Two weeks later, Julia arrived at Augustus's villa in the early morning in her carriage. She would meet him here, and then they would go together in a great procession to the Pantheon, slow and steady so that the common people who could not attend the event could at least watch her go by, waving and cheering. That was the plan, at least, but a nervous twinge attacked her chest when the emperor stopped in his tracks under the archway. Their arms were linked, which meant Julia had to halt as well.
"What's wrong?" she asked when he stared ahead at the carriage waiting on the pebbled road. Oh, no. Everything had been going so well that she had known something unexpected would happen, but she had hoped it would be a minor problem like insufficient space or perhaps a missing food item for the b
