[Fiction] The Roman Slave Girl

[RainbowSky]

Seven

The days were full and busy. Every morning I would wake Livia up, help her get dressed and do her hair. Then we would study for around three to four hours, with a small rest between lessons. Livia often spent this time in the garden gathering plants or planting flowers. Then it would be lunch and I would serve her lunch before hurriedly eating mine in the slave quarters. Then in the afternoon, we would often have one final lessons before Livia had free time. During this time, she might go for a walk around the market, go to a temple to pray, the swimming baths or just spend time with her mother. That was the hardest part of the job. Spending time with Livia’s mother. Wherever Livia went in the afternoons, I had to go too and so that often meant standing silently at the side of the room with the other attendants whilst she chatted with her mother. Throughout these conversations, I would always feel her mother’s eyes on me, scowling. Disapproving.

The first piano lesson on the hydraulis had made for an eventful Wednesday afternoon. Most of it had been Livia showing me what note each pipe made and then playing some of her favourite songs. After that, I had taken a trip to a local musician’s store to gather new scores for her to learn on the hydraulis. Both of us preferred lyre lessons – she as it was a new instrument, me because I actually could play it.

The second week when Livia and I were sat at the hydraulis, her mother bustled into the room. “Darling, I’m sorry but your music lesson is cancelled. Girl,” she said turning to glare at me, “you are needed in the kitchen. A banquet is being prepared. Livia, your father will be home this evening.” Livia squealed and hugged me. I quickly extricated myself from the hug before her mother could scold me and hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. I hovered in the doorway until Alexander spotted me.

“Eleni, get over here,” he demanded. I hurried over relieved. Despite being my immediate boss, Alexander was the only person who didn’t actually flinch or move away when I was near. Everyone else was to scared of being tainted by my Greekness. He led me into a small back room, where a table was piled high with silver dining ware, cutlery and candelabras. “I need all of this polished until it is gleaming,” he said. “Then it will need taking up the banquet hall and laid out,” he added showing me a sketch of how the room would look, and also where everything was to be placed. He placed a cloth and a glasspot of polish in my hands. “You have two hours Eleni, before it needs to be being moved upstairs,” he told me before leaving the room. I looked at the pile of silverware and felt my heart sink. This was an impossible task I had been given. I took the cloth and the polish and picked up the first candelabra. With a sigh, I began to polish.

Two hours later, when Alexander returned I was just finishing the last knife. “Eleni, hurry up. This needs to be moved upstairs,” he demanded. I nodded, placing the knife down on the pile and carefully stacking it onto the tray to be carried upstairs. I knew I was going to have to do it in two trips so scurried upstairs quickly and piled the cutlery neatly on the table, but in the wrong places, just to clear the tray and return to the backroom to collect the remaining dinner ware. When I returned from my second trip, Livia’s mother was stood in the banquet room, staring furiously at the table. I tried to scurry past her but her hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.

“It’s not finished yet Ma’am,” I managed to sputter out quietly.

“It had better not be!” she yelled. I winced slightly. “In future, correctly place everything before returning with more. I will have Alexander punish you this evening after the banquet for this.” She stalked out the room and I almost burst into tears. I knew I would receive harsh punishment, far harsher than any other slave for such an infraction.

I quickly sorted out the table, ensuring everything was perfect. Nothing else would go wrong this evening.

That was until I turned around and saw him.

A/N: apologies for the delay in new chapters. I've been searching for a new job recently and was finding it difficult to find time to write and job search, however I have now found a job and have a bit more free time.