TWENTY-SEVEN
“We should not sit together today,” Sagredo stood on tiptoe to whisper in Gradenigo’s ear.
The sound of more than a thousand men converging in one place whirled around them as did the black-robed members of the Maggior Consiglio. Pounding heels joined with rustling fabric, conversations rose above the scratching of moving furniture on the hard, glossy floor, and the noise expanded to fill the farthest corners of the large Grand Council Chamber.
“If we all spread out we’ll be better able to see who’s here and who’s not. Tell the others.”
Teodoro agreed with a quick dip of his head. In the milling horde of men, he found Alfredo and other members of their group and, like Sagredo, gave them their instructions. As the benches and chairs filled with council members, they flanked
