Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 16, 2025
I never thought of anyone looking askance at my relations with Quintus. I've never taken any precautions as to when I was with him or how long or where. I've treated him as an honorary brother, seeing I have no brothers of my own left alive. Flexinna has been such a sister to me, that we have disregarded Quintus almost as if he were a slave or a statue or a picture on the wall or another woman.
As when younger, she dined out very often and regularly with Vocco and Flexinna. But since Calvaster's accusation, she never visited Flexinna alone, always in company with another Vestal, usually Terentia, so that her dinners at Flexinna's became restricted to evenings on which she and Terentia were both off duty.
Brinnaria fairly shouted, pulling off her headdress. "What shall I d-d-do then?" Flexinna queried. "Undress," Brinnaria ordered, "undress quick!" Flexinna stared at her, horrified. "What for?" she quavered. "Undress first and ask afterwards," Brinnaria commanded. "Undress, woman, undress!" She was tearing off her clothes as she talked. "Can't you see, you fool!" she hissed.
The more I'd bottle myself up the farther the naughtiness in me would spurt when it burst through the skin. I know. No Vestaling for me! I wasn't born for that trade!" "Nonsense!" Flexinna disclaimed vigorously. "You'd g-g-get used to the whole thing in a m-m-month and be the most s-s-statuesque of the six in t-t-ten years. Think of it! I'm just raging inside at your f-f-folly.
She put her fingers to the folds of the veil over her lips. "C-C-Careful," she warned him, laboriously stuttering. "I am Flexinna come back. Now for Aricia, as fast as the b-b-bearers can hoof it." Vocco, dazed, helped her into the litter, gave the order and mounted his horse.
"Oh," Flexinna admitted, "there are d-d-drawbacks to any s-s-situation in life, but, really the higher the s-s-station the fewer the drawbacks. The p-p-plain truth is that being a Vestal is the highest s-s-station in Rome except being an Empress. No g-g-girl dare aspire to be an Empress; it would be treason. If any g-g-girl d-d-dreams of it she k-k-keeps her d-d-dreams to herself.
Then he stood aside and looked on while Flexinna, as matron of honor, led Brinnaria to Almo and joined their right hands, while they seated themselves side by side on the traditional cushioned stools, while the Flamen of Jupiter offered on the house-altar the old-fashioned contract-cake, and said the formal prayers for the happiness of the bride and groom; while the Flamen's assistant, one of Flexinna's older boys, carried the cake to Almo and Brinnaria and each broke off a piece and ate it, she uttering the old-time formula: "Where you are Caius I am Caia."
"My impulse was to tell Calvaster I disbelieved any story he fathered, that I had my Father's instructions discrediting him, that I knew all about your intimacy with Flexinna and her husband, that I knew all about your excursion to Aricia and why you went and that I approved and that was the end of it. I have told you why I hesitated. "But I was inclined that way.
"She'd be the last they'd choose on account of the b-b-bad luck Vestals of her family have had;" Flexinna reminded her. "The very name suggests disgrace. Anyhow, she's in Baiae with her p-p-people." "Rentulana," came the next conjecture. "Has a b-b-big wen on the side of her head," Flexinna proclaimed. "Numledia?" came next. "You've lost your memory, Brinnaria," said Flexinna, severely.
And its life was not gloomy. Although the main subject of conversation was the pestilence, open forebodings were not indulged in and the house was outwardly cheerful. Equally cheerful was Flexinna, whom Brinnaria saw daily. Neither of them had the slightest fear of the pestilence and no member of either household had shown the slightest symptoms of any kind of illness.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking