She felt slighted, but it had served as a timely warning. She regarded her behaviour as beyond reproach, and yet it was enough to make Quinton feel he had the right to pass comment. What might the consequences be if she dared do something that was actually reckless or radical?

Looking at the size of the place, it was easy to envisage herself wandering the corridors of the Infirmary, getting lost. She decided to head first to the porter’s lodge to ask for directions.

The porter was a squat man with heavy whiskers, loquacious in his response to her enquiry, supplying more information than she required.

‘Miss Peat. Lovely woman,’ he said. ‘Very good at her job as far as I can make out. Not that it’s made easy for her.’

Sarah made no reply, which he took as reason enough to continue. She quickly got the impression he liked to talk and was starved of much opportunity to do so.

‘Between you and me,’ he said, lowering his voice conspiratorially, although there was no one in the vicinity to overhear, ‘the resident doctors try her patience. Complain about the food, destroy hospital property in a wanton manner, use improper language. It has got to the point that she refuses to sit at the dinner table with them.’

Sarah opened her mouth to ask, again, where she might find this poor woman, but the porter had more to say.

‘The chaplain and the treasurer won’t sup with them either. Supposed to be gentlemen but doesn’t sound like the behaviour of gentlemen to me.’

Sarah was beginning to think she would have found Miss Peat’s office herself by this point, but she saw an ally to be had, for the cost of merely listening awhile.

‘Such behaviour sounds truly brutish,’ she said. ‘Perhaps we should be training young ladies to be doctors instead.’

The porter gaped, momentarily confused, then let out a great belly laugh at what he assumed to be her joke.

‘Young ladies,’ he repeated, wiping his eyes. ‘Most amusing. Anyway, my apologies, but I’ve quite forgotten what you asked me.’

‘Miss Peat?’ she reminded him, smiling. ‘I do not wish to keep her waiting.’

‘Of course, of course.’

The directions, when they came, were straightforward enough: through the main door, turn left, end of the corridor.