Julia had leaped to her feet as soon as she saw Agrippa in the doorway, but she had scarcely balanced herself in place before he all but materialized before her. Whatever he had come here to say, it was clearly urgent, and for a moment she feared that he was bringing terrible news of Augustus. He had just gotten over yet another sickness; was it possible that he had fallen ill again? Why else would Agrippa look so serious - no, not serious, almost dangerous -
"Leave him," he said, and his normally smooth voice crackled with a rough undertone that sent a shiver up her spine. "I'll help you."
For a moment, she stared up at him in complete silence, too shocked to register how closely they were standing together. She could feel the warmth of his body radiating through her stola, the faint cu
