'My fees have always been reasonable.'

`So who's the fool? Half the time you let yourself be bamboozled into doing the work for nothing. You're soft, Falco.'

`Not any longer, apparently.'

`Give me some room here. Don't stand' in my way.' `You're taking charge,' I accused him. `It's my business,

but you're pushing in.

`That's what a partner is for,' grinned Petro.

I told him I had another appointment somewhere else. `Push off then,' he, murmured, completely absorbed in his task.

For my next appointment a formal escort had been provided: my girlfriend, the baby, and Nux the dog.

I was late. They were sitting on the steps of the Temple of Saturn. It was a very public place, at the north end of the Forum' on the Palatine side. They were all hot. The baby wanted feeding, the dog was barking at everybody who passed, and Helena Justina had, applied her extra-patient face. I was in for it.

`Sorry. I called at the Basilica to put the word around the barristers that I was back in town. It may bring in the odd subpoena delivery.'

Helena thought I had been at a wineshop. `Don't worry,' she said. `I realise that registering your firstborn child takes a low priority in your busy life.'

I patted the dog, kissed Helena's warm cheek, and tickled the baby. This overheated, irritable little group was my family. All of them had grasped that my role as the head of their household was to keep them waiting in uncomfortable locations while I pottered around Rome enjoying myself.

Luckily Helena, their tribune of the people, was saving up her comments until she had a complete set to blast me with. She was a tall, well-rounded, dark-haired dream with rich brown eyes whose most tender expression could melt me like a honeycake left on a sunny window sill. Even the scathing glance I was meeting now rattled my calm. A fiery tussle with Helena was the best fun I knew, outside of bedding her.