"Her father allied with...the senators of that incident," Maecenas said in a voice quieter than before, and she had to lean sideways to catch his discreet words. That incident? "They weren't forgiven of their involvement in Julius Caesar's assassination for a long time. That's the reason Augustus married Livia, to make peace with the family and allow them to return home from banishment with some honor restored. That wasn't all. He had to set up several more marriages between the other pardoned families and his allies as well. It was all very...messy."
Ah...That explained why Augustus never seemed intimate with Livia even though the latter was so obviously starved for his attention. Julia had wondered if he was simply reserved when it came to public displays of affection with his wife. But
