Helena took a tricky decision about our own children; here, I was blamed. Helena said that our trip last year to Britain with Julia and Favoma had been a strain for them and for us, they needed a more settled routine; since we planned to be in Greece for only a few weeks, this time our children would be left with their grandmother (her mother). Among Roman officials it was standard practice for infants to remain in Italy while their father served abroad.

I let Helena explain these arrangements to my own mother. Luckily Ma was feeling her age and she recognised that a senator"s house, full of spare rooms and doting slaves, was a good place for two lively toddlers. She did point out that most travelling officials left their wives at home, especially if they were good mothers Helena deflected Ma; I only found out afterwards she did it by saying that she and I needed more time alone if we were to produce our next baby… Ma did not know that the bundle of dried sausages she gave us (since it is well known that you starve abroad) were

nestling in a luggage pack between other items for every eventuality sunhats, snowboots – and a soapstone pot of alum anti-conception wax

Yes, Helena Justma was coming with me Why ask?

And of course the next question was. what about Nux? I begged my mother to babysit my dog. Already put out, Ma told me where to stuff that bright idea. Nux came with us. Now I was damned as the man who happily abandoned his children – yet refused to part from a smelly mongrel.

Albia, our foster-daughter, wanted a jaunt. Many people asked us why, if we were leaving our children, we took their nursemaid. The straight answer was, Albia was not the nursemaid. The other answer was, we had intended her to stay behind.