On the limited information we had, I could not see that. Caesius had no idea how his daughter died. Either the Tullia knew more than they were saying about Valeria, or they were determined to say she had suffered an. accident' even though Aulus had written that in Olympia there was no dispute that she was murdered. The Tullia were definitely brushing Valeria's death aside -just as Caesius thought everyone had done to his own daughter. Still, their son had survived, his two brothers were flourishing; the Tullia wanted to get on with their lives.

Is there any chance that we could see the letter Statianus wrote?' Helena then requested.

Oh no. No, no. I no longer even have it.'

Not a family for keepsakes?' Helena barely hid her sarcasm.

Well, I have mementoes of all my sons when they were little -their first tiny sandals, baby cups they drank their broth from – but no. We do not keep letters about tragedies.' Tullia's face clouded.. They are gone,' she said, almost pleading with us.. I understand the other father's grief. We are all very sorry, both for him and for ourselves; of course we are. Valeria was a lovely girl. Did she really think that, or was she merely being courteous?. But now she is gone and we all need to settle down again.'

Perhaps she was right. After this interview, Helena and I decided there was no point pursuing the Tullia. I thought we had probably heard the husband's views in his wife's last statement.. She is gone, and we all need to settle down again. Two months after a death this was not particularly callous, not from parents-in-law who appeared to have barely known the girl.

Did anybody know Valeria?' Helena wondered to me.. Know her properly?'

I thought Statianus was an enigma too. However bland the excuses, I still thought it incredible that he should lose his recent bride, yet continue his travels among a bunch of strangers as if nothing had happened.