Rectina is Tascius' wife, Clio's mother and Gaius' neighbour.
Storyline
Rectina first appears in The Secrets of Vesuvius. She is a wealthy, handsome, middle-aged woman and the adoptive mother of nine little girls, one of whom is Clio, Lupus' close friend. Each of her adopted daughters have been named after the nine Muses.
Rectina is revealed to be the biological mother of the blacksmith Vulcan and recognises him at first glance during the festival of Vulcan. It is revealed her husband actually stole the infant Vulcan and left him on the riverbank to die, believing that Rectina had been having an affair with Pliny the Elder. He believes that the deformed foot Vulcan has is positive proof that the child was never his. When Rectina confronts him about Vulcan being their long-lost son, Tascius flies into a rage and blindly accuses her of being an adultress. Rectina flees heartbroken with their nine daughters to their villa upon the slopes of the volcano.
She reappears with Clio at the end of The Assassins of Rome, and Felix mentions that she and Tascius have adopted two more children, so they have evidently reconciled.
Personality
Physical Appearance
Etymology
- Rectina is a female given name of Roman origin. The meaning is unknown.