Who is Josephina Lacoste from Sharpe's Eagle: Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign July 1809 and what is their importance? Sharpe's_Eagle:_Richard_Sharpe_and_the_Talavera_Campaign_July_1809 English & Literature Josephina Lacoste | Sharpe's Eagle: Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign July 1809

This young and beautiful woman first catches Sharpe's eye as he looks through the window of a building in Portugal. Josephina is fleeing a bad marriage in Lisbon, and she is following the British army as a means to get to Madrid. She first allies herself with Lieutenant Gibbons, but after Gibbons and his friend Berry try to harm her, she flees. Sharpe comes to the rescue, and for a time she becomes his romantic interest. Josephina is absolutely honest about her goal of finding a wealthy man. She does not deny that she will use men to get the life she wants, but she hopes that her honesty will protect Sharpe, whom she does not want to hurt. Josephina can see that Sharpe is falling in love with her, and she tries repeatedly to remind him that they have only a short time together and that she is still seeking a wealthy man.