‘I should probably say from the outset that I know who you are,’ said Angela Gosebourne, taking a seat opposite Nelson in the same consulting room that Dr Oristo had used. Although the setting was a familiar one to him, he didn’t feel quite as comfortable as he once had, perhaps because the walls had, overnight, been stripped of their artwork, while the bookcases, which until recently had overflowed with volumes on psychotherapy, nutrition and Caribbean cooking, now lay empty. There was no soft music playing either, no flowers on the cabinet by the window, no box of tissues resting on the table between them. Even the scent in the air was different, for where Dr Oristo had favoured a soothing fragrance of orange and lemon, Dr Gosebourne seemed more partial to Dettol, which made Nelson want to put on a pair of rubber gloves and find a sink to clean. Looking around, he felt as if he’d wandered into a crime scene where most of the evidence had already been taken away by forensics. ‘So, if you’d prefer to work with someone else,’ she continued, ‘then I’m happy to make a referral.’

‘When you say you know who I am,’ replied Nelson, ‘I assume you mean that you know who my father is. But, as he’s one of the most famous people in the country, it’s hard to imagine that you’d be able to refer me to someone who hasn’t heard of him. Unless they’ve been living in a cave for the last thirty years, that is.’

‘The thing is,’ said Angela, ‘I don’t just know him from television. As it happens, we have a passing acquaintance.’

‘Really? Well, it’s not as if you’ll discuss anything I say with him, is it?’

‘Of course not,’ she replied. ‘I’d be struck off if I did, and rightly so.’

‘Then I’m happy to go ahead.’

‘All right,’ she replied. In fact, she had been a little anxious about accepting this patient, knowing that she was carrying his half-sibling in her womb, but her curiosity had got the better of her and any opportunity to gain more insight into George and Beverley’s home life was irresistible.

‘I was actually quite glad that Dr Oristo recommended another female therapist,’ said Nelson. ‘I don’t think I could discuss my problems with a man. Somehow, it would make me feel emasculated.’

‘You’ve been experiencing difficulties with women, I understand,’ said Angela. ‘Anxiety about social interaction?’

‘That’s pretty much it, yes.’

‘And yet, if I may say so, you appear quite confident with me.’

‘I don’t see you as human,’ he told her. ‘Just an authority figure. Somehow, that’s less intimidating to me.’

‘I see. Does that explain your interest in uniforms? Dr Oristo notes that it has become something of an obsession.’