Stacia turned out to be a great company and I found myself laughing at her jokes. Once, I looked up and saw Millicent looking at me in surprise and something else which I couldn't decipher but before I could determine what it was, she looked away, took a glass of juice from one of the servants moving around with trays of drink.

Then my eyes were drawn to the entrance where someone had just come through.

'Ah!' I thought. Charles Wolfe had finally made his entrance.

I tried to beckon on him through the crowd.

'Who is that?' Stacia asked, her eyes following my eyes and gesture.

'A friend', I...