This was all mundane up until the last half of her sentence. Domitian raised an eyebrow, unsure exactly what his wife was asking. Perhaps she was just making conversation, and she didn't really care whether he went up to her bedroom tonight or not. Perhaps she was asking for him to visit her bedroom in the conjugal sense. He certainly wasn't opposed, though it hadn't been the exact brand of stress relief he'd had in mind for himself tonight. It seemed unlike her, however, to come right out and ask, however coyly.

"— if you like," he said, pretending to turn his attention to the wine glass in his hand but watching her over the rim to see how her expression might change.