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It took two weeks for Theresa to decide on the pattern she wanted for her wedding gown from Biddie's book of patterns. Biddie measured Theresa for her dress and Candy was cutting and pinning the satin according to Biddie's specifications when they heard the alert bell from Lottie's.
"Clancey's back," Candy announced.
Usually Clancey brought news of New Bedford, and the Brides couldn't meet it fast enough, but today they were more interested in the wedding plans and remained in the dormitory.
A short time later, a knock was heard at the door and Candy asked, "who's expecting company?"
Ann went to the door and opened it to admit a distinguished looking older man and an incredibly handsome younger man.
"Have you seen this woman?" The older man proffered a picture.
Ann looked—it was Theresa. "No, I don't believe so," she lied, realizing that these were the men Theresa was hiding from.
"We've been told she is living here," the man insisted pushing past her.
James spotted Theresa first. "Theresa, darling," he called, smiling.
Theresa went white. "I don't want to see you," she said and ran upstairs.
James tried to follow, but Candy and Biddie barred the way.
"Men are NOT allowed upstairs," Candy emphatically stated.
James tried to push past, but a warning look from his father stopped him.
"My dear Miss...," said Charles Wellington-Smythe.
"Pruitt," said Candy, while Biddie stood guarding the stairs, preventing James from going up them.
"My dear, Miss Pruitt, that girl is my ward and a legal minor. You will return her to me or be charged with kidnapping," Charles huffed at her.
"I'm sure Theresa will be more than happy to testify that she is not held here against her will, nor is it her will to go with you," Candy eloquently replied, refusing to give ground.
"You don't understand. The woman's quite insane. She runs from me and tells wild tales of having been beaten," James said smiling his most charming smile at Candy.
Candy wasn't fooled. "I've seen the bruises. I don't believe you." She and Biddie refused to budge.
James lost his control at this. No woman had ever seen through his façade before. He grabbed Candy and started to scream at her and shake her, violently.
Ann ran out of the dormitory screaming for help. She ran to the Bolt cabin and threw open the door, not bothering to knock. "Jason, there's trouble at the dormitory."
All three Bolts ran past her and arrived to find James manhandling Candy and Biddie clawing at him to pull him off. As more of the townspeople came to see what the commotion was, James threw Biddie aside, pushed Candy to the floor, and ran upstairs.
Jeremy ran to Candy to help her up and Jason and Joshua helped Biddie up. James came back down stairs literally dragging Theresa with him. Joshua jumped up.
"Let her go," he shouted, grabbing James by the arm and knocking him unconscious.
At that moment Aaron arrived, just in time to hear Charles shout, "I want that man arrested for assault."
"I have to, Jason," Aaron apologized and took Joshua to the building used as a jail.
Jason strode up to Charles, not in the least intimidated. "You may stay at Lottie's for one evening. Captain Clancey will be back tomorrow morning and you will leave with him tomorrow night or I will have your son arrested for assault against Miss Cloom and Miss Pruitt, not to mention trespassing. A mule boat's too good for you, but that's all we have available. This way."
James came to and Charles helped him to his feet, but they didn't move. At the door Jason turned and added sarcastically "gentlemen." James followed, but Charles turned to Candy and said, "Miss Fahy is my ward. I will get a court order to have her returned to me." He followed the other two men out the door.
After showing the Wellington-Smythes the way to Lottie's, Jason went to the jail to bail Joshua out. "No bail," said Aaron adding, "I'm suspending the sentence." He unlocked the jail.
"Stempel, you'll become a human being yet." Joshua told him, and then turning to his brother, asked, "What are we going to do, Jason?"
"Wellington-Smythe is threatening court action if we don't return Theresa to him." Jason furrowed his brow with worry.
Aaron said, "I wouldn't worry about that. If he does, I'll press charges for what his son did at the dormitory. Men like Charles Wellington-Smythe are afraid of one thing: scandal. Chances are he'll leave her alone."
"Theresa is afraid the son won't." Joshua told them. "The father only wants her money. The son wants her."
"I think he will—my feeling is that the son is afraid of his father," answered Aaron.
"I hope you're right, Aaron. I've ordered them out of town tomorrow. As soon as Captain Clancey can leave," Jason said. "They'll be spending the night at Lottie's." Jeremy arrived in time to hear Jason say this.
"Jason, I need to go to her," Joshua said. "I'll convince her everything will be all right." He started out, but Jason stopped him.
"Let her rest for a while. Go home with Jeremy." Jason said. Joshua started to protest, but thought better of it. He went with Jeremy.
"Aaron, are you sure Wellington-Smythe is afraid of scandal?" Jason asked him.
"I can't be sure, Jason. I just know men like that usually are." Aaron answered.
"You may be right about his fear of his father." Jason was remembering what Lottie said earlier. I'll go up to camp later and have some of the loggers keep an eye on Lottie's and the dormitory," he said leaving for the Bolt cabin.
Jeremy met him at the door. "The b-brides are calmed down. C-Candy wasn't hurt, n-neither was B-Biddie—just scared. Lottie's over there with them." Jason stood on the porch a moment, saw that the lights at the dormitory and at Lottie's were all out, then followed his brother inside.
At the dormitory, Theresa waited for all the brides to fall asleep. She changed into the clothing she had arrived in town in and slipped downstairs and through the door. She looked toward the Bolt cabin. "I'm sorry, Joshua." She said aloud, longing in her voice. "If I leave they'll follow me. They'll find me eventually, but they'll leave you alone."
James was watching the square from the balcony at Lottie's. He saw the door to the dormitory open and what looked like a boy slip out. He knew immediately it was Theresa and he hurried down stairs to catch her. He reached her in front of the totem pole and caught her by the arm.
