Captain Francis Blake is a masochist, like his hero T.E. Lawrence. As far back as he can remember, pain was always related to a strange diffuse pleasure. In his historical reconstructions games, he preferred glorious desperate heroism. This personal trait is not something he has explored to any degree. Actually, it is only fairly recently that he has better understood what it is about.
During the case of the Yellow Mark, his friend, Professor Mortimer, had summarized for him the current scientific knowledge of the brain's working, and, during the conversation, the subject had deviated slightly. This is when he learned that in some people the circuits informing the brain of pain and pleasure are so mingled that the use of one triggers the other, and so these people might seek pain to experience pleasure.
The captain does not particularly seek pain, which could be very dangerous in his trade and even make him take unnecessary risks. He does not pursue his personal pleasure in his various activities. Blake only seeks excellence; everything about him has a purpose.
Francis Blake is pragmatic. Nothing he does is useless, even recreation: golf for professional networking; yachting to improve marine survival; polo for riding, precision of strike, training and body control in addition to his military fitness routine. Besides, all these sports are what a gentleman should know. Even his club serves to simplify his meals and his social life.
Each activity he chooses corresponds to a facet of his life. So far, all of them have been used to prepare or improve his career, or nearly so. There is an exception to this principle in his resume, an aberration that his father had never understood. Because even if he says he needed to "live and learn" and even if political sciences have been useful for his career, it is for an entirely different reason that Blake studied archeology at university.
Francis Blake is a very good actor. Early in life he learned the necessity of mastery the display of his emotions. The very first test of his heart taught him well. The target of his affections was inappropriate from every point of view, so he had to hide it from the world.
An adrenaline rush at first glance, shudder at first contact, attraction at first conversation, this love at first sight had almost been cliched. After twenty-four hours spent in great proximity, telling each other their life stories, looking into each other's eyes, Blake's heart was immediately lost*. If the match had been suitable would have been for the best, but unfortunately it was not. Unrequited, contrary to popular morals, and illegal, his love was doomed from the start.
Since Blake had not managed to forget or ignore the object of his affection, he instead learned to hide, to control his feelings, his emotions, his reactions. Blake had chosen the only socially acceptable option. The fact that Lawrence of Arabia had studied archeology was just a handy excuse. He needed a scientific background and a common topic of conversation. Whatever happened, he HAD to remains friends with Philip Mortimer.
Twenty-five years after their first meeting nothing has changed. Captain Francis Blake is a masochist and his having moved in with Professor Philip Mortimer is the truest expression of it. After all, what pain is softer and what ecstasy is more painful than that of living close to one's beloved without touching or even admitting one's desire.
*cf Aron study .edu/2015/02/12/love-in-the-lab/
