"Someone is here, Hadrian. Look," I say as I point to a traveler's cloak that is draped over the small chair in the entry way.

Hadrian's face takes on an intense anticipatory expression.

"Do you think she has returned?" I ask.

"Yes. She is here. I can sense it," he says as the light returns to his dark eyes.

I have not seen such a light in his eyes since before Etruscilla was dragged off back to Roma by that odious man, Claudius.

"If she has just returned, most likely she is resting in her chamber," I quietly tell Hadrian.

"You are probably correct. Let's go find out."

He leads the way down the corridor to her rooms, but allows me to enter first. I make my way into her sleeping quarter as Hadrian remains just outside in the sitting area. I find Etruscilla sound asleep on her pallet. As I move closer, my hand goes to my mouth as I gasp when I see the various bruises that cover Etruscilla's arms and face and the cut above her left brow.

"What has he done to you?" I whisper to myself.

Hadrian must have heard me. He is at my side in an instant and becomes every bit alarmed as myself. Luckily, it appears that she is healing as most of the bruises are slightly yellowed around the edges and her cut is scabbed over. Before full realization and anger hits Hadrian, I firmly nudge him towards the door informing him that the cut on her face needs tending. For that, I will need cloth and fresh water. Silently, he leaves to do as I have asked.

Etruscilla begins to shiver in her sleep. I reach out to feel her forehead. She is burning up with fever on top of everything else. Hadrian returns and hands me a dampened cloth. I place it gently on Etrucilla's brow so as not to awaken or alarm her. She does not move other than for her shivering. Leaving her to continue resting, I join Hadrian who is standing by the window overlooking the courtyard. He is now seething with rage. His whole being is tensed up.

"I am going to kill that man."

I place my hand on his arm. "Hadrian, we cannot be entirely sure that it was Claudius who did this to her. Though I suspect it was him, it could also be true that she was attacked at some point on her journey here. We will not know until she regains consciousness and is able to speak to us. For now I am concerned about reducing her fever."

"She is ill?" he asks, his concerned eyes meeting mine.

"Apparently."

Hadrian goes over and sits down on the floor next to her sleeping pallet. He takes her hand in his own. As I dampen another cloth, I hear him say to her in a choked voice, "I am so sorry, my love, that I was not there to protect you."

Tears begin to well up in my eyes at the thought that none of us could have protected her. All we can do now is make sure she recovers from whatever it is that she has had to face in the recent past.