by nik crombie

At the edges of the Roman empire, Opiter Novius Culinus, a freedman of notorious reputation and apparently limitless wealth, has thrown a dinner party. Of course, anyone who is anyone in this backwater has arrived - some to sneer, to beg patronage, and some to make their reputations - and enjoyed a truly spectacular meal. Now is the quiet part of the evening has begun, and Opiter has promised a night that no one will ever forget...