It was then that she found that he had laid flat, himself, every defence against her: that she could, if she wished, enter and be received within this, the long-guarded citadel. And so she discovered, fragment by fragment, what he had never told anyone: the inner truth of all those events which, strung together, made up his unruly life.
In this passage, the woman realizes that the man has let down his defenses and revealed his vulnerability. He has created a barrier around himself which she can now access, if she chooses to do so. This moment signifies a breakthrough in understanding his true self, which he had previously kept hidden from everyone.
"It was then that she found that he had laid flat, himself, every defence against her: that she could, if she wished, enter and be received within this, the long-guarded citadel." This discovery allows her to gradually uncover the fragments of his inner life, revealing truths he had never spoken before, showcasing a moment of intimate insight into his complex history.
