A month passed and nothing was heard from the Wellington-Smythes. Joshua was seeing Theresa every chance he got, and his brothers were enjoying watching the middle brother in love. Theresa was slowly beginning to trust the people in town, Joshua in particular. One night when, as usual, Jason and Aaron were relaxing at Lottie's saloon, Lottie asked "well, Jason. How's the big love affair going?"
     "Theresa's been very good for Joshua. I've never seen him so happy." Jason answered.
     "Has she lost any of her fear?" Aaron asked.
     "Yes, slowly. At first I thought that's part of what drew Josh to her. He wanted to protect her." Jason told him. "It took some time but slowly she let him close to her."
     Jeremy and Candy entered the saloon and joined Jason and Aaron. "Have you seen your brother around?" Jason asked his younger brother, pouring him a drink and ordering Candy a cup of tea.
     "He's with Theresa of course." Candy answered for Jeremy. "Joshua's been so patient with her."
     Joshua entered the saloon, grinning from ear to ear. "Where's Theresa this evening?" Jeremy grinned at his older brother.
     "She went to the dormitory to tell the girls the news." Joshua said, after ordering a drink from Lottie. "I thought I'd come in here and have a drink with my favorite brothers."
     "What news, Josh?" Lottie asked.
     "Oh nothing special. Just that I did ask Theresa to marry me and she's accepted." Joshua said so calmly, that neither Jeremy nor Jason realized what he said right away. Then "Congratulations, Josh" came from Jeremy, and "when's the big day?" from Jason.
      "Not for at least six months. We have to wait till she's twenty-one and doesn't need a guardian's permission. For obvious reasons we can't write and ask...and also because of her past, she's not totally ready to trust yet."
     "Josh, that's wonderful news." Candy stood up. "Jeremy, if you'll excuse me. I must join the girls at the dormitory." Candy hurriedly kissed Jeremy good night and ran back home.
     "Well, Josh, it looks like you'll beat young Jeremy here to the altar," Aaron said.
     "Oh, Jeremy still has time. Remember we said not for six months." Joshua winked at Jeremy.
     
     A few weeks later, back in San Francisco, a private detective was making a report back to his employers, Mr. Charles Wellington-Smythe and Mr. James Wellington Smythe. "I've found her. There was a man who came from a temporary job at a logging camp in Washington territory and recognized her picture. She's in a little village on the Puget Sound called Seattle." He took a pinch of snuff, and said, "she's engaged to marry one of the owners of the logging camp—a Joshua Bolt."
     James went white with rage. "I'll never give her up. I'll drag her back here by the hair." He stomped across the room and pounded his fist against the wall.
     "Dragging her anywhere is why she left," Charles reminded his son. "You'll handle it calmly and once she's back and married to you, you can do as you like. I'll book passage for both of us on the next possible ship. How far is it to Seattle?"
     "It's about a ten-day sail." Smithers said. "There's no ship leaving there for several days. A Captain Clancey of the Seamus O'Flynn is the only regular run." Smithers left the room.
     James finally stopped pacing and sat, sullenly in a chair. "We'll bring her back, son." Charles assured him, pouring each of them a brandy. "Don't you worry about that. I'm not about to lose all her money to some bumpkin of a logger." He left the room to order the servants to pack for the journey to Seattle.
     "We should be able to convince those rubes in Seattle she's insane the same way we convinced the servants. She'll marry no logger," he promised himself.