Lucilla--NaNoWriMo2014

Chapter Twenty

Mark and Lucilla then turned inland toward the mountains. Here and there the hills were covered with vineyards that would become vintage wine some day.

In the distance they saw a farm cart turned on its side. A middle aged man in a frayed coat stood next to his wife. She wore a scarf and coat that was a bit too thick for that cooler time of the year. She wore lace - up shoes suitable for farm work.

Their donkey was tied to a tree while they labored to reattach the wheel that had come off their cart.

To Mark's surprise, Lucilla suggested that they help them out.

"Caio, Signore," Mark said in greeting as they pulled up. In a respectful tone that was befitting of their older ages, Mark said, "It's an honor that I meet you." He gestured to Lucilla. "Please meet my wife Helena." Placing his hand on his chest. "I am Signore Carabeta. Who is this that it's my pleasure to meet?"

Surprised but delighted, the older man smiled and extended his hand. "Signor and Signor Belini of Adano." He pointed toward the village high on the huge hill in the diistance.

Lucilla said to Mark, "That is an E trust can village." She held Mark's arm. "I was there with my father. "

As if anticipating what she would say next, the man said," Yes, history says that Emperor Marcus Aurelius made peace with the earlier inhabitants. Tomorrow we will celebrate the Emperor's visit." The older man looked at his cart. "First I need to get wheel back on."

Mark looked at the wheel. "You are missing the hub. Helena and I will look for it for you. It has to be near the road or in a ditch but not far."

Within minutes, Mark and Lucilla scoured the sides of the road. "Here it is," Lucilla said as she reached into the scrub brush for it.

"Let us help you with your your wagon wheel," Mark said.

Mark, Lucilla, and the older man held the unloaded wagon up while the man's wife placed the wagon wheel on its axle. She turned it finger tight. The her husband used a tool from his wagon to tighten it's hub. He used long nail, which he bent to make a temporary cotter pin.

As Mark and Lucilla turned to resume their journey, Signore Belini said, "Please accept our hospitality for the evening. We don't get many visitors from afar."

Lucilla leaned over to Mark. He expected her to object. "It's okay with me. These poor people are noble. My father enjoyed the people in this village."

They took Mark and Lucilla to their small farm house with small vineyard. The house was large and was big enough for their farm animals to take refuge in cold weather. They had a small garden and a pen where they kept their pigs.

Signore and Signore Belini did not have a hand pump for water in their kitchen. NeithDuer did they have a stove for hearing and cookinng. They continued to cook buy placing their pots and Dutch ovens directly into the fire in their hearth.

They meal they served consisted of pasta, which they made from wheat using a wooden press that gave the spaghetti it's form. The sausage they included was from their own pigs, which they slaughtered from time to time. They used every part of the pig they could for food. They used salt to preserve their flashlights food over long periods of time.

They offered Mark and Lucilla coffee with honey for flavoring. That pleased Lucilla so much because she long preferred honey to cane or the newer beet sugar.

After supper they brought out their homemade wine. "We both bring out our own vat and tread our grapes. Then we keep enough bottled wine in the cellar to meet our needs. Most of the grapes we sell at market."

Signore Belini then brought out their best wine glasses and filled them.

Holding his wine filled glass high, he said, "To Emperor Marcus Aurelius and to King Victor Emanuel."

Lucilla's heart leaped as she smiled and glanced at Mark.

Then Signora, with a smile, looked closer at Lucilla. "Oh, how did I miss that all these hours?" Her mouth opened wide. "Come to the hearth with me, my child."

Lucilla at first was uncomfortable with her request. There on the mantle of the hearth was a photo of a marble bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. "Signora, if I did not know better, I would think you were the very daughter of the emperor himself."

Lucilla swelled with pride but blushed. How lovely of the older woman to notice something she could never reveal.

"Ah." She placed her gentle hand on Lucilla's cheek. It doesn't matter. You have the heart of an Augusta, a princess."

Lucilla then noticed a faded photo of a young soldier. "Is your handsome son in the army?" Lucilla said.

Tears came to Signora Belini's eyes.

"Our son is back with us," Signore Belini said, looking out into the yard. "He's buried out there. The war took him."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Signore Belini," Mark said.

"We do not care for El Duce and his war. Our country is crawling with Germans now. If we could surrender and the Germans would return north, the Signora and I would help them."

They talked of the war and the works of Marcus Aurelius until after dark.

"The festival of Marcus Aurelius takes place tomorrow. Will you come with us?"

"We'd love to, Sejnore," Mark said.  He looked over at Lucilla, who was so eager because it was about her own father.

"We will provide you a cold breakfast so that you can eat fast and prepare yourselves."  The old man pointed to their dining table.  "It will be waiting for you in the morning.  The necessary room is a small building behind the house.  We can provide a small kerosene lamp if you need it." 

That night Signore Belini provided Mark and Lucilla with a small double bed with a rope network instead of steel springs. Their mattress was of fresh straw. To their surprise, they found it narrow but somewhat comfortable.

Mark and Lucilla lay facing each other.

"Mark, oif these people work so hard, then why are they not wealthy?"

"How was it in old Rome?"

"The people had free food and games at the circuses."

"Lucilla, the farmers, who left their farms to fight as part of the Legions, could not farm their land.  The Republic did nothing to protect them from creditors and the taxes the government imposed on them,"

"That is so?"

"So untold numbers lost their dignity because they had no work. As Rome brought home the slaves, there was no work to be had."

"A society who takes care only of its elite such as yourself, then you have the honest, hard-working poor.  They may not be able to borrow on their property, if they indeed own it.  El Duce has promised land reform, but he kept their taxes high and has made his closer friends wealthy, most of all, himself."

"Mark, I admire these people.  When I return to my time, I hope to do something for the poor of my day.'

"You will not remain here with me and build a new world?"

"Oh, Mark, I love you.  Just love me back until you take me back to Capri."

They lay sharing affection for a while but did not become too aroused.

"No love making tonight, Lucy?" He smiled. "We don't want them to hear you moaning aloud."

"Just hold onto me, Mark.  I love you so much."