Jonathan M. Padstowe

Jonathan Padstowe is an Exploring Officer, formerly of the 50th Foot. His PB is Michael Fassbender, and he is a retired player character belonging to Latin_Cat

Background
Born on 23rd April, 1778. Originally from the small village of Cowden, Kent. The family motto is Fortis Cadere, Cedere Non Potest (the brave man may fall but cannot yield).

Padstowe has now been away from his regiment for eight months collecting intelligence and taking the lie of the land for Sir Arthur. Since his arrival back in Lisbon from the north Padstowe met Lieutenant Richard Sharpe, who kindly offered to let him share his billet when stuck for a place to sleep for the night. They ended up sharing for about a week, and they have since earned each others' trust and friendship. He has also earned the resentment of Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, having inadvertently foiled his plot to kill young Private Owen Williams of the Inniskillings, and may yet be in danger himself from Sharpe's old enemy.

Appearance
He is about 5'8" in height, of quite a lean but solid build with mousey-brown hair and light blue eyes. His good friend Elizabeth Holmden has often told him he reminds her something of a border collie, but she has never explained exactly why, and he thinks it was a damn silly thing for her to say in the first place; though from time to time he still wonders what she meant.

Family
The only child of Marcus and Olivia Padstowe, Jonathan is the heir to the family estate of Cowden Manor. Both his parents are still living, but his father is kept confined to the house with dementia, placing a strain on the relationship between Jonathan and his mother, who is preoccupied with her son's lack of willingness so far to marry, ever fearful that being a soldier he may prematurely die without leaving an heir. There are also plenty of the usual cousins, aunts and uncles, though he tries not to think about them if he can help it.

His middle name is Marcus, after his father.

Shortly before leaving for Portugal he proposed to Miss Elizabeth Holmden, an old childhood friend, yet he was gently turned down. He has since got over the disappointment of rejection, however it serves as another reason why he has very little love for home left.

Military Career
Jonathan Padstowe entered the army in 1794 when his father bought him his first commission as an ensign in the 50th Foot. Since then he has steadily worked his way up through the officers’ ranks and, now 31 years old, he is a captain. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Vimeiro (1808) where he came to the attention of Sir Arthur Wellesley who appointed him as an Exploring Officer shortly before he was called back to England to face the enquiry into the Convention of Cintra.

Whilst Vimeiro was a success for the regiment and himself, it also saw the death of his best and closest friend, Henry 'Harry' Jemet, Captain of the 50th's Light Company. Padstowe was nearby when Jemet was killed and is convinced he could have saved him, and subsequently blames himself for his friend's death. Whether his supposition is true or not is unknown (he has not spoken about it to anyone); but he feels the weight of such guilt keenly, and it was in a state of deep depression that he accepted his appointment as an Exploring Officer. It was within this capacity and black torpor that he discovered he has the ability to kill in cold blood - a fact that even now, eight months down the line, does not rest easy with his conscience.

During his short stay in Lisbon in May 1809, Padstowe met Captain John Vickery of the 60th Rifles and the two have since become firm friends.

Padstowe does not cope well with inactivity. If he does not have anything else to occupy his mind he starts to Think and Reflect - which is something that, for purposes of self-preservation, he usually tries to avoid at all costs. In such circumstances he can be selfish, petty, rude, argumentative and sometimes violently emotional. Therefore with his recent injuries and recuperation in Lisbon, he tried the patience of Dr. Maturin to the extreme.