The postponement of the surgery meant that both doctors had an hour or more of free time before their afternoon calls. Doctor Culpepper, who never wasted the opportunity to do nothing, changed out of his surgical gown and crossed the hospital yard to Doctor Fane's cottage, of which two rooms on the ground floor were reserved for the offices of the practice they shared. He was settled in an armchair drinking tea and eating a biscuit when someone clattered down the stairs and Fane came in. Fane ignored Culpepper — which Culpepper expected, as after three years he was well accustomed to his partner's moods — and went to the desk where he took out the appointment book and flipped through it. His movements were rapid and noisy, and they unsettled Culpepper, who preferred life to move adagio. He could see that Fane was struggling, as he sometimes did, to contain his temper. Culpepper knew that it was doubt and fear more than anger that drove it, but he was in no mood to be sympathetic now. Miss Barnes had charmed him. She was, he thought, a nice, quiet, prettyish woman, and he had not liked to see the terrified expression in her eyes when Fane had yelled at her.

"We'll have to do the ovariotomy on Friday," Fane said. "You'll have to cancel your one o'clock appointment with Mr Bowers."

Culpepper grunted and wondered if he could be bothered getting up for another biscuit.

"I've two appointments I'll have to put off," Fane added. "This has upset everything."

Culpepper decided the biscuit was not worth it. He was very well settled into the armchair, and the fire was at the perfect heat. Besides, lately Mrs Culpepper had been asking him to watch his weight.

"I just wish we could find reliable nurses," Fane said. "We scrape the bottom of the barrel every time — and even the bottom of the barrel doesn't want to stay."

Culpepper snorted.

Fane looked up. "What?"

"Well, you don't exactly try to make them welcome."

"What do you mean?

"You yelled at her."

"I was firm and forthright."

"I saw tears in her eyes."

"I hope she's not another weeper."

That was a reference to Miss Jameson, the last nurse, who had a habit of hiding herself away in the linen room and weeping whenever the burdens of nursing had become too much for her. It had been a relief for everyone when she quit, but Culpepper had not failed to notice how often those burdens had been nothing more than Fane's hard words. "You made Miss Jameson leave, you know. You frightened her away."

"She went to live with an elderly aunt!"

"Because it was that or work with you." Culpepper set his teacup aside to show that he was serious. "Look, Fane, we can't afford to go through nurses like draw sheets. And I know Miss Barnes made a mistake, but there was no need to make her miserable about it."

"She had to be taken to task."

"You didn't have to humiliate her."

Fane stared at Culpepper, one hand frozen in the act of writing in the appointment book. Culpepper wondered if he had chosen the wrong moment to confront him. He was, just a little, afraid of his younger partner. Not being a man given to high emotions, he did not quite know how to handle the unhappy passions he could see so often simmering below Fane's cold, curt manner. There had been times when he had said the wrong thing at the wrong moment and those passions had boiled over into a peculiar, hopeless fury. In the aftermath, Fane would be silent for days, saying nothing except what he absolutely must to perform his duties and taking long, aimless midnight drives across the country.

To his relief, Fane relaxed and set the pen down. "I lost my temper with her. If we had proceeded with the surgery..."

"We did not. We caught the mistake in time. No harm was done."

Fane nodded and dropped into a chair. "I won't yell at her again."

Culpepper raised an eyebrow.

"I'll try not to."

"You won't succeed. Not for long."

Fane gave a heavy sigh. "I'll... I'll apologize to her. I'll make it right."

"Thank you," said Culpepper. "I like her." He picked up his teacup again, then paused. "Don't suppose you'd mind fetching me another biscuit?"

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A/N 2021-05-28: Really short this time. Culpepper stands up for Celia.