But though he had solaced himself with a long series of beauties in all previous cases his word had been law and not one of his concubines had had any will of her own.

Marcia's word was law to him, even her tone or look.

She had wheedled him into lavishing on her flowers, perfumery, jewels, an incredibly varied and costly wardrobe, maids, masseuses, bathgirls, a mob of waiters, cooks, doorkeepers, litter-bearers and what not and the most costly equipages.
"He groaned, but was too infatuated to deny her anything.
"My uncle sympathized with him and, with the idea of disabusing him of his folly, somehow, while visiting him, saw Marcia.
"Uncle at once fell madly in love with her.
"He offered to buy her.
"That was just before Quadratus became involved in the intrigues radiating from Lucilla's conspiracy, was implicated in the conspiracy itself and so disgraced and executed.
"Marcia seems to have had some prevision or inkling of what was coming.
Anyhow she could not have acted more for her own interest if she had had accurate information of what was impending.

She cajoled Uncle into buying her and coaxed Quadratus into selling her.
"'Take her,' Quadratus told him, 'at your own price.

If you don't or if somebody else don't free me from this vampire, I'll be fool enough to manumit her and marry her as soon as she is free!' "Uncle brought her up here.
"Did she wail at leaving Rome and mourn over seclusion in our hills?
Not she.
"She made as big a fool of Uncle as she had of Quadratus.
"He, with his ill health and his frequent illnesses, got as much satisfaction out of Marcia as a blind man would get from a painting.