Everything All At One Go
Ianto lets himself into the Spa as he would do on any other morning, rubbing his hands together briskly; it's gotten cold overnight. Of course, sleeping in the bed alone didn't help. He feels a pang of unutterable loss at that thought.

The place seems oddly quiet, but he figures Phedre might be in one of the back rooms, or off on the grounds somewhere, since she wouldn't have any clients this early. He walks around a bit, looking for her, needing to tell her that she won't have to take the puppies after all, at least not for awhile. She's not in any of the massage rooms, the sauna, the hot tub room, the office. He pauses a bit before opening the door that separates the spa from the actual living area of the house. That seems oddly empty and quiet, too.

He returns to the office, thinking he'll get started on the orders for what they'll need for the week, when he sees a piece of paper he hadn't noticed before, the writing not his. He stands in front of the desk and turns it around to read it. He's stunned. Phedre's gone?. He's pleased she found a way to escape from Margate, but still, he'll miss her. His amazement grows as he reads on. She wants him to move in, take care of her house, her business, while she's gone. He's flattered that she trusts him so much, but it's a big responsibility. He gives a bitter laugh. Here he had Alex had been looking for a house for weeks, and here one falls into his lap right when he doesn't need it anymore, and they wouldn't even have to pay rent. No, he tells himself. You'll still need it. Alex just needs some time. He's not gone forever.

He checks Phedre's appointment calendar, then his watch. It's half past eight right now, and she doesn't have any clients until noon. Caprica will be in around eleven; they'll need to talk about how they want to handle things, but hopefully they won't have to cancel on anybody.

He decides to use the free time to walk around the grounds, see exactly where it is he's going to be living now, what will need to be taken care of. Phedre said she's arranged for someone to care for the horses, for which he;s infinitely grateful, he has no idea what you're supposed to do with a horse.

The grounds are spacious and well-kept, and he knows how much Phedre had liked working on them. He'll do what he can with them, but he'll probably need someone to help out with that, just because it's such a big job. He takes his time looking around the cottages that are a bit farther out. Phedre had mentioned that she'd rented one of them of them out, and he's thinking of doing the same. There's been a spate of new arrivals in Margate, and it would be nice to offer them a place to stay. Plus, making a bit of extra money for her won't go amiss, he's sure.

His tour around the property complete, he heads back to the main house, wanting to get as many of the orders done as he can before Caprica gets in.