Damon returns with his man in as nonchalant a manner as he left moments before. There is a certain arrogance about him that women might call charming and most men would call earned pride. How well earned it may be, I have my doubts. I, myself, find it somewhat irritating, but then I find most upper class Romans to be irritating. I have found Hadrian and company to be the exception to the rule, however. It is why I have remained in his employ for so long.

"Just so there is no doubt, Hadrian will not mind your man coming along. In fact, he would expect it. You are both welcome. I am Achillas. Shall we?"

We leave the baths and head through town turning down the Marine's Road. About halfway there, Damon attempts to turn off towards Etruscilla's home.

"You are headed to the wrong villa. Hadrian's is further down the road," I inform him before he gets too far. "He was merely visiting a friend earlier."

Damon looks a bit confused at first but quickly recovers.

"Interesting. Lead on then," he says.

A little further down the road, we encounter Hadrian himself. Greetings are exchanged.

"I have located Damon fairly quickly, as you can see."

"I see that, Achillas," he responds. "Please, continue on to my home and I will join you all shortly. Forgive me, but I have one more quick errand that must be taken care of immediately. I will be twenty minutes at most. See that Damon and his man are made comfortable. Please excuse me."

"This short trip is getting stranger by the minute," Damon's man, Julian, quips, as we continue on.

I suspect a certain outing is about to be cancelled so that Lady Varilla may be brought to face the man I am escorting.