Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 42 ~ The Trojan Horse

"Rome's Helena," Ennia seethed furiously with jealousy as soon as the door to her chambers slammed shut. Behind her back, Macro rolled his eyes at his wife. When would she finally come to terms with her age? As she continued to rant about the enormity of that title, Macro blocked his ears, placed his sword on a chest beside his bed, and slipped off his boots. Routinely, he undid the fastenings of his uniform.
Ennia's problem was not that Aurelia was celebrated, admired, and adored by the people, or that she attracted the attention of both sexes everywhere she went. Nor did it bother her that Aurelia had appeared out of nowhere in the heart of Roman society. It was the last question he would have liked to discuss with her, for it gave him a great headache, especially since he could no longer ask Agrippina.
But his wife's problem was simply that she couldn't talk herself down to Aurelia like all the other women so far. One look into those infinite blue eyes gave an idea of this woman's intelligence. Her entire appearance was as perfect as if she were a statue of Proserpina or Venus come to life. Even the slight accent that resonated in her voice diminished her fascination, instead lending her something human. Beside her, Ennia was revealed for what she was: a conceited, vain woman on whom nothing had been left to chance.
Macro's problem was that he hardly knew anything about this woman. Again and again he recalled all the facts: her family had kept a very low profile until she was born. After that, her father's career began first. Then her parents had left with her for Germania for no apparent reason and had been slaughtered near the border by rebellious Teutons. The child's body was never found. It was assumed that the Teutons had needed her for one of their barbarian sacrifices. The entire estate fell to Tiberius. Nearly a year ago, it washed up on the shores of Italy right at Julia's feet. She had received her entire inheritance back in full after being adopted by a petty senator. Rome had left her after less than twenty-four hours and reappeared just as unexpectedly. In all that time, Gaius had never shown any real interest in her.
Suddenly a cruel smile appeared on his face and Ennia abruptly fell silent. Aurelia was one thing above all: Rome's richest heiress. The banquets, the games, the entertainment for the soldiers, the bribes at his inauguration - Gaius needed money. Lots of money. Gaius was the most calculating man Macro had ever met. Of course, he would marry a stranger if she brought him enough money. Of course, the fact that she was also so pretty made everything easier. Aurelia's new family could never have refused the princeps' proposal.
"You missed something, my dear," he purred, approaching her calmly. "Aurelia has only been back in Rome a short time. She has been able to get to know her husband better for a week at most. But Gaius has been and will continue to be so busy that they will be strangers to each other for quite some time. We have heard the rumours of Gaius' reputation. We need to get them on our side before they can form a deep relationship. Let us use their ignorance against them"
Lost in thought, Ennia played with her earring. How he hated it when she did that. She wanted to know if he really believed that Aurelia and Gaius could have a romantic marriage.
"I hardly know anything about her," Macro reminded his uncertain wife. "But I looked into her eyes today: Sooner or later Gaius will fall in love with her, because she has more to offer than wealth and beauty"
Ennia snorted.
"Didn't you always like the version of the Troy saga where Helen opens the gates best?" he wanted to know. "We don't need a Trojan horse. We need a Roman Helen."
"And how do you intend to turn her against him?" hurled Ennia at him in frustration. "How are you going to seduce her into working with us?"
Macro's smile grew even crueler and a glimmer of hope flitted across Ennia's face.
"Which can be used to turn any woman against her husband," he retorted slyly. "With jealousy."