"I," said the Marquis Boniface.
"I," said Count Baldwin.
"I," said Count Louis of Blois.
"I," said the Count of St. Paul.
"I," said Count Bertrand von Katzenellenbogen.
"And I, for the men of Champagne," said Villehardouin.
"And I, and I, and I, and I!"
The barons crowded forward, eager to register their assent.
"Well-played," whispered Matteo, with a cynical smile. "He is a master, that old Venetian eagle."
"It may well be he serves God better than those who oppose him," answered Hugh.