Lydia did not raise her eyes from the floor. ‘There is only one god and Yeshua is his son.’
Gaius frowned. ‘One god? Whoever heard such nonsense? Who’s this Yeshua?’
‘Yosef’s kinsman, the Jewish trader; the one who helped us rescue Sabinus from the Vale of Sulis in Britannia we told you about?’ Vespasian answered, remembering with a chill druids manifesting the goddess Sulis in the body of a sacrificed girl. ‘Yosef revered Yeshua as a teacher but this Paulus has turned him into some kind of god, and a pretty exclusive god, just like that Jewish one from what I can make out.’
Sabinus glanced at Vespasian, evidently annoyed by hushed voices in the corner of his court, before turning back to the accused. ‘Are you a Jew?’
‘I am a Macedonian and before I met Paulus I was a godfearer.’
‘A god-fearer? What’s that?’
‘We are not Jews as such but worship their god. We do not follow the dietary rules of the Jews and the men do not subject themselves to circumcision. Paulus says that as followers of Yeshua we can honour their god without becoming Jews.’
Sabinus looked less than impressed. ‘I questioned Yeshua.’
‘You spoke with him?’ Lydia asked, forgetting her position.
‘Yes, before I executed him.’
Lydia’s eyes widened at this revelation. ‘You crucified the Christus?’
‘No, I crucified a man called Yeshua who died like any other man. And I can tell you that he didn’t like non-Jews; he called me a Gentile dog, in fact. So whatever nonsense this Paulus is telling you does not come from the teachings of Yeshua; Paulus is perverting them and in doing so has caused a lot of deaths. Do you know that he was the captain of the chief priest’s guard and was sent to claim Yeshua’s body after he’d been crucified so that he could bury it in secret? He persecuted Yeshua’s followers and I asked him why. What was he so afraid of? And he said: “Because he would bring change.” And yet now he seems to be doing the very thing that he feared. Do you really want to trust that man with your life? You can save yourself by telling me where he is, this man who tried to kill Yeshua’s woman and his children.’
‘I saved Yeshua’s wife and children from Paulus in Cyrene when he was trying to expunge all trace of Yeshua’s bloodline and teachings,’ Vespasian informed Gaius as Lydia contemplated the question.
Gaius frowned, confused. ‘But now he spreads them?’
‘It seems that he had a complete change of heart; although Alexander, the Alabarch of the Alexandrian Jews, thinks that he’s just discovered a way to make himself important.’ Vespasian closed his eyes, thinking. ‘I remember he said that he’s found a way to turn the world upside down with himself finally on the top.’
Lydia lifted her gaze to Sabinus. ‘I was the first person that Paulus baptised in Europa, here in Philippi in the River Gangites; I will not betray him.’
‘You in turn were betrayed by one of his followers who did not fancy spending his last hours on the cross.’
‘I will gladly suffer that fate rather than turn traitor.’
Sabinus paused, evidently less than willing to pronounce sentence on the woman. ‘What was your husband’s business before he died?’
‘He dealt in purple, not porphrya but the cheaper vegetable dye that comes from my home town.’
‘And you now run that business?’
‘As a widow I’m entitled to in law.’
‘And you are prepared to see all the hard work that your husband put in during his life to build up that business wasted, because, if I order your execution, I will confiscate your business. Are you that selfish as to think that Paulus is worth your dead husband’s life’s work?’
Lydia’s silence answered the question.
Sabinus’ fist slammed down on the arm of his curule chair. ‘Very well!’ he shouted. ‘Take her to the cells and leave her there for a few days to consider her position.’
The auxiliaries hauled Lydia away.
‘I will find him,’ Sabinus shouted after her, ‘whether you end your life in agony on a cross or in comfort from the spoils of your husband’s business. I will find Paulus!’
‘I had him,’ Sabinus growled, heading for the chamber door. ‘I had the arrogant little bastard.’
‘You did what, dear boy?’ Gaius asked, waddling hard to keep up with Sabinus’ bad-tempered pace.
‘I had him here, Uncle, locked up in prison.’ Sabinus thumped at the door before the startled auxiliary guarding it had a chance to open it entirely.
‘Here? Why didn’t you crucify him? If there’s one thing he needs it’s crucifixion.’