Shaken, he pulled away. 'How do you know?'

'The look in his eyes, and his tone. His words – they… I just knew,' Fabiola said, her voice shaking with passion.

His mind reeling, Romulus looked away. 'You mean… you think we are…'

'Caesar's children. Yes,' she replied.

'Gods,' Romulus muttered. The man he idolised – his father? Who had raped his mother. How can that be, his mind screamed. It went against everything he'd come to believe in. 'Did you ask Caesar if he'd done it?'

She looked at him with scorn. 'Of course not. As if the bastard would admit to it anyway.'

'Then you can't be positive it was he.'

'I can,' she retorted vehemently. 'You weren't there. And you only have to look at yourself! Look in a mirror! Can't you see it?'

Romulus studied his sister's face, which was contorted with anger. 'Steady now. I believe you,' he said, reeling at her words. He did look like Caesar.

'Good.' She relaxed a little. 'Then you can help me kill him.'

His mouth fell open. 'You're joking.'

'Do I look as if I am?' she shot back, her eyes blazing.

'Hold on,' Romulus protested. 'You have no proof.'

She tapped over her heart. 'I know it here.'

'That's not enough. The Republic needs Caesar. Thanks to him, there will soon be peace.'

'What do I care about that? Why should you, for that matter? You're a slave,' Fabiola shouted. 'He raped Mother.'

Shaken by his sister's revelation, and feeling guilty that his feelings for Caesar did not match hers, Romulus did not answer.

'Fabiola?' called a voice.

Her eyes opened wide. 'Brutus?'

Romulus peered over her shoulder, seeing a brown-haired man in an expensive tunic walking down the corridor. His pleasant face wore a look of deep concern. 'Are you hurt?' he cried, breaking into a run. Behind him trotted a group of tough-looking legionaries.

'Oh Brutus,' Fabiola cried. Her bottom lip began to tremble, and a tear ran down her cheek. 'I'm fine. No one touched me.'

Romulus was confused by his sister's body language. Was this real or affected emotion?

Clearly, Brutus thought it was genuine. Reaching them, he pulled Fabiola into a fierce embrace. 'I came as soon as I heard,' he whispered, his voice cracking. 'Thank all the gods.' He muttered an order and his men immediately began checking every room. 'Bring me any you find alive,' he cried. 'I want to know who ordered this.'

'It was Antonius,' said Fabiola. 'I'm certain!'

Brutus looked unsettled. 'Not so loud,' he murmured, patting her hand. He glanced at Romulus and smiled. 'This must be your twin brother.'

Fabiola wiped away her tears. 'Yes.'

Romulus saluted. 'Honoured to meet you, sir.'

Brutus inclined his head in acknowledgement. 'The gods are truly smiling today.'

'They are,' agreed Fabiola, beaming. 'How did you know who he was?'

'Apart from the fact that you look like two peas in a pod?' Brutus grinned. 'The scarred man who came to warn me about the attack told me. A friend of yours?' he asked Romulus.

'Tarquinius? Yes, sir. He's an old comrade.'

'He's waiting outside,' said Brutus. The implication was obvious.

'With your permission, then, sir?' Romulus requested politely. It was time to fade into the background. A reconciliation between the two lovers looked possible, so he must not intrude. There was a great deal to reflect on too. Caesar was not just his general, he was – perhaps – his father, and Fabiola wanted to kill him. While Romulus had sworn the same if he ever discovered the rapist's identity, he was shaken to the core by the fact that it was Caesar. This was the man who had freed him from slavery. Whom he'd followed through thick and thin, from Egypt to Asia Minor and Africa. Whom he'd come to love. Romulus felt sick with confusion.

'Of course.' Brutus glanced at Fabiola. 'We'd best get you back to my domus. Romulus can visit later.'

'Don't leave it too long.' Fabiola reached out a hand. 'Bring your friend too.'

'We'll be along soon,' said Romulus.

'Everyone knows my house,' said Brutus. 'It's on the Palatine.'

'Thank you, sir.' Romulus was halfway down the corridor when he heard Brutus ask, 'Who raped your mother?'

A sudden tension filled the air.

Romulus stopped.

'What's that, my love?' Fabiola's laugh was brittle and unconvincing, to Romulus at least.

'I heard the tail end of something you were saying when I came in. Something about who had raped your mother. You've never told me about that.'

'Of course not,' she replied. 'It happened a long time ago.'

'You sounded furious,' said Brutus. 'Who was it?'

Romulus waited for Fabiola to say the words 'Julius Caesar', but she didn't.

'Well?' prompted Brutus gently.

'I'm not sure. Mother never told us,' she said. 'What I said was that someone like Scaevola could have raped her.'

Romulus couldn't believe his ears.

Yet Brutus seemed satisfied. 'Is the whoreson here?'

'Yes. In there.' She pointed. 'He's dead. My brother killed him.'

What's going on? Romulus wondered. Fabiola was lying through her teeth. The realisation hit him hard. Brutus was a loyal follower of Caesar. She didn't want him to know because she wasn't sure how he would react. I'm supposed to agree to murder him without batting an eyelid, though. This when Fabiola actually has no definite proof, just the fact that Caesar came on to her a bit forcefully and he and I both have aquiline noses. She had probably drunk too much wine that night. Romulus knew that he was inventing reasons not to believe Fabiola's story, but couldn't help himself. When he glanced back at his sister, she winked at him. Brutus missed the gesture.

Rather than being reassured, Romulus was infuriated. Fabiola was clearly used to manipulating men, and now she was treating him in the same way. A previously unthinkable idea popped into his mind. Could Fabiola be trusted?

Of course she can, he thought, she's my sister. My twin. My own flesh and blood.

His response was instant: who's trying to work me. Bridling now, Romulus started down the corridor. They would have to talk about this again: in private.

His happiness soured, Romulus went in search of Tarquinius. Romulus' reunion with the haruspex was all that he had hoped for, and more. Walking to the Mithraeum, which Tarquinius had suggested they do, seemed to take only a moment. The delighted urchin tagged along, awestruck by the twenty-five denarii that his expertise had earned him. To Romulus, the extra sum was a trifle for getting him to the Lupanar in time to save Fabiola. As he realised later, he had made a fan for life in the boy, whose name turned out to be Mattius.

Romulus told the haruspex about his experiences in the army, including his exposure as a slave in Asia Minor and Petronius' courage in standing by him. About returning to the ludus. Not usually demonstrative, Tarquinius sighed at Petronius' death and gasped to hear how Romulus had killed the rhinoceros. 'Gods,' he breathed. 'After seeing that beast captured, I wouldn't have given you a chance in Hades.'

Romulus shook his head, not quite believing it himself.

'That was when you met Caesar.'

'Yes.' Romulus related the tale of how he had been freed.

There was a shocked gasp from Mattius at this point.

'Slaves are no different than you or I,' Romulus explained, aware that the urchin probably looked down on the only class lower than his own. 'They can do anything, given the chance. As you could, if you want to.'

'Really?' Mattius whispered.

'Look at me, and what I survived,' Romulus replied. 'Yet I was a slave once.'

Mattius nodded determinedly.

Tarquinius chuckled. 'Yet rather than enjoying your freedom, you volunteered to fight in Caesar's army?'

Romulus flushed. 'He believed my story. It seemed the honourable thing to do.'