"Theresa, please come back with me. I'm so sorry for everything, and I'll never do it again," he begged, tears coming into his eyes.
"James, please. You say that every time and it always does happen again," Theresa said, pulling away.
"This time will be different, I promise," James pleaded, starting to sob.
"No, James. No. I don't love you any more. I don't believe I ever did."
"Don't say that please," groaned James as he took her by the shoulders.
"It's true, James. I don't. I'm in love with Joshua."
James's face contorted with rage and humiliation. His hands slipped to her throat. "I'll never let anyone else have you," he raged. He squeezed her until she dropped to the ground, then backed away realizing what he had done.
"Theresa, please don't be dead!" He knelt beside her and felt desperately for her pulse. His scream rent the air as he realized what he had done and he ran away.
Biddie awoke on hearing the scream and noticed Theresa had gone. She went down the stairs and into the street in time to see someone disappearing up the trail. She walked along to where Theresa had fallen, and saw that Theresa's head was laying at an unnatural angle. She screamed and ran for the Bolt cabin.
"Jason! Jason! Jason!" she pounded at the cabin door.
The brothers awoke and Jeremy opened the door.
"Biddie, Biddie what is it?" he asked, grabbing her by the shoulders and seating her in a chair.
"He's hurt her. Badly." Biddie sobbed.
"Who?" Jason asked.
"Where?" asked Joshua.
"James Wellington-Smythe! Theresa! By the totem pole." Biddie was completely hysterical.
Jeremy tried to calm her down while, Joshua ran for the door.
"Stay here with her." Jason hissed at Jeremy and followed Joshua. He arrived at the totem pole to find Joshua kneeling by the body, cradling her in his arms.
"Josh?" Jason asked, fearing the answer.
"She's dead. He killed her." Joshua looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. Jason tried to help him up but was pushed away, as Joshua ran back the cabin.
Jason took Theresa's body to Dr. Wright's. Then, he marched over to Lottie's, climbed the stairs and pounded on the door to Wellington-Smythe's room. Lottie, who had returned to the saloon, heard him pounding and headed up after him.
"You!" Jason growled angrily when Charles Wellington-Smythe opened the door. "You brought him here and he killed her."
"He killed her," Charles repeated. "How do you know?"
"She tried to sneak out of town and he caught her and strangled her. Now where is he?"
Stunned, Charles collapsed on the bed. "I don't know."
Lottie arrived and seeing the look on the face of her guest, took Jason back downstairs to the main room of the saloon. Aaron poured a drink and handed it to him.
Inside the cabin, Joshua came upon Jeremy trying to calm the still hysterical Biddie.
"Which way did he go? Did you see him?" he demanded of Biddie.
"The trail past the totem pole," Biddie sobbed.
"What happened, Josh?" Jeremy asked. His brother gave no reply—he was too busy searching the cabin until he found their father's gun. "Joshua, please, tell me what happened," Jeremy urgently insisted again.
"He killed her," Joshua said, "and now I'm going to kill him."
Before Jeremy could stop him, he ran out the door. Jeremy took Biddie home and hurriedly explained what happened to Candy, then went to Lottie's after Jason.
"J-Jason. Josh has a gun." The words tumbled out of Jeremy. "He said he's going to kill that man and I think he will if he catches him."
"Let him." Jason's face was grim. "It'll save hanging him."
Jeremy turned towards the door. "It'll get Josh hung if he does kill him." He went out the door and followed the trail that Biddie had mentioned to Joshua.
Aaron and Jason followed.
Joshua tore along the trail, stumbling through the dark in his rage. He heard a whimpering sound suddenly and stopped to listen for the direction. He slowly and softly crept along, stalking the sound. Before him, James had fallen in a heap, but was sitting up clutching at this leg. "My leg," he moaned, tears streaming down his face. "Please help me. I've broken my leg."
"That won't matter in a moment." Joshua lifted the pistol and pointed at him.
"What do you want to shoot me for? It's your fault she's dead." James cried.
"You killed her." Joshua raged at him.
"But that's your fault,"James cried. "I never would have if you hadn't convinced her to leave me. I loved her."
Joshua's hands curled around his guns. "No, you wanted to own her. You never loved her." He clenched the gun tighter in his hands.
Jeremy burst on the scene. "Joshua, no!" He shouted. Joshua wheeled around. "Go away, Jeremy. This doesn't concern you." He turned back.
Jeremy raced forward shouting, "Joshua, he's not worth it," and pushed Joshua to the ground, knocking the gun out of his hands. Jeremy tried to get it ,but Joshua was too fast. Jeremy threw himself between Joshua and James.
"Jeremy, get out of the way or I swear I'll shoot you, too," Joshua ordered.
"You'll have to. I'm not going to let you kill him." Jeremy gasped as Jason and Aaron caught up to them.
"Good Lord," Jason gasped.
The gun shook in Joshua's hand as he tensely held it on Jeremy.
"Would she want you to do this, Josh?" Jason asked stepping forward.
Joshua trembled a moment longer. Then he lowered it and dropped it to the ground, sobbing. Jason took him in his arms and led him away as Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief and watched them go.
Aaron walked over to where James lay and checked his leg. "It's not broken; just sprained. On your feet. James Wellington-Smythe, you're under arrest for the murder of Theresa Fahy, alias O'Brien." He pulled James off the ground.
"You saved my life." James said questioningly to Jeremy.
"I did it for my brother, not for you." Jeremy answered bitterly and wiped tears from his eyes as he followed his brothers down the path.
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