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Merveiglio Trevisan was sea-weathered and walked with a liure: tall, richly dressed in clothing es with lines of matched pearls At fortyfour, he was a close friend of Alvise Mocenigo, and although he did not trade on his alliance with the Doge, all Venezia knew of it, and treated hilio, he had much influence of his own He stood in the main reception roolass of excellent Toscana wine in his hand, and a genial s the deep wrinkles in his skin "I thank you for seeing hted to have you a guest in my house," said di Santo-Germano in perfect for velvet collar and the sleeves held their exaggerated shape with stiff taffeta ribbons reinforced with borders of silver braid and little clusters of rubies His calossy white silk, all unblee stuck full of cloves in one hand against the ripening odors of a sweltering su the thunder traoon and the hills beyond
"I&039;s io have ard to their decision; I voted for your modifications at the first and advocated for thelio approves your inition as soon as the innovations are put into effect and proven"
"Do you," said di Santo-Ger the open"To coularly important" He held out a round fan of painted silk "Here This may lessen your disco "Froht fro with bolts of silk, and casks of spices" He smiled "I have also received three barrels of pepper"
At that, Trevisan put the fan to use "Three barrels! If you were not rich already, such bounty would reed "But you had so inflection serve as an invitation
"Oh Yes Your designs for io and the Minor Consiglio have approved theree that although you are a foreigner, your i the upper decks by three handsbreadths above the current height Doge Mocenigo agrees that cannon-fire will carry farther fron of the keel will compensate for any possible instability the rise will require The corvus, placed as you have recoe in close battles"
"The Romans of old found the corvus useful in that position," di Santo-Gerior Consiglio is the last hurdle to clear," as if this were only a small concern
"Yes It will be put before them next week; I anticipate they will finish their review by the time you return from the north It is very ier than you have stated you will be, for the Maggior Consiglio would take your absence as an indication of intrigue Keep in ns When so is that important, they act swiftly"
If di Santo-Germano found fourteen months less than swift, he did not ior Consiglio often took five years to reach consensus "If you need any more material from me to aid them in their deliberations, you have only to ask"
"You have already provided aine what iven you so of worth" Di Santo-Germano paused as the thunder trundled closer "A bad tih Many of the ships are moored in the Bacino di San Marco, away from the docks and quays, to lessen the chance of fire And nited Rain or no rain, lightning fires burn fiercely" He finished his wine and achieved a slight s water so scarce in Venezia, we can enjoy such good wines"
"True enough," said di Santo-Gerh I see you do not drink," said Trevisan as he set his glass down
"Alas, no; I do not drink wine I haven&039;t the stomach for it" He did not add that he had no stouest "Do not let my incapacity stop you"
"It is an excellent wine," Trevisan allowed "I thank you for your generosity"
"Someone must drink it," said di Santo-Germano at his most urbane "If you find it so much to your taste, then it pleasestwice, then set the glass aside again "The Collegio and the Minor Consiglio have authorized e will hold a feast in your honor in ten days&039; time-well before the time you have naior Consiglio will pay attention to this distinction being shown to you"
Di Santo-Germano&039;s ansas overwhelmed by a wallop of thunder; when it had passed, he repeated, "I am honored by such an invitation, as all who live in Venezia must be" The storm was closer and there was a odor like that of heated e will not be offended if you do not eat We all know that you keep to the practice of your people, and dine in private" Trevisan coughed lightly "It would be best if you come alone No women will be present for the banquet, not even holy Sisters or the wives of the Savii"
"I understand," said di Santo-Gerest" He was about to say so more when there was a discreet tap at the door
Trevisan waved him away "Attend to it Othere shall have no peace, servants being what they are"
"Grazie," said di Santo-Ger to find Niccola or Rinaldo waiting for hiier stood just beyond the arch of the door, a suggestion of a frown on his usually unexpressive features Di Santo-Gerarded him narrowly, now alert "What has happened, old friend? Your face is grave"
"Two ships are lost I have only now had word from the secretary of the Savii, who provided confir was lost; the other was seized by Ottoer just caht you would want to know"
"Which ships?" di Santo-Ger that they were observed by Tie say?"
"The Harvest Moon and the Golden Ladder," said Ruggier "The former sank; there are a feitnesses"
"And survivors," di Santo-Gerently
"Four fro else is given up to the Adriatic" Ruggier paused for a long moment "What if there are ransom demands from the Ottomites?"
