The kettle whistled. The Doctor put his book to the side and took the kettle off the heat. He poured the hot water into the teapot and added a bag of tea. He put the lid back on, put the teapot onto the tray, and took the tray out to where Vicki was.
"May I come in, my child?" he asked. Vicki nodded, but she didn't look up. The Doctor set the tea tray down on the table. "Would you like some?"
"Mm-hm."
The Doctor poured two cups. He took one for himself and gave one to Vicki. "I'm sorry about Tharil."
Vicki gripped the cup so tightly that the Doctor was afraid that she would break it. "There's nothing to apologize about."
"Are you still angry at Steven?"
Vicki shot him a look.
"Ah, yes, of course." The Doctor sipped his tea. Chamomile. Yuck. "It's not his fault, my child."
"Yes it is."
"He acted rashly, of course, but he didn't kill Tharil."
"No, no, of course he didn't!" Vicki slammed her cup onto the table. "He only botched the plan and got Tharil killed!"
"It was an accident."
"I don't care!" said Vicki. "It's done!"
Nobody said anything for a long while. Finally, the Doctor leaned over and gave Vicki an awkward, one-armed hug. He stood up and left, leaving Vicki staring at her tea.