This was an easy experience to identify. He really only had one regret in life and that was to do with his sister, Lucy. He’d never told anyone how she had confided in him about her headaches and moments of disorientation. If he had alerted someone at the time, she might not have had the stroke and ended up losing her baby and her quality of life. His regret was such that he hadn’t visited her in over ten years. He wasn’t even sure that Sophie and Jake were aware of her existence.

What did this say about him? That’s what Dr Bloom wanted to know. What can you tell us about who you are and what you might have done based on who you were?

It was something else he had hidden. A secret he’d carried his whole adult life.

The realization brought a fog of despair. If he had done something he really didn’t want anyone to know about, he was more than capable of hiding it. Maybe he would never know the reason for this attack on him.

‘Let me know when you’re ready to carry on,’ said Bloom’s far-off voice. When he raised his finger she said, ‘Have you ever witnessed a crime or someone doing something you disapprove of? And if so, what did you do?’

Inside his head, Harry laughed. It was a naive question. Anyone who works in the military is exposed to all sorts of crimes, attitudes and actions they disapprove of and not just in the enemy. The trick was to find your own moral code. This was obviously harder in the junior ranks when you are expected to act without question, but thankfully he’d been led by some impressive men and women. Later, however, he became more conscious of how liberal and accepting his outlook was. He had always fought for the underdog; that was part of his make-up.

Bloom’s final questions, ‘Do you take risks?’ and ‘How have you responded to feelings of disillusionment or boredom in your life?’, were fairly transparent. She wanted to know if he was the sort of person who might do something rash and stupid. He expected there were people he’d met over the years who would think this possible. He was often told he was a larger than life personality. It irritated Caroline that he would strike up conversations with anybody and everybody he met. But those who observed him for longer eventually saw through the bravado and found a calm professional within. Truth be told, Harry was a chess player, always thinking a few steps ahead; anticipating reactions, influencing opinions and motivating actions. Caroline’s father had called him manipulative which wrongly implied that his motivations were selfish.

When they were finished Harry sat up and rubbed his face with both hands.

‘What did you conclude?’ said Bloom.

‘About who I am?’