ODE TO A BANKER

She was sitting up now, with one little foot bent under her. I joined her on the reading couch. Cushions jammed themselves into my back; their striped covers were packed hard with filling, uncomfortably reminding me how Glaucus had pummelled me; I hooked out a couple from behind me and dropped them on the floor. A lavish carpet, imported a vast distance from the East by camel-train, waited to receive these discards. My bootstuds caught slightly on the fine woollen tufts.

Vibia had perked up, now that someone handsome and masculine had come to play with her. How fortunate it was that I had bathed and shaved at Glaucus' comprehensive establishment. I would hate any hint of uncouthness to offend. And we were at close quarters now.

`What a lovely room!' I gazed around, but even Vibia cannot have supposed it was the creamy plaster covings and the painted swags of flower garland that concerned me. `The entire house is striking – and I gather that you, lucky girl, have acquired it?'

At that she looked nervous. The smile on the wide mouth shrank a little, though the gash was still generous. `Yes, it is, mine. I have just made an arrangement with my late husband's family.'

`Why?’

'What do you mean, why, Falco?'

`I mean, why did you have to ask for it – and why ever did they agree?'

Vibia bit her lip. `I wanted somewhere to live.'

'Ah! You are a young woman, who had been married and mistress of her household for three years. Your husband died, rather unexpectedly – well, let us assume it really was unexpected,' I said cruelly. `And you were faced with the prospect of returning like a child to your father's house. Unpalatable?'

`I love my papa.'

`Oh of course! But tell the truth. You had loved your freedom too.

Mind you, you would not have been stuck for very long; any dutiful Roman father would soon find someone else for you. I'm sure he's surrounded by people he owes favours to who would take you off his hands… Don't you want to remarry?'

`Not now I have tried it!' scoffed Vibia. I noticed she did not argue with my assessment of her father's attitude.

I sucked my teeth. `Well, you had a thirty-year age difference with Chrysippus.'

She smirked – not sweetly, but viciously. Interesting.

`Everyone else thinks you were a schemer who stole him from Lysa.'

`Everyone else? What do you think?' she demanded.

`That it was deliberately fixed. You probably had little to do with it originally. That doesn't mean you objected any sensible girl would approve of such a rich husband.'

`What a horrid thing to say.'

`Yes, isn't it? Chrysippus probably paid your family a grand figure to get you; in return he acquired a connection with good people. His enhanced status was intended to help his son Diomedes. Then because Chrysippus gave so much to your father on your marriage -'

`You make it sound as if he bought me!' she shrieked.

`Quite.' I remained passionless. `Because the price was so high, the bargain absolved Chrysippus from leaving you much in his will. Just the scriptorium – not a thriving concern – and not even the house attached to it. I dare say, if there had been children, other arrangements would have been made. He would have wanted children, to cement the connection with your family.'

`We were a devoted couple,' Vibia reiterated, churning out the same false-sounding claim she had presented to the vigiles and me the day her husband died.

I appraised her slim figure as we had done at her first interview. `No luck with a pregnancy though? Juno Matrona! I hope nobody tried interfering with nature here?'

`I don't deserve this!'

`Only you know the truth of that fine declaration…' As I continued to be openly insulting, she said nothing. `Devoted or not, you cannot enjoy having been purchased like a barrel of salt meat. Chrysippus treated his authors that way, but a woman prefers to be valued for her personality. I think, you were aware – or in time you became aware – of the reasons the Chrysippi all of them, including Lysa in the interests of her beloved son – had wanted your marriage.'

Vibia no longer disputed it: `An alliance for the improvement of all parties – such things happen frequently.'

`Discovering that Lysa had supported the idea must have been a shock though. Did you turn against your husband then? Enough, perhaps, to rid yourself of him?'

`It was not a shock. I always knew. It was no reason for me to kill my husband,' Vibia protested. `Anyway, Lysa had a shock herself – Chrysippus soon realised that he liked being married to me.'

`I bet that pleased her! Did she turn against him?'

`Enough to kill him?' queried Vibia sweetly. `Oh, I don't know – what do you think, Falco?'

I ignored the invitation to speculate. `Let's accept that you and your husband rubbed along together happily. When Chrysippus died unexpectedly, you were threatened with losing everything you had here. That made you harden your attitude. So you persuaded Lysa to let you have the family home. Marriage for the purposes of others will never happen to you again.'