In all, it had taken very few tears to win herself back into her father’s favour. Marie had blamed her initial reaction on a night of bad sleep brought about by the barbarian’s presence. It was a true enough statement, after all. By the time she had returned from tending Logan, there had been only a few hours left in the night. Still, when she had awoken, Marie had felt entirely refreshed. Her father did not know that, though, and Marie chose to keep it that way.
"I pray though, my dear, that you will not oppose to being in the barbarian’s presence a second night,” Magnus said from behind his work desk.
Marie looked up at him, startled, and raised herself up from her reclined position on the couch. “Whatever do you mean, Father?”
“I received word from Flavius this morning that he plans on having a dinner to make amends for that horrid display last night,” Magnus said absently. “He has a presentation that he would like to make to you so I couldn’t very well refuse. Your betrothed will be there as well, along with his family. We plan on making the announcement tonight so you had best look pleased about your coming marriage.”
“I am pleased, Father,” Marie murmured, hoping to sound convincing to Magnus. As it was, she could barely refrain from choking on the words. “I have given it long thought and I would be most honoured to marry Divinicus Scott.”
Magnus looked over at her and smiled lightly. “I am glad to hear it, daughter.”
There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on longer than it was. Finally, Marie garnered up the courage to ask her father what had been plaguing her mind all morning.
“Father, is my skin truly poisonous?”
Magnus’s head shot up, his eyes dark with anger. “How dare you ask me such a question!”
Undaunted, Marie bowed her head demurely. “I ask, Father, because in seven days I am to be married. What man would wish to keep me as his wife if I could kill him with only a single touch?”
“The type of man who wants merely a trophy and not someone to warm his bed,” Magnus said harshly. “He has mistresses enough for that. Nor has he any need for heirs. His first marriage to Ibynthica produced two sons. You are to be a treasure to add to his collection. Something looked at, but not touched.”
It took everything in Marie’s power to remain silent at that point. Her gut instinct was to shout and argue with her father, but for the next seven days she needed to be the perfect daughter so that he would not suspect what she was doing behind his back. If he discovered her plot to leave the city the eve before her wedding, Marie knew that there would be no escape for her.
“Now go prepare yourself,” Magnus ordered. “We leave in an hour and you must be made to look perfect before then.”
Rising stiffly to her feet, Marie bowed her head in his direction. “As you will it, Father.”
As she walked back to her own rooms, Marie was silently dreading what Flavius could be up to. This talk of a presentation had Marie greatly worried. For Logan more than herself. Flavius was by no means a gentle man. He was ruthless and vengeful, not the traits one wanted in a master. It wouldn’t have surprised Marie if Flavius had Logan killed. The only reason she didn’t fear for Logan’s life was knowing that Flavius considered Logan valuable. It was Flavius’s ruthlessness that made him a shrewd businessman and unlikely to spoil the profits he planned to make from Logan.
As soon as she entered her room, Marie heaved a great sob and threw herself on her bed. In this case, her tears were real, shed for what she knew would be a horrid evening and upcoming week. Marie sobbed for several long minutes, hoping to work all of the emotions out of her system by the time she needed to be ready to leave.
“Really, Mistress. It can not be as bad as all that,” Jubilation said soothingly as she sat down next to Marie on the bed.
Marie made a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh as she rolled onto her back. “I don’t see how that’s possible, Jubilation. In a week I have to marry the most stuck up, pompous child I have ever met. Divinicus Scott is a spoiled brat and I want nothing to do with him!”
“I have noticed the fact that his had does somewhat resemble a square, but at least the rest of his body is as beautifully made as a sculpture,” Jubilation prompted, hoping to lighten the mood.
“What does it matter?” Marie cried, exasperated. “I am not to be a true wife to him! Like my father, he only wants me as a trophy.... That is why I am leaving.”
Jubilation’s dark eyes suddenly became very large. “Leaving? Mistress, whatever are you talking about?”
Marie sat up and all but jumped off her bed. “Exactly what I said, Jubilation. In seven days’ time, I am leaving Rome once and for all. I have been saving for years and now I am finally going to leave. The night before my wedding.”
“Mistress, have you thought this through? Are you fully aware of what you’re doing?” Jubilation demanded, following Marie who had made her way over to the vanity and was in the process of removing some of her rings. “You will need an escort and people to bring your baggage. You can not seriously believe that you can sneak away without your father’s knowledge.”
“It will happen, Jubilation. Make no mistake about that,” Marie said determinedly as she pulled off an armband. “Now enough of that. Do you have my costume for the Saturnalia?”
Jubilation nodded her head, biting nervously on her bottom lip. “My friend delivered it this morning while you were gone.... Are you certain you want to wear it?”
