As
she walks through the forum towards the River Tiber, Lucilla scans the crowd
for her husband Titus. Knowing this was
the time of day he finishes up his meetings, she hopes to meet him and walk
with him through the forum to retire to their home on Palatine Hill for the
evening. When her father Lucius arranged
her marriage with Titus, Lucilla was skeptical about the match; but now she has
become accustomed to her husband’s domineering ways and is even proud of his
commandeering nature.
The
thick, dark curls of her long hair begin to unravel from her fashionable
Cleopatra-style hair arrangement as she cranes her neck to search for Titus
among the throngs of market-goers. Her
erect posture gives off an air of dignity as her comfortable yet elegant solea
supports her determined stride. The
maroon, sleeveless stola sweeps the ground as she pulls her palla tighter
around her to protect herself from the cool breeze. Lucilla cannot help but notice the pleasing
contrast of her olive skin with the gleaming gold of her expensive arm band. The soft, delicate hands that adjust her fine
jewels hint at the leisurely upper-class life she has led.
Lucilla’s
heart leaps as she catches a glimpse of her husband from across the forum,
swelling with pride at the thought of him running for office. With all the political meetings he has
participated in lately, she thinks he has a good chance of becoming a Senator. She admires the way his toga candida falls
around his tall frame. Titus appears
especially tall and powerful when walking next to his slave and secretary
Quintus, who wears coarse leather perones and a plain, grey tunic over his
squat body. When he spots her, Titus
raises his hand in greeting and Lucilla notices the bejeweled iron ring perched
on his immense hand.
Titus
towers over Lucilla as he greets her, his furrowed brow and dark, glaring eyes
hinting at his stern demeanor. Lucilla
smiles up at Titus despite his solemn greeting, taking in the clean-shaven
visage and the stylish crab claw locks that top his creased, sloping forehead. Always an optimist, her plump lips break into
a whimsical smile as she imagines all the decadent jewelry her husband could
afford once he becomes a Senator.
