“It’s no secret that Galerius hates you.” Her forehead was wrinkled in a frown, as she considered the question, and he saw that she was deadly serious. “He will probably try to have you killed after Diocletian names him Augustus and gives up the throne, but your father is a very strong man and will certainly guard his own rights in the West. And now that you know what is liable to happen, you can look after yourself. That’s it.” Her face suddenly cleared. “As soon as Diocletian abdicates, you must flee and join your father at Treves. Then he can name you Caesar and my family will want me married to you, so they can bind you to us.”
“I’m beginning to think it is you who should be Augustus.”
“What man would ever admit that a woman could rule an empire?”
“Queen Zenobia did. She almost took the eastern half of it away from us.”
“And ended up by being paraded through the streets of Rome in chains. I wouldn’t like for anyone to see me in chains, even if they were golden ones.”
Badge of honor
“You’d manage to make them look like a badge of honor,” he assured her. “Unless I miss my guess, you’re like a cat, always able to land on its feet.”
“Women don’t like to be called cats either,” she said, a little tartly.
“Not even those from Persia? The most regal cats in the world are found there.”
“We will tour Persia on our wedding trip and I shall see,” Fausta decided. “Father never lets me go anywhere; he says I’m too young. But you will take me with you, won’t you?”
“Who wouldn’t want all his subjects to see so lovely an empress?” he asked, then added hastily, “Not that I ever expect to be Emperor.”
“You gave yourself away!” she cried triumphantly. “Of course you expect to be Emperor of Rome one day; I wouldn’t have decided to fall in love with you, if you weren’t ambitious.” Before he could quite recover from this startling statement, she added, “Now I must go, or father will be angry again. Don’t forget that you are going with me to the shops tomorrow.”
“And don’t forget that I have a job to do.”
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