Marie spun around, a wide smile on her face. “Of course I am going to wear it! My father will be busy frequenting his associate’s homes that he will hardly notice my presence. So I am going to wear it.”
“But it does reveal a great deal of skin,” Jubilation reminded her as she began unlacing the back of her gown.
“I honestly do not care, Jubilation. I am sick and tired of being covered from head to foot,” Marie said defiantly. “No one will recognize me, anyway. I will pass unnoticed in the crowds and I plan on enjoying it.”
“But what happens if someone inadvertently touches your skin?” Jubilation inquired as she pulled a thin silk glove onto her right hand. Her left hand she left uncovered so that she could dip a cloth in a bowl of rose-scented water to wash away any evidence of Marie’s tears. “If the rumours of your skin are true, you might inadvertently hurt someone.”
Marie obediently kept her eyes closed as Jubilation cleaned her face. “Then I shall just have to be careful, won’t I? You will not talk me out of it, Jubilation. If you are so worried then you can accompany me and act as my bodyguard.”
“You’re awful!” Jubilation giggled, poking Marie’s forehead. “And I’ll have you know that no one would be scared of me so I would hardly make a worthwhile bodyguard.”
Marie squinted her eyes open and grinned up at Jubilation. “True, but since I am sure that every man able to see you will flock to your side leaving no one to accidentally touch me.”
“That is not true!” Jubilation cried, laughing hysterically. “You are beautiful in your own rights and if men are able to actually see your face they will agree as well.”
“Oh pah! Enough of this foolishness! Make me into my father’s work of art,” Marie said with an absent wave of her hand.
Only moments before the appointed time of their departure, Marie left her apartments looking nothing like she did when she had entered. Marie was dressed in gold silk that clung to her curves like a second skin. Unlike most of her dresses, there were no sleeves on this particular garment. Instead, Marie had a wrap of near transparent maroon gossamer that she could use to cover her arms. The golden veil was of a much more tame nature than her usual ones. Designed to cover only her face and the side of her head, the veil draped elegantly over her features and was pulled back into the intricate style of her dark hair. On this night, Marie’s throat would be visible for the first time, something that would shock the people at the dinner.
“I only hope this can be outdone the day of your wedding,” Magnus praised as he first caught sight of his daughter. “Come, or I fear that we shall be late.”
It often frightened Marie that her father could change his personality on a whim. It would take only seconds for him to go from being a complete demon to a cultured aristocrat, unnerving Marie more often than not. He was in rare form that night. Escorting her out to their litters with all the grace of the well-to-do.
“Now I expect you to be on your best behaviour tonight,” Magnus said as he helped Marie into her litter. “I want no repeat of last night. Am I understood?”
“Perfectly, Father,” Marie said with a sombre bow of her head.
Marie sat silently the entire journey to Flavius’s house, worrying over what possible presentation Senator had planned for the night. She was terrified that something awful would happen to Logan. Once again, Logan could suffer because of her. Marie hated that Logan could be hurt because of her and the foolish mistake she had made by touching him in the presence of others.
“Why was I so stupid?” Marie murmured, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have put Logan at risk like that.... Please, whatever gods Logan worships, keep him safe. His situation is not his doing... Please help him....” Marie sobbed, cupping a hand over her mouth to muffle any noise.
By the time they reached Flavius’s house, Marie was fully composed and every bit the goddess that Logan had first taken her to be. There was a collective gasp from the throng of people gathered in the illuminated garden. It was a fitting setting for a goddess. Screens imported from deep in Asia at a great expense to the Senator and blocked off the less admirable parts of the garden. Couches decorated with luxuriant silks and rich furs accented the golden table with marble inlays. In such a short time, Flavius had managed to put together a magnificent dinner that rivaled some of her father’s.
“You have brought Venus herself to my humble garden,” Flavius declared, spreading his arms wide. “I am honoured, great goddess.”
“She is a mystery that the gods themselves may have troubles solving,” Flavius said cryptically, nodding his head in Flavius’s direction.
Marie sneered at Flavius, knowing full well that he couldn’t see her. As her father led her towards one of the couches, Marie scanned the garden, searching for the one face she longed to see.
Thank the gods! Marie cried in her mind when she finally caught sight of Logan, standing stiffly beside a cloth covered pedestal. Marie smiled brightly at him, relieved to see that at least the chains around his wrists had been removed. Their eyes met a few moments later and Marie could clearly detect the joy that Logan was trying so hard to cover shining in his eyes.
“Our goddess has arrived now, so it is time to begin our presentation,” Flavius announced to the other people gathered in his garden. With a flourish, he started towards the pedestal and Logan.
At that moment, it was all that Marie could do not to scream in terror.