Bruel walks these paved stone streets under the late afternoon sun in the waning heat. He and his men have stopped working for the day on the villa at the edge of the town. He passes many artisan shops, a well known bathhouse, some cafes and a couple of brothels with phallic symbols over their doors on his way before he turns on the narrow street where the Bread Baker is, that he likes to take his evening meal. The old man’s bread is very good but it is as much the young woman working there that he keeps coming back for.

Once there he takes a seat at the counter at the front of the shop and waits as she is busy with another customer who is going to carry their purchase somewhere else.

“Hello Breul, would you like your bread and hunk of cheese with a flagon of wine as usual?” She asks in her soft lyrical voice.

“Yes Selina that would be just fine, whenever you can. I am in no hurry now that I am here.” Breul says to her with a hidden meaning to him only he thinks.

“I will get it right now, I know you must be tired and hungry from working all day in the hot Sun.” she says smiling as she turns to assemble his meal.

As she goes about accumulating his order and placing each thing on the slab counter in front of him, Breul watches her every move, the swing of her hips as she walks away, the fall of her chiton over youthful breasts and the movements of her long dark hair as she turns or bends. But it is her mesmerizing green eyes that captivate his most rapt attention as always making hard for him not to stare at her brazenly.

“Can I get you anything else today Breul?” She asks when she has it all there. She knows his answer and even though she does not trust any man, she feels he is different for some reason.

“No thank you Selina, this is more than fine.” Breul replied even though there was more he would ask, but not of food.

As every day, once his meal was done Breul thanked Selina and walked to his rooms to get relaxation for the night. His rooms were austere to say the least, no frescos on any walls a straw mattress on the floor in one corner of the small room. A wooden chair and table in the main room where some rolled parchments were of drawings for projects he had been on or was now involved in and a wooden chest in one corner with a small mat on top of it. A rod across one corner of the second room held his second set of toga and leggings and another pair of sandals on the floor below it.

The next few days went just like any other his routine was so calculable that you would have thought he was in the Roman Legion. It had occurred to some he must have been because most Legionnaires had done much building wherever they served. But it was apparent to everyone that Breul was not born a Roman; he stood a head above most everyone including commanders, his hair was brown but not dark and it fell in waves, his skin although well tanned over the years was not deep toned and his eyes sparkled green. But his men obeyed him without hesitation and the same men worked beside him on all projects. This current Villa was for a noble Roman known to Vespasian and a close friend to his son Titus who had already visited the work. Vespasian had ruled these last 8 years after the year of the four Caesars full of suicides and take over’s, the last being when Vespasian’s own troops killed Vitellus.

Breul stood at the site looking at the wall they were working on but not really seeing it at all his mind was not that far away either. His mind’s eye saw only the young woman “Selina”. Her long dark hair draped across her shoulders hiding the pins that hold her Chiton at her shoulders. He remembered the fall of the chiton across and around her breasts and curvature of it over and about her hips. Breul’s mind heard the lilt in her voice, the scent of her near him and grace of her movements as she severed him hid meal each day.

“Cent……” The man started to say before Breul cut his statement off.

“Jovian, Watch yourself! My friend be very careful here, what do you need?” Breul said to his chief mason.

“I am sorry Breul a habit hard to break at times. The shipment of stone is here do you wish to inspect it?” Jovian asked his friend and employer.

“No you do that, you know well what to look for.” He said with respect for the man in his voice.

“Thank you for the trust I will go do it now.” Jovian said as he turned to leave.

The rest of the day went well even when the noble Claudius Marlius came by to discuss the progress and express his approval to Breul at everything being more than he had hoped for.

Late in the day they stopped the work and everyone departed the site heading for their quarters, most of the men lived close to Breul. Some in the house next to his, over the past few years this is how they had come to be. The men never strayed too far from where Breul was. Two of the men Jovian and Bracius were married with children now but continued to live as close to Breul as they could.

