Kaeso, dusty, dirty…..clearly exhausted……and carrying a baby!

Sabina sat bolt upright! Clearly Kaeso registered his mother’s shock but didn’t register this immediately. It had been nearly two years since he’d seen his mother last and she didn’t seem to have changed much, in honesty, there wasn’t that much of an age difference between them as Kaeso had been birthed when Sabina was only 13. The birth was difficult but Sabina was strong and things had gone well, Livia, Kaeso’s sibling, had been born 4 years later but Sabina had failed to carry full term since then.

So many years barren? How would that effect a normal woman? It didn’t seem to have effected his mother, now in her late 30’s she seemed as full of vigour and beauty as she had appeared to Kaeso when he was younger.

Sabina stood up and smiled. Composure regained and a regal air restored around her.

She WAS beautiful! Kaeso saw it clearly now. Strangely, his mother WAS beautiful. He never considered it before now, but there she was, red hair cascading down her shoulders, a light dress clinging neatly to her firm and athletic body. He was shocked by this discovery, and even more shocked that she was with his father still!

Most likely she had a series of young, viral lovers dotted about the area that she called upon when she was left….as she often was…..alone in the estate for long periods such as this.

“So my son returns with a great gift for me?” sarcasm was thick in the joking question and Kaeso was swiftly brought back to the reality he was facing.

“No, mother….we’ll, I suppose not.”

Sabina moved forward and lightly kissed her son on the cheek in welcome before closely regarding the child in Kaeso’s arms.

“Well, she doesn’t look much like you. Are you sure you’re the father?”

“No mother…actually, I’m sure, I’m not the father” there was humour in his voice but Sabina appeared confused now. The tables were turned, she had been taking control of this issue but now…..now she was lost.

“Sorry mother, let me introduce the youngest daughter of Manius Coruncanius, Tribune of the 2nd Consular Legion, conqueror of Asia-Minor and betrayer of the Senate.”

Kaeso held the baby out to his mother. Sabina nearly bowed to the child……what was her stupid son on about!

“What jest is this boy!” her face suddenly turning from a passive visage into a raging torrent.

Better….this was the mother Kaeso remembered.

“This is no jest mother. I hold before you who I said, outside with my men sit Manius’s other two children.”

“Gods Teeth boy!! Get them in HERE! I can’t even begin to tell you how many dangers you are posing to them and us by leaving them outside for all to see!!”

As fast as possible, Kaeso’s men were brought in, their charges left in the library with Kaeso and Sabina, whilst Kaeso’s men were given food and drink in the anti-room.

Suddenly Sabina’s boring day had turned to confusion. She was surrounded by young children….she’d not thought she’d have that again…not only that but they were fully nobles. Full blood Coruncanii children.

However, Sabina’s shock didn’t last long and she immediately knew what she needed to do first….

“Bring me the Popillia, she has not long since given birth.” The baby needed sustenance fast, and for all Sabina’s rising maternal instincts she was sure she could not provide that critical thing that the youngest child wanted.