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Thomas Attwater
Description Thomas Attwater makes a rather unlikely looking farrier. Tall and lanky, he doesn't look as though he has the muscle mass to deal with unruly horses. The gray eyes peering out from behind round spectacles make him look more suitable for a desk job such as an accountant. His wavy brown hair rebels against comb and hair creme. His voice is rather soft and has just a hint of North Yorkshire in it, though he spent the most recent part of his life in London and stammers a bit when nervous. He dresses rather carelessly, usually in a collarless shirt, rumpled gray trousers and red braces. He has a tendency to wear his shirts with the sleeves down even in the warmest of weather. Even after a good bath, there's still that faint equine aroma in the air. Background Born near Richmond in North Yorkshire, Attwater came from humble, country roots. Nevertheless, his parents forced him to focus on his studies and he tried to emulate his social betters, hoping to one day make something of himself. After his mother passed away, Thomas packed up and moved to London to seek his fortune. Unfortunately, even with his carefully cultivated diction and manners, few doors are open for a working class lad and he joined the Metropolitan Police. Thomas became a detective inspector at age thirty, assigned to Marylebone Division and while on assignment, met his wife-to-be Anne Grey. Her parents were strongly against her marriage to a lowly police officer but the harder they tried to keep the socially mismatched couple apart, the more inventive Anne became at making secret rendezvous with her 'young man' - clever girl. They were wed 6 months later. Thomas and Anne were married 4 years when she was expecting their first child. In her 7th month of pregnancy, Anne began to hemorrhage and both mother and daughter were lost in childbirth. Thomas was out on assignment at the time and though nothing could be done, he blamed himself for not being there. Devastated by her death, Attwater, who was always a bit reckless, became self-destructive. His relationship with his very socially cautious Superintendent had always been fragile, Attwater often pushing his limits. During a case involving the murder of a boy prostitute, Attwater was told to step down. Suspicious and given no reason why the case was closed, he pursued it on his own time. As he suspected, the murderer was rich and influential with friends in the Metropolitan Police. Witnesses withdrew statements. People disappeared. Evidence was conveniently lost. His relationship got uglier with his superiors who were clearly obstructing justice. Attwater, already an emotional wreck after his wife's death, began drinking heavily. He was still able to function but his superiors could see he was easy to provoke to anger and used it, hoping he would slip. Growing more angry and depressed over his job, the only thing he had left, Attwater finally tried unsuccessfully to take his own life with his razor to his wrists. Attwater and his partner managed to keep this quiet but Attwater's superiors had had their fill of his continual undermining of authority and 'temporarily' reassigned him to Poddington for a ''bit of a break' while behind closed doors, they thought of how to 'rid themselves of this turbulent policeman'. It was no surprise then, that DI Attwater soon found himself on a train to go stand before a police tribunal on charges of Insubordination and Conduct Unbecoming an Officer. They were able to drum up charges and Attwater was dismissed from the force and the case he was working on quietly went away. He returned to Poddington as a civilian and seems to be calming down, but still drinks far too much coffee. If he is not pacing, he is drumming his fingers or twisting his wedding band round and round. Generally soft-spoken, he has had some rather shocking screaming rows with a certain postal worker, keeping the gentle people of Poddington up at all hours as they struggle noisily with sticky windows for better listening. Of course, absolutely nothing is going on between these two. Nothing... nothing at all. In spite of this great wealth of nothingness, the locals think this widower needs to be dragged to the altar as soon as possible. Isabel Allen and the other Poddington ladies have made Thomas their special project and are fixing him up proper-like. His wild, brown curls are well ... better and his suits almost match. Poor Isabel can only do so much with the raw materials God gave her. At best, he is still tall, lanky, and plain as a bowl of mush. Other information Though Mr. Attwater has taken on the new profession of farrier, old habits die hard and he still has a tendency to get into mischief, snooping about into matters of a criminal nature. He has also had a few brushes with the odd happenings in town and no longer scoffs at the idea there are unexplainable forces at work on the countryside and people. |