Sentence:  Inside , as soon as Mr. Skopas had disclosed - in a hoarse whisper - the detective 's errand , his family gathered in a huddle , forming a mass of dark flesh on and around a brocaded sofa which <WSD>stood</WSD> at one side of a baroque fireplace . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  occupy a place or location, also metaphorically