A/N: Hello Roman Mysteries fans! (The few of you that there are :D) This story takes place during The Secrets of Vesuvius, and as my summary says, it is the untold story of Miriam and Gaius's love.
Some scenes may seem very familiar to book and that is because I had to use some scenes that were taken almost word for word from the book to make my story make sense.
As for the title, Amare means 'to love' in Latin.
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter I
Gaius Flavius Geminus Senior approached the tavern to meet his twin brother, his niece, and their friends. He had received his brother's letter the day before and was quite happy to have his niece and her friends say with him while his brother went on his sea trip.
"Gaius!" Marcus Flavius Geminus was surprised to see his brother, "You got my letter! I wasn't sure if I sent it in time. I was going to take rooms in a tavern and organise a carriage tomorrow!"
Gaius embraced his brother and then smiled. "Your letter came yesterday," he informed Marcus, "Xanthus has the cart ready and waiting, with a couple of horses tethered behind. If we go now, we'll be home before dark."
"But Uncle Gaius!" cried his ten-year-old niece, Flavia, as she ran into her uncle's arms, "I wanted to spend the night here in Pompeii. I wanted to look around the town. There's someone here I want to find."
"Don't be silly," Gaius ran his fingers through her light brown hair, "We're expecting you at the farm. You can see Pompeii any time. Now, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"
It was only then that Gaius noticed the angel standing before him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her long dark hair cascaded gracefully down to the middle of her back. Her olive skin was smooth and unblemished. She smiled at him, her violet eyes shining. Gaius found himself starring back dumbly.
"Uncle Gaius," Flavia's voice pulled him back to reality, "This is Nubia, my slave-girl and best friend. I got her on my last birthday. That's Aristo. He's our tutor. This is our neighbor, Mordecai ben Ezra and his two children, Jonathan and Miriam," Miriam. The angel's name was Miriam, "And this is Lupus. He doesn't have a tongue," Flavia continued, "He's been staying with Mordecai's family ever since he fell out of the tree and…"
Flavia chattered on, and Gaius found himself toning her out. He was too mesmerized by Miriam's perfect figure.
"Well," Gaius came to his senses, interrupting Flavia's story; "We should be leaving soon if we want to get to the farm before dark."
And he managed a feeble smiled at Miriam before getting into the cart.
The sun was setting as they approached Gaius's farm. As the slaves began to unpack the bags, Gaius heard his niece let out a shrill scream. He turned abruptly to see the cause. Ferox, his fierce watchdog, was headed straight toward Scuto, Flavia's sandy-colored dog.
"Ferox! No!" he bellowed, but needn't have, for Ferox was pulled up short by his long iron chain.
The other children held their whimpering puppies close to them.
"Oh Pollux!" swore Jonathan, holding his puppy, Tigris, away from him, "He's widdled down my front!"
Everyone laughed, even Jonathan, lifting the fearful atmosphere around them. Ferox growled harshly, clearly annoyed. He snapped a few more times, but soon realised that he was being ignored.
"Don't worry about Ferox," Gaius assured, "Once he gets to know you, he's no trouble at all. Come bathe and have some dinner. The slaves will unpack."
They all immediately began to rush toward the house.
"Girls get the baths first!" called Flavia, grabbing Nubia's hand and pulling her toward the bathhouse.
Gaius caught Miriam before she went in.
"Hello…Miriam," he said, trying out her name. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue.
Miriam blushed, causing her cheeks to turn a lovely shade of pink, "Hello, Flavius," she said shyly, using his formal name.
"Please," he said, "Call me Gaius."
"Alright then, Gaius."
Gaius's heart fluttered involuntarily when she said his name.
Neither spoke for a moment.
"It's getting late," Gaius finally said, motioning toward the setting sun. They began to walk toward the house.
"Yes," agreed Miriam, "I guess I'd better go meet the other girls in the bathhouse."
Something about the way Miriam said 'other girls' surprised Gaius, like she was grouping herself with the children. Miriam was far from a child in Gaius's eyes.
"Miriam, exactly how old are you?" he asked out of curiosity. He figured that she must be at least sixteen.
Miriam was caught off guard and blushed again, "Fourteen."
Gaius was shocked, "Fourteen?" he repeated, "You seem older to me."
Miriam's cheeks turned magenta. They were now standing outside the bathhouse.
"I'll see you at dinner then, Gaius," said Miriam, smiling at him.
"Yes," Gaius repeated dumbly, "See you at dinner."
And he stood; smiling like a fool as Miriam disappeared around the corner.
Miriam quickly undressed. She joined Flavia and Nubia and slipped gracefully into the water, her cheeks still flushed from her conversation with Gaius. She tried to relax her muscles, but she still felt incredibly tense.
"What's wrong, Miriam," Flavia inquired, giving her a strange look.
"Oh, nothing," Miriam answered too quickly, the color of her cheeks deepening, "I'm just tired from the trip today," she added.
Flavia nodded, seeming to accept her response. The girls relaxed, letting the warm water wash over them, cleaning the off the dirt from the day's journey.
It was Nubia who broke the peaceful silence.
"We should be washing now for the boys are wanting the baths also," said Nubia in her faltering Latin.
Flavia and Miriam nodded reluctantly in agreement. The girls washed themselves with sweet-scented oils and Miriam let Flavia and Nubia use some of her perfume. When they were finished, they dressed in fresh tunics and stolas. Miriam chose a stola that was deep lavender and matched her eyes. She took extra time to pin up her curly hair, using her ivory pins. The girls left the bathhouse feeling damp and clean. Miriam took in a deep breath upon entering the dining room, feeling excited and nervous to see Gaius again.
After they had all bathed, they met Gaius out in the garden where his summer triclinium was located. Faint stars had begun to dot the dark purple sky. The crickets hummed softly in the clear night. Miriam smiled shyly at Gaius.
Before Mordecai reclined, he addressed Gaius, "Today is out Sabbath. Do you mind if Miriam lights the candles?"
"Of course not," Gaius replied. He smiled at Miriam.
Mordecai gave him a small bow of thanks before returning to his couch.
Miriam, who had remained standing, pulled a lavender scarf that matched her stola over her head.
"Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu l'had'lik neir shel Shabbat. Amein," Miriam recited the traditional prayer confidently.
She then proceeded to light the sweet smelling candles. Soon, the pleasant smell of rose and jasmine filled the air. Everyone was silent as they enjoyed the moment. Miriam then joined them, reclining opposite of Gaius.
Frustilla, Gaius's old cook, came out with a delicious meal of black bean soup, cold roast chicken, and brown bread.
While they ate, Gaius asked the children if there was anything special they would like to do while they were visiting Pompeii. Flavia was the first to respond saying that she'd like to find a blacksmith who resided by the Stabian Gate. When asked why, Flavia proceeded to tell him about the riddle, which led to the story of Admiral Pliny's rescue. Everyone ended up pitching in and telling their part of the story. Even Lupus managed a few grunts here and there. When they were finished, the sky was scattered with brilliant stars.
"Well," Gaius finally said, "If you want to find that blacksmith of yours tomorrow, you'd better get to bed soon."
The children all scrambled off their couches and hurried to their bedrooms. Aristo and Mordecai soon followed, leaving only Miriam and Gaius.
"I'd better be going in soon, too" said Gaius, "It's going to take a lot of energy to chase four children around Pompeii tomorrow, especially when one of them is Flavia."
Miriam smiled. Gaius couldn't help but to notice how pretty she looked in the starlight.
"Goodnight, Miriam," he finally said.
"Goodnight, Gaius," she replied, watching him disappear into the house. And she turned to look at the brilliant stars, still smiling.