A Family Through The Ages - V.M. Sang

A Historical Fiction Saga

A Family Through The Ages by V.M. Sang

Series Excerpt

The years passed. To Adelbehrt, they were years of frustration. He felt more a pet than a boy, except when Maeve came. She did not pet and stroke him like the Roman women did; even some of the men stroked his hair, like they would a dog.

He often caught the Briton woman looking at him with a slight frown on her face, and wondered about it. Did she covet him for herself? Would she offer to buy him from the Domina? If she did, he would have to leave Avelina here. He worried about this, but nothing happened regarding a sale and so, eventually, he relaxed.

One day, when the children had been slaves for six years, Marcus approached Adelbehrt.

“Have you a minute?” the older man asked.

Adelbehrt looked at him, puzzled. “What do you want?” Sitting on the edge of the impluvium, he trailed his hand in the water. The Domina did not seem to want him at the moment. In fact, the Domina had not had much for him to do for a while. He thought the novelty of his appearance might be wearing off, especially as he was now beginning to grow up.

Marcus continued to stand before the office of the Dominus. What did the accountant want? He had little reason to ask Adelbehrt for anything. Marcus was an important man, even if a slave.

Marcus finally spoke. “How long have you been here now, Adelbehrt?”

“Six years.”

“That will make you about twelve then.”

The boy nodded. “About that, I suppose.”

“Now I don’t want to worry you, but you're growing up. You’re still an attractive boy—attractive enough to still be a pet—but as you get older, probably from now on,” he scanned Adelbehrt’s face, “the Domina will find you less like her pretty, little slave boy.”

“Your unusual hair colouring is no longer a novelty. No one comments on it anymore. Soon, the Domina won’t want you as her slave and will find a new pet. Or perhaps she has already.” He shrugged. “Look at how she dotes on that little dog the Dominus bought her.”

Adelbehrt regarded the older man. He had thought long about this himself. He noticed how the Domina played with her puppy and spent less time with him. He wasn’t jealous. Not really. In fact, he often felt glad she had another toy to play with. After six years of petting and fussing, he felt heartily fed up. Still, he found it galling to be ignored.

He pricked up his ears and listened to what Marcus was saying. it did not do to ignore one’s elders. “I spoke to the Dominus yesterday. It seems he’s noticed how his wife seems more concerned with her puppy than you and he talked about selling you.”

Adelbehrt drew in a sharp breath at that news and looked up at Marcus, biting his lower lip and frowning.

“He said he’d noticed you liked the horses and are good with them, but he doesn’t need another slave in the stables. He thinks he can sell you as a stable lad though.”

“But … but.” Adelbehrt did not know what to say. He thought of Avelina. Oh, the little girl seemed happy enough as Claudia’s slave, but she was still only ten summers old. She could not really remember their home by the Rhenus anymore and had completely forgotten their native language.

Claudia treated her well. In fact, they were almost like friends rather than mistress and slave, but Adelbehrt had promised his mother he would look after her. How could he do that if the Dominus sold him?

Marcus smiled at him as if he knew what he was thinking. “I made a suggestion. I’m not getting any younger you know, and the Dominus will need an accountant for years to come and after him, the young Dominus too, when he takes over the business. There’ll come a time when I can no longer travel as I do now.”

Marcus sat on the edge of the impluvium, next to Adelbehrt. “I pointed this out to the Dominus. He realised that, he said, and worried about what would happen then. I suggested that I teach you and you could become my successor. He agreed. Very quickly. He knows that to find a competent slave accountant would be difficult. What do you think of the idea?”

Adelbehrt’s eyes lit up. “Marcus, that would be great! I won’t have to leave Avelina. I can continue to look after her.”

“And you won’t have to worry about what sort of owner you’ll get either. We're very lucky here. We’re treated well. Anyway, the Dominus still has to talk to the Domina. You are, after all, her property and not his. It may be she doesn’t want to release you for some reason. You’ll hear in a few days.”

* * *

Almost a week went by before Marcus sent for Adelbehrt. When he had heard nothing after a couple of days, the boy became anxious. He thought the Domina had decided to sell him after all. Given she had not sent for him for two days, the boy spent time in the stables with his friend, Titus, and the big grey stallion he had come to love.

