`Oh, I'm sure she does that.' She would have to. Running criminal gangs efficiently demands time and boundless energy. `You must be a great consolation to her, Milvia.'

Milvia looked smug, and then slightly anxious as she noticed that my words and tone were not a matching set.

I ignored the refreshments spread before me. When Milvia.waved airily to dismiss her slaves I pretended to be nervous and shocked. I was neither. `How is Florius?' The girl became vague. `Still attending the races whenever he can? And I hear your devoted husband has an expanding business portfolio?' Florius (whose devotion was insipid) also fancied dipping his grubby equestrian toe into the murky pool of rack-rents, extortion and organised theft. In fact Milvia was surrounded by relatives with creative financial interests.

`I am not sure what you mean, Marcus Didius?''

`It's Falco. And I think you understand me very well.'

That brought on a fine performance. The little lips pouted. The brows knit. The eyes were downcast petulantly. The skirts were smoothed, the bracelets adjusted, and the over-ornamented silver tisane bowls rearranged on their natty dolphin-handled tray. I watched the whole repertoire approvingly. `I like a girl who gives her all.'

`Pardon?'

`The acting's good. You know how to rebuke a sucker until he feels he's a brute.'

`What are you talking about, Falco?'

Letting' her wait for my answer, I leant back and surveyed her at long distance. Then I said coldly, `I gather you have become very friendly with my friend Lucius Petronius?'

'Oh!' She perked up, clearly thinking I was, an intermediary.' `Has he sent you to see me?'

`No – and if you know what's good for you you'll not mention to him that I came.'

Balbina Milvia wrapped her, glinting stole round' her narrow shoulders protectively. She had perfected the attitude of the frightened fawn. `Everyone shouts at me, and I'm sure I don't deserve it.'

`Oh, you do, lady.' You deserve to be upended over that ivory couch and spanked until you choke. There is a wronged wife on the Aventine who should be allowed to tear your eyes out, and three little girls who should be, cheering while she does it.'

`That's a horrid thing to say!' cried Milvia.

Don't worry about it. Just you enjoy the attention, and being bedded by a man who knows how, instead of by your limp radish of a husband, and don't you distress yourself with the consequences. You can afford to keep Petronius in the luxury he would like to discover – after he loses his job, and his wife, and his children, and most of his outraged; and disappointed friends.' Though do remember,' I concluded, `that if you should be the cause of his losing everyone he treasures, it may be you he ends up cursing.'

She was speechless. Milvia had been a spoiled child and an unsupervised wife. She commanded gross wealth and her father had governed the most feared street gangs in Rome. Nobody crossed her. Even her mother, who was a ferocious witch, treated Milvia with diffidence – perhaps scenting that this doe-eyed moppet was so spoiled she could turn truly filthy one day. Appalling behaviour was the one luxury Milvia had not yet indulged herself with. It was bound, to come.

`I don't blame you,' I said. 'I can see the attraction. It will take a strong will to close the door on him. But you're a very, clever girl, and Petronius is an innocent when it comes to emotions. You are the one with the intelligence to see that in the end it's going nowhere. Let's hope you are the one with the courage to put things right.'

She drew herself up. Like all Petro's women, she was not tall. He used to shelter them against his powerful chest like little lost lambs; for some reason the darlings accepted the refuge as promptly as he made it available.

I wondered whether to tell Milvia about all the others, but that would only give her an opening to assume she was the one who was different. As they all did. And as none of them ever were, except Arria Silvia who had spiked him with a dowry (and a personality) that made sure of it.

I watched the damsel work herself up 'to insult me. I was too calm. She was finding it hard work having a one person quarrel. Some of the women I knew could have given her lessons, but under the finery this one was a dull girl of twenty who had been brought up away from the world. She owned everything she wanted, yet she knew nothing. Being rich, even now that she was married she was still kept indoors most of the time. Of course that explained Petronius: when women' are locked up, trouble soon comes to them. In the good old Roman tradition Milvia's only source of excitement was her secret lover's visits.

`You have no right to invade my house upsetting me! You can leave now, and don't come again!' The gold granulations in her hairdressing flashed as she tossed her head angrily.

I raised one eyebrow. I must have looked weary, instead of impressed. She tossed her head again – a sure sign of her immaturity. An expert would have brought out some devious alternative effect.

`Dazzling!' I mocked. 'I will leave but only because I was intending to anyway.' And so I did. Then, of course, Milvia looked sorry that her drama was over.

I had been lying when I' had suggested she ought to be the one who ended the affair. If he wanted to do it, Petronius could' easily crack down the fortress gates in her face. He had had enough practice.

The only problem was that so many people' were telling him to do it that. they kept reviving his interest. My' old friend Lucius Petronius Longus had always hated' being told what to do.

Of course somebody told him I had been there… My bet was Milvia herself. For some reason the spectacle of his loyal friend selflessly trying to protect him from disaster did not fill Lucius Petronius with warmth towards the loyal friend. We had a blistering row.

This made working together uncomfortable, though we persisted, since neither of us would concede that he was to blame and should withdraw from the partnership. I knew the quarrel wouldn't last. We were both too annoyed by people reminding us that they had told us it wouldn't work. Sooner or later we would make it, up, to prove the doubters wrong.

Anyway, Petro and I had been friends since we were eighteen. It would take more than a silly young, woman to drive us apart.

`You sound like; his wife,' Helena scoffed.

`No, I don't. His wife has told him to take a long hike to Mesopotamia, and then jump in the Euphrates with a sack over his head.'

`Yes, I heard they had another amiable chat this week.'

`Silvia brought him a notice of divorce.'

`Mafia told me Petro threw it back at her.'

`It's not essential she delivers it.' Informing the other party by notice was a polite gesture. Bitter women could always turn it into a drama. Especially women with hefty

dowries to be reclaimed. `She drove him out and refuses; to let him go home; that's enough evidence of her intention to separate. If they live apart much longer a notice will be superfluous.'

Petronius and Silvia had left each other before. It normally lasted a day or two and endedwhen whoever had stayed away from the house went home to feed the cat. This time the split had begun months ago. They were well dug in now. They had in effect positioned palisades – and surrounded themselves with triple ditches filled with stakes. Making a truce was going to be difficult.

Undaunted by one failure, I forced myself to visit Arria Silvia. She too had heard that I had been to plead with Milvia. She sent me packing in double time.

It was another wasted effort that just made the situation worse. At least since Petro refused to speak to me I was spared hearing what he thought of my taking a peace mission to his wife.

It was now September. In fact Petro and I had had our quarrel on the first day of the month, the Kalends, which as Helena pointed out wryly was the festival of Jupiter the Thunderer. Apparently passers-by in Fountain Court who overheard Petro and me exchanging opinions had believed the god had come to stay on the Aventine.