TIME MACHINE CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Connie hugged Rita.
"At least we're safe from Hanssen here."
"But it's an evil place!"
"Hey, come on, Freeman, I'll look after you."
Rita's lower lip came out in a little pout of temper, but she sighed, and snuggled into Connie's naked body.
"THIS is the same in any century, darling."
Rita was sceptical.
"I'm not so sure. I bet they'll invent ways to make sex more exciting in the future."
"We'll ask Cal and Ethan tomorrow. If we can catch Ethan between meals."
In the morning, Ethan said helpfully:
"I'll have a go at picking that time machine lock later today if nobody minds."
The others wanted to tell Ethan not to be so naïve, but Dylan just said:
"Better to leave well alone, Ethan."
Later, Caesar approached them with news.
"I am needed abroad on foreign affairs but you may stay here in my absence. I hear you were robbed yesterday?"
"We were" Connie said.
Caesar clapped his hands and in came two bodyguards. The athletic younger man, Adrianus, and the older one, Grossus Maccus, bowed to the travellers.
"At your disposal for the rest of your stay."
Things looked a little better.
They took a walk by the Tiber next day and considered diving in to retrieve the ring, but the size of the river and the unhealthy state of it, told them it would be potential suicide. And none of them were as unhappy as that.
Suddenly the small boy ran up to them. The bodyguards were on alert, but:
"We know him. Hello, Lucius" said Connie.
Lucius was smiling and had two fat trout in his hand.
Ooooh, fresh trout, thought Ethan.
"For you, my friends, for your kindness to me yesterday."
Ben peered a little closer. Was that a new bruise on the little boys' arm?
"Thank you Lucius, we shall enjoy those."
"Can we take them back and cook them now?" asked Ethan.
"You've had breakfast, greedy guts" Cal squashed him.
"Be here tomorrow; I might have something for you" Connie told Lucius, who bowed and ran off.
Ben was determined he would ask questions next time he saw the small boy.
Ethan had to wait till lunchtime to eat as the others wanted to walk round with the bodyguards and enjoy some of the statues and architecture in Rome.
Back at the villa, the cook, Janus, was preparing the fish when he suddenly abandoned the cooking and came running into the room where the travellers were relaxing.
"Noble friends, that boy tried to kill you all! You should demand that he and his entire family are slaughtered for this!"
The 'Saxons' were shocked, not only at the threat to a whole family but that Lucius had tried to kill them.
"Were the trout poisoned?"
"No… this device was in one of them!"
And Janus held up the time machine key.
Connie laughed and Janus wondered if the beautiful Saxon lady had lost her mind.
"The child did not try to harm us; he recovered a precious talisman we had lost! And no more talk of slaughtering families; I find it most distasteful. We are due to meet the boy tomorrow; he shall be richly rewarded. As for you…"
Connie took a huge diamond from her 'swag bag' and passed it to the cook.
"Oh madam! Madam, I'll work for you forever!" he grovelled.
They were all euphoric; thanks to little Lucius they could leave this place with its underlying horror.
Lucius was waiting by the bridge as he had promised the next day, but somebody was with him. A sturdy-looking, sullen man was with him, and suddenly gave Lucius a slap that sent him sprawling. Connie motioned for the bodyguards to hide.
"A large slap for such a small boy" she commented drily. Ben wanted to go for the man's throat but trusted Connie in this case.
"Bah" the man spat, "I should have done with him what I did to his sister; taken the wretch into the wilderness to die when he was born."
"They don't-!" gasped Rita.
"They do", Ben said miserably.
"You evil, hateful man!" Rita began.
"Keep your bitches in order or I'll slap them unconscious!" the man, Adamus Crassus, ordered the 'Saxon' men.
The bodyguards reappeared.
"Did you just threaten the Ladies Constantina, Jessica and Rita, favourites of the great Caesar?"
Crassus grovelled.
"No, no; fine ladies, sweet ladies."
"And what does his mother think of you slapping Lucius here?"
Crassus forced grief into his voice.
"Ah, his lovely mother is no longer on this earth. I do my best to discipline the brat, but…"
Ben put his hands on Lucius's shoulders.
"Lucius, if you could come with my friends and myself, would you do that?"
"I have some say in what becomes of the whelp!" bawled Crassus.
"Ah, then you won't want this."
Connie waved a diamond bracelet at Crassus. Because of the bodyguards, he dared not slap her, snatch it and run.
"Such a good boy; worth more than diamonds."
Connie wasn't one to give in to emotional blackmail but she saw the fear and despair in the small boy's eyes. She held out a pile of gold coins.
It reminded Ben of the scene with the Threnadiers, Valjean and Cosette in 'Les Miserables'. Except that this was reality and it was hurting him.
"Interested now?"
"It will break my heart to lose my little boy, but I will let you take him away to a better life."
Crassus pulled Lucius into a bear hug, knowing he was hurting the boy because of the bruises on his back.
"Go with the lovely people, Lucius."
Connie threw the money at Crassus's feet, knowing that he had to grovel to retrieve it.
"Come along, Lucius, you're ours now and we'll do our best to make you happy."
Dylan could see the hurting in Ben's eyes, and to make him laugh, whispered:
"Wait till we go somewhere with footballs. You'll not be able to wait to teach him!"
Connie and Rita took Lucius's hands, with Adrianus and Grossus Maccus walking at either side of them, just in case Lucius's father should try one mean trick. But Crassus had fled with his windfall.
"I'm strong. I'm only seven years old but I can work hard" Lucius told Connie.
"You won't be working for a long time" she told him, and Rita gave him a hug.
They thought it only fair to leave a farewell note for Caesar, and with their new-found authority were able to hire a scribe to etch a message on a stone tablet. They left some precious stones out of courtesy. The note thanked the Emperor for his hospitality and added for good measure:
"Please beware the Ides of March."
Hearts were in mouths as Connie put the device in the door, but to everybody's relief the door opened.
"Madam?" Lucius said nervously.
"What, darling?"
"You're not sorcerers, are you?"
"No, Lucius. Just people who can travel through time."
The answer seemed to satisfy the small boy.
"So, do you trust us?" Ben asked.
Lucius ran to him and buried his face in Ben's chest. Of all the group, he had taken most to Ben and Connie. Lucius began to sob, but they were happy tears of relief at getting away from his vicious father. Ben held him till the tears stopped.
Connie gave him a tissue from the store cupboard.
"Wipe your eyes and nose, then I have a treat for you."
She came back with a chocolate biscuit. Ethan made a valiant effort not to run to count how many were left.
"Now eat it slowly or you could be ill" Cal advised.
But Lucius, used to having to ration his food, already knew to make it last as long as possible.
Dylan walked over to the controls without being asked.
"I think we all need to leave here. Forward?" he suggested.
"Yes, bossy-arse" Rita replied. Dylan raised his eyebrows at her, and turned the controls.
Where now?
Back in Ancient Rome, a little later, Caesar read the note and smiled at the Saxons' generosity.
"But what nonsense about the Ides of March! Of course I'll be careful… nothing on earth could make me miss that Senate Meeting!"
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