A few hours later and the first thing that reached me was the noise. It started as a faint murmur. It was distant and muffled through the thick walls of the house. I thought at first it might be the staff returning, or maybe Ace on the phone. But then, as I lifted my head from the pillow, the sound grew. There was laughter, voices overlapping, footsteps echoing on the floor. The front door opened and closed, followed by a ripple of greetings too lively to be anything but guests. 

My ...