Nicholas had been puttering around, doing a bit of inventory, and a bit of mentoring. Patroclus had things well and truly handled of course, and Nicholas could have been an hands-off owner, but that wasn't his style. He liked to be there to nurture the entire place, from the ground up.
He looked up when Mary walked in, and he grinned widely at her. He hadn't realised she was home! He loped over to give her a warm hug, thrilled to see her. "Mary! I'm so glad to see you! Yes, it's almost one! You must be starving, you want me to fix something for you?"