18 “There are signs of a struggle in her bedroom. Your cousin certainly would have put up a fight. She surely has nothing to reproach herself for. Your uncle thinks it’s probably some sort of a plot.” “A plot?” Flavius Octavius sighed. “Your uncle has many enemies. His position as a senator makes many people envious.” “Could someone be trying to cause him harm?” Flavius Octavius gave his son a penetrating look. “What did you think when I first told you the news?” he asked him. Titus blushed and lowered his eyes. He was ashamed to answer. His father’s face fell in a sorrowful frown. “You certainly jumped to the same conclusion that everyone else will be in a hurry to do: that your cousin has run off with someone and broken her vestal vows.” “I... I didn’t...,” Titus mumbled. “Don’t try to make excuses. That’s how it is. It’s also what I immediately thought when your uncle came to break the news. People will assume Octavia’s guilt. And mud will stick to the whole family. Whoever ordered this kidnapping has played his hand very well. You see what I mean?” Titus perfectly understood what his father was getting at. “So we need to find your cousin’s abductors fast, very fast. For the moment, only the vestals, the family, and the supreme pontiff1 know about this. The latter has requested the greatest discretion. Because of the storm, he fears the public will see a bad omen in this disappearance. He absolutely wishes to avoid any panic.” Titus shivered. No one feared bad omens more than he did. 1. In ancient Rome, the supreme pontiff was the chief high priest, the highest position in the Roman religion.
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