Breul’s step became more light as he neared the bakers shop and he saw the woman Selina standing in the shop. He took a seat at the counter and she was there as if waiting on him .

“You are a little late today Breul you have worked late and must be tired.” She said as she saw him now seated.

“Yes maybe, but so have you Selina you are still here, I am glad that I have not missed seeing you.” He told her.

“That would matter to you then?” She asked pensively.

“Yes, I apologize if I am being to forward. But in truth yes it would matter, I look forward to seeing you each day.” He answered with his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for her answer, he had not said anything like this to her before and could not believe he had risked it now.

“You are not forward, I am glad it would matter, it does to me. I also would miss seeing the large builder of things as he partakes of his meal in the evening.” She said as she bowed her head slightly trying to hide a blush that was tinting her cheeks now.

“You honor me dear lady, more than you know.” He replied.

As Breul finished his meal Selina was saying good evening to the old baker Drusus and his wife Fabia. As she came through the archway she turned to look at Breul before walking away.

“Good evening Breul I will see you I hope on the morrow.” She told him.

“If you will grace me dear lady might I have the pleasure of walking you close to your home? That is if would not offend you or embarrass you to your family.” Breul asked her quietly.

“I have never let anyone do that sir, but yes I think I would enjoy your company, thank you for asking.” She said to him.

Breul rose from his seat and walked close to her as they made their way down the narrow paved streets making several turns as they walked. After turning a corner a small boy bumped into Breul while playing with another lad down the street. Breul bent down immediately and touched the boy’s shoulders before he toppled over.

“Watch out little fellow you might get hurt on the hard streets. Who is winning here you or I think your brother. Tell me can your mother tell you apart.” Breul asked him with a grin.

“Yes she can” Selina said behind him a smile on her sweet face.

“Oh, I am so sorry if I said something out of place, I did not know these two fine young men were yours.” Breul said to her as he started to stand up.

“No you did not, how could you know, very few do. I am pleased you like children I can see both you and they get along well together.” Selina told him s light in her eyes.

“Your husband must be very proud, twins are such a gift from the gods.” He said looking at the two boys now standing in front of their mother.

“I doubt that, but he is not around anymore, nor for a long time.” Selina said as a woman came out a near door with an infant girl in her arms walking toward Selina.

“I am sorry for you and them, I did not mean to bring up sad memories.” Breul said with deep sympathy in his voice.

The woman had placed the infant girl in Selina’s arms and the baby was fussing reaching her small hands at her mother’s breast as if she were ready to be fed.

“I must go Breul as you can see, you did not bring up any sad memories. Maybe someday I can tell you more. Thank you for walking me home, I enjoyed it.” Selina said as she turned to go into the door the woman had come out of, both boys and the woman going with her.

Breul watched them disappear into the door then turned and walked back to his own rooms. As he got there one of his men, who lived in the house next to him was just coming back from somewhere himself.

“Good evening Centurian, your meal took longer today.” He said before Breul could interrupt him.

“Darius you must remember we no longer use our old military titles here or anywhere, my one time Principale. I am just Breul and you are Darius my friend and coworker. You must remember this the old days must stay hidden to all but us.” Breul’s tone was flat but held the inference of command without anger.

“I sometimes forget, I apologize we were so long of the second Agusta it is second nature and this plebian role is hard to accept so easily.” He answered

“I know my friend, but we must. We are so far from where we had been in time as well as distance, now we must accept this life and forge on as we have always done before.” He told Darius almost consolingly.

“Yes sir, and your meal?” he asked again.

“No the meal was as usual, I was given a gift I was allowed to walk the lady Selina home.” Breul told him.

“Breul that is great, I am glad for you. I could not have had your patience for any woman; maybe I have never actually loved one as I think you do this one.” His friend said rather grinning.

“I know I have never felt about any woman before as I fell for this one and yet I have not so much as touched her hand. I do not want this one just to slake a physical need, it is hard to describe.” He answered his friend.