As he groomed the stallion, a little slave girl came in. Her big eyes opened even wider when she saw the horses, and she wrinkled up her nose at the pungent smell.

“You’re to come to Marcus at once,” she told Adelbehrt and scampered out of the stables as quickly as she could.

Adelbehrt gave the grey horse one last pat and ran across the peristylium and into the atrium where Marcus waited in the office.

“Well, lad,” the older slave said with a smile, “it seems the Domina has agreed to allow you to study with me. This is only when she doesn’t want you, mind. You’re still her slave. Since you were in the stables, I assume she has nothing for you at the moment, and so we can begin lessons immediately. The very first thing you need to learn is your letters.”

Marcus began to write the letters of the alphabet and set Adelbehrt to learning their names and writing them down.

He laughed at the boy’s first attempts to hold a pen. “No, not like that!” he exclaimed. “You are not eating with it, nor are you about to stab the paper to death with it. Here, let me show you.”

Adelbehrt tried holding the pen the way Marcus showed him and found he could make the fine movements required to write the letters much easier. After that, he progressed in leaps and bounds.

He enjoyed the lessons. He quickly learned to read and write, and took great pleasure in it. His handwriting was not too clear at first, but with Marcus’ help, he soon perfected a good hand. Adelbehrt began to learn to read and to use an abacus, essential for arithmetic in the days of Roman numerals.

“When can I start helping you with the accounts?” Adelbehrt asked one day, leaning towards Marcus and peering at the ledger in front of him..

“Well,” Marcus replied with a slight smile on his face,, “you need to be more accurate with your adding. It wouldn’t do to make mistakes in the Dominus’ accounts. That would incur his wrath, as well as the possibility of damaging his business and reputation. Reputation is very important in trade. People must trust you and be sure in their minds you’re honest.”

* * *

Adelbehrt still had to attend the Domina from time to time, and whatever she wanted him to do had to take precedence over his lessons. He was still her slave, but the occasions she wanted him grew fewer and fewer. That pleased him. He did not really mind waiting at tables, nor serving wine to guests, but he still hated the occasions when he served as her pet; he was greatly relieved as the occasions grew fewer.

These occasions declined even more over the next two years, and by the time he was fourteen, she hardly asked for him at all. One day, however, as he attended her, the Dominus entered the room.

“You asked me to come to see you, dear,” he said. “What is it? I haven’t a lot of time. I’ll be leaving for Gaul in a few days and I need to check the tin from Dumnonia that I’m taking to trade.”

Annwyl smiled. “I believe you’ll think the news I’m going to give you is worth a few minutes delay, Lucius. I’m pregnant.”

The Dominus grinned, then frowned. “Annwyl, darling, don’t get your hopes up too soon. You know you’ve lost several babies over the last few years.”

“Oh, Lucius, I’m past the time I lost the others. I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure that this time I’d carry the babe to term. I’m four and a half months. The baby will be born in November.”

Then the Dominus did smile. He bent down, picked up his wife and swung her round. “I thought you were just putting on weight. Oh Annwyl, I'm so thrilled. Only four and a half months to wait too. How did you manage to keep such wonderful news to yourself?”

The Domina laughed. “Oh, it was so hard, Lucius, but I couldn’t raise your hopes for another child until I was sure I wouldn’t lose this one too.”

Adelbehrt stood silent, listening to the conversation, a smile spreading involuntarily across his face. He knew the Domina wanted another child. He had been in her presence when she had discussed this with her friends, and had seen her cry when they had babies. He could not, however, understand why this was so important to her. After all, she had two children already. Still, she had not been harsh with him on the whole, even if he had hated being a little pet.

* * *

The summer passed and they returned to Londinium. Soon it came time for the birth of the baby. It was not an easy birth, but in the end, she produced a baby boy and named him Julius.

This marked the end of Adelbehrt’s time as a pet. The baby became her life. She forgot all about her little slave boy, so he found he could spend all his time with his studies. He smiled with great cheer as he realised this.

Books In This Series

Vengeance Of A Slave (A Family Through The Ages Book 1)

Jealousy Of A Viking (A Family Through The Ages Book 2)