The news about the emperor weighed heavily on them. Big changes always came when the purple changed hands, and often the changes weren’t good. His father, Quintus, wrestled down a heavy, fat sheep. It squirmed and baa-ed in protest, its black eyes wide with fear. “Now, now,” Quintus said, holding tight. “This won’t hurt.” Lucius grabbed the flailing back legs so his father could gain purchase with the metal shears. “Where’d you run off to?” Quintus huffed between breaths. Lucius avoided his father’s eyes. “I was summoned by the master.” Quintus’s eyebrows shot up. “Not Brutus,” Lucius clarified. “Who then?” Lucius had managed to keep his clandestine meetings with Helena from his family, because he had dictated the times. He and Helena had found a pattern that worked for both of them, and with Felicity’s help they both had been able to keep their secret. Until now. “The master’s daughter.” Quintus dropped his shears. The sheep bolted out of their arms and back into the pen, leaving half its coat lying at Quintus’s feet.