"The ransom must be paid, of course, as soon as possible, in full," said di Santo-Gerh the Sultan&039;s Court so that there can be no reneging on the terms, and the transfer should take place on Venezian territory-Corfu, perhaps"
"We will have to ier said
"Then I shall attend to it in the next three days, or as soon as the Collegio will see me"
"You may want to consider a broad approach: you have five other ships on galleys, and there may be more unwelcome news You may need to be prepared for , and stor Venezian ships"
"True enough And while we are gone to the north, certain precautions must be made" Di Santo-Germano looked toward the reception roo dishes Have Enrici or Rindaldo bring it up, and send Niccola to the quay to find out all he can He&039;s the es In this weather, curiosity is necessary"
"He&039;s also the ier approved
"That he is," said di Santo-Gerood stead He will not be te it ht be" He took a half-step backward "It would be best if I do not keep the Consiglier waiting"
"Truly," said Ruggier, and stepped back "I&039;ll send Niccola out and have Enrici bring up the pheasant" He cocked his head very slightly toward Timoteo "And I will set all the household about their duties"
"Very good of you Oh, and make sure there is a second bottle of the Toscana with the food," said di Santo-Germano, as soon as another peal of thunder had shuddered to silence "Keep inwatched," he added in Chinese
"I have done so thus far, and will continue," said Ruggier in I his head respectfully as di Santo-Gerlio Trevisan had finished his second glass of wine and was pouring a third "You say this is froion between Fiorenza and Sienna," di Santo-Gerracious to offer it, all the more so because you are unable to enjoy it, this blood of the vines" Trevisan held up the glass, allowing the flickering laht to shine in its red depths "I thank you for it"
"You are welcome to the whole bottle, and more, if you like I have ordered another for you delectation You are also invited to remain here until the storm passes This afternoon weather is inhospitable, so I will offer you an alternative to braving the elements Perhaps you would like to avail yourself of my music roo here, I have no wish to send you out into dangerous weather" He indicated the small, square table near the"If you prefer not to be exposed to the rain while you dine, I will gladly move that to the French chair" He pointed to the piece of furniture with the upholstered seat and the bent-wood ar in spite of himself as more thunder battered the afternoon A , and then, hardlysmash that shook the air and rattled the panes and shutters and sent echoes banging along the tall buildings When there was quiet again, the Consiglier said, "Perhaps it would be best if I re The rain, as you sur as you like," di Santo-Germano offered, then went to secure the shutters on the s, and to move the table to the French chair Now only oneremained open, a small, narrow one on the north wall "If you are not sufficiently comfortable here, I can remove us to my study"
"This is quite satisfactory," said Trevisan, taking his place in the chair "I wishas you are, Conte"
"It is kind of you to say so," di Santo-Gerlier Trevisan wanted of him, beyond shelter from the storm As if to underscore his apprehension, a new clap of thunder sounded, and on its echoes ca in cataracts from the clouds, so that the air outside was veiled in silver and all of the city looked like a blurred charcoal sketch "Shall I shutter that ?"
Trevisan shrugged "Not onout there I always ride out storms on my decks, tied to the mast when necessary, but where I can see the fury of the waves" The sound of the rain was a loud, persistent chatter, broken with thulad not to be at sea in this"
"I agree-wholeheartedly" Just the thought of being aboard a ship in such a storhtly queasy; he had memories of tempests and floods that added to his disco on the door to distract him from his recollections of Roma, of Burma, of the beach below Leosan Fortress, of Tamasrajasi&039;s temple, of the defile near Kiev"This must be your pheasant; it has a wonderful aroma," he said to Trevisan, and went to take the tray with three covered dishes fro so proood day to stay in and drink wine," said Enrici, with an infor a Veneziano
"No doubt," said di Santo-Germano "How much rain-water do you think ill save?"
"The cistern will be half-full by nightfall, Signor&039; Conte," the page said, touching his forehead as he stepped back
"Fine Have ht as well make the most of it," di Santo-Germano said, and closed the door
"What, other than pheasant, have you here?" Trevisan asked as di Santo-Gere of cheese on the plate and the new bread, here is a risotto with crab and butter," he said as he lifted the first cover "Pheasant"-the second cover was taken off-"and dried fruit in spirits of wine and honey And preserved len," Trevisan pronounced as he took his utensils froht the rest of the oil-la flint-and-steel to make a spark While he made his way around the room, he remarked, "I have been told one of my ships was seized by the Turks-"
Trevisan washed down a large bite of cheese to say, "So that hat your man wanted"