“You do not need to Breul, I may not have felt as you do before either but I see it consumes you. You have never stood and had that far away look before, nor been so long out of the bed of a woman as you have now. I have seen her and she is quite beautiful.” Darius said.

“It is not her looks Darius, it is something more that I feel from inside her. I cannot get her out of my thoughts.” He said then continued. “I am glad we talked my friend but I am going inside to get my rest now, we have much to get done tomorrow.”

Over the next few weeks Breul and Selina talked many times eventually daily. He altered his time to take his meal to coincide with when he could walk her home each day, the twins began to look forward to his coming so they could play with the big man and ask him multitudes of questions about the world beyond Pompeii. Selina would sit with her daughter watching and listening to Breul’s quiet ways with Julian and Justinian. Her favorite times would be when both would attack and wrestle with him in the street like two cubs with their lion father. But he always left before the sun went down and as yet he had done nothing more than open a door or place his hand at her back if they were walking up or down steps. Selina was beginning to wonder about him, no man had ever been so patient a friend, most only wanted her for her body. It was why she found it impossible to trust any man until now, trust was creeping in and she was apprehensive when she did not see him there and how he acted with her and her children.

Late one day while the children were eating and the two of them were just sitting on the step to the door Selina finally told him of her husband. She had been young when her father gave consent to an older rich man who wanted her to wife; he thought it to be a good match for her. The man Julius Galbinian was a respected merchant who had a thriving business in Rome and other cities; he was thought to be a widower as he never spoke of a wife. She had been his wife for several years and learned firsthand of the true misery in life. Finally he had grown tired of her and in his laxity she was able to escape letting him think they had drowned in the Tiber near their villa in Rome. Since then she had not seen him or her family for fear he would find her again and do them all harm.

To her surprise Breul did not find any of this with any blame on her as she herself did most of the time. Instead he talked to her of her being the one used as an innocent without knowledge of the Empire and its cruel ways. He also promised to protect her and her children against any and all, yet still he did not ask anything for himself except that he enjoy the pleasure of their company.

Then one evening he was telling stories to Julian and Justinian while holding her baby daughter. Selina was sitting next to him when Mount Vesuvius rumbled in the close distance with tiny earth quaking shakes.

“No not an earthquake, not now please!” Selina begged aloud.

“Some would say Vulcan is angry or snoring in his sleep. It does not seem too bad, only a small shaker.” Breul said trying to calm everyone. “You did not invoke the protection of the gods, you should be careful about that some would take it for more than it is.”

“You are not a born Roman are you Breul, I have heard you are not. But you honor the Roman gods don’t you?” she asked.

“I keep myself and those close to me safe. I was a Celt at one time long ago and listened to the ranting of Druid priests.” Breul said flatly. “But I feel you might be in more peril of yours if you do not watch how you react at times dear lady. There are those who would gladly attempt to gain some measure of favor by pointing out one or more of those who follow the new cult, that one of the one God out of the lands of Judea and the other lands of the Hebrews.”

“But I am Roman by birth why would you or anyone think that?” Selina asked with a tint of fear in her voice now. She should have been more careful, she still did not know this man well enough. People were led away and never heard of again by just being suspected of being a Christian; some were used as fodder for gladiators or wild animals in the coliseums.

“Birth is not a safeguard against being accused, nor of the faith one believes in. Be very careful in these times, Christians are still mistrusted.” He said in now very hushed tones, just above a whisper.

“You speak as if you know more than most of this.” She said not quite a question.

“I do, you can trust me in that if in nothing else.” Breul said as he started to get up, the earth shook no more.

Before he was fully up Selina put her hand on his forearm and said. “I do now Breul in more than that.”

Breul turned toward her, smiled like she had not seen before and said. “I am in love with you Selina, if you have not guessed that. You will never have anything to fear from me.” Then he turned back around and walked slowly away.

Selina sat there stunned and in a state of unbelievable shocked surprise. She thought he has not even tried to hold my hand much less kiss me, how can he know that.