Philandros followed the maid to his mother's rooms--a roman villa had no proper women's quarters, but Eudora Callias had several rooms to herself which no men except family were allowed to enter. He kissed his mother's cheek and looked at her inquiringly. Despite being almost forty, her hair was still dark, and her eyes bright--she would never age any way but gracefully.

"Alcme said something was wrong with Eukleia--nothing serious I hope?" Did that sound sufficiently worried, or hopeful? Much as Philandros disliked his wife, he wouldn't wish her harm. Eudora's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing in rebuke, but her tone was a bit formal--a sure sign he'd been caught out.

"My son, your wife will be fine--the malady she's contracted will come and go, mostly in mornings; a total cure may be expected though only after a passage of some months."

"But she will recover?" Philandros chided himself for letting himself be so insensitive--just a short time ago, if the news had been about a certain roman, he would have been totally distraught!

Eudora smiled...she knew about Sextus, and though she couldn't give her full-hearted approval, she didn't disapprove of the man. She did have an issue with the man's stance on family, however.

"Give it about seven more months, and your wife will be well again...and you will be a father!" Eudora's smile broadened as she pushed her son into a chair, lest he fall to the floor in a faint.

Philandros was too stunned to speak...he just opened and closed his mouth, and wiped his brow, which had begun to sweat. "But--how?"

Eudora laughed outright. "The usual way, my son!"

Philandros blushed...this was his mother he was talking to! "No, not that--I mean, we've...well, almost never...."

"Philon, it only takes once if you are lucky--and despite drinking so much--it seems it was managed satisfactorily." She caught her son's look before he could stare at the floor in shame. "Yes, I knew about that--but I also knew where your affections truly lay--and so I arranged some herbs to assist your wife's desires..."

Anger rose in Philandros' breast, and he got shakily to his feet. Anger entirely drove out the surprise he had felt earlier--betrayed, by his own mother!--the one person he had been certain he could trust! While he strove for words to express his feelings, Eudora continued:

"Philandros--this was for your own good! Think, son...you are now free of your obligation to father's demands--if all goes well with Eukleia! She will bear a child, and you will be free to do as you wish!"

Free! The word rang through Philandros' head like a great boom of thunder--he would no longer have to listen to Solon carrying on about the continuation of the family! He could go to Pompeii--he could go to--Sextus!

He almost started for the door right then, but he stopped dead in his tracks as something occurred to him. He turned about to face his mother again.

"What if she doesn't have a boy?"

Eudora smiled again, and shrugged slightly. "That is as the gods will it, but there are herbs which it is said can influence things to favor sons over daughters....I will look after things as best a woman can--I'd like a grandson as much as my father wants a boy."

Philandros kissed his mother again, and headed to his wife's room to speak with her; now that she was with child, he could go to Pompeii with a free conscience. Solon would shortly have another generation for the family, he could be less bound to Eukleia now that she'd served her duty, and he could be with his true love at last!

He ran through the colonnade, and stopped just outside his wife's door. He was about to turn the latch when he froze again...

His last meeting with Sextus hadn't been a good one...in fact, it was only his assumption that Sextus even wanted to see him again.

Sextus had always attracted men like a flower attracts bees, and like that flower, he didn't resist their attentions....

Was Sextus now the center of a new swarm? Was there any chance for an old lover who hadn't been able to commit himself to entirely to their relationship?

Did Philandros want to find out the answer to that question?