And Those Who Trespass Against Us (17 page)

Katherine nodded, but her mind still lingered on Father Cleary's visit. Catriona was right. There wasn't much she could do, and worrying would only make it worse. She followed Catriona out of the kitchen while she attempted to focus her thoughts on other matters, something which proved easier said than done.

Chapter Eight

KATHERINE WOKE THE next morning to what she fondly referred to as nature's alarm clock, as the native birds outside her window signalled their presence. She wondered what the nuns in Ireland would make of such a wake-up. She firmly believed the birds were better than the ringing bells which echoed up and down cold convent corridors in the wee hours of the morning.

Listening to the birdsong, she spread her limbs to their furthest extremities on the bed. She didn't miss the wooden cots of the convent, and who knew what she would have been sleeping in if she'd been forced to live with one of the ladies' committee. She was sure it may have been materially as nice, but the company would have been very different. Katherine enjoyed having someone to come home to, whom she could relate to and share her day's activities. Katherine sat bolt upright. Today she would finally meet Father Cleary. Had she done everything she was supposed to do? Would he be happy with her work? She slapped her hand down on the bed. "For heaven's sake, stop panicking."

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got up, padded across the floor, and poured water into her basin. She took off her nightgown. Placing her garment on the bed she turned, her body reflected in the room's mirror. She cast a critical eye over herself, tentatively placing her hands on her slightly rounded stomach which bore testimony to her enjoyment of country life, possibly a little more than what she expected. Her hands trailed up her body, coming to rest on her breasts. These hadn't been affected by her extra weight gain and were still the same full size. Not that it mattered. She knew they'd never serve their intended purpose and would maintain their shape and firmness. Katherine's face burned at her blatant vanity. Inwardly shameful, she realised it had also been over a week since she'd last read her morning passage. In fact, without the presence of her habit or the father's presence, Katherine felt she could easily be mistaken for no more than a Good Samaritan calling on the people of the town. She made a silent promise to remember her calling. Dropping her hands to her sides, she returned to her morning ablutions.

CATRIONA BUSIED HERSELF with the mounting list of the accounts requiring payment and her calculations of the extra help needed for the wheat harvest. Despite the pain Alexander's return promised, she needed him to return soon. Decisions had to be made on the crops to be planted for the next season.

She looked up when the study door opened. Katherine wore one of the cotton habits Me Lin had made. Katherine's demeanour was akin to someone about to meet her maker. Catriona fought to contain the barely restrained laughter bubbling in her throat. "Good morning. I think you need to remember something about your meeting this morning. The Spanish Inquisition has been over for years."

The scowl on Katherine's face disappeared, replaced by a crooked smile. "It's easy for you to say. I feel like a novice meeting the Mother Superior for some misdemeanour I've committed. You've obviously never been a nun. But didn't you ever feel reluctant about being chastised by your governesses when you were a girl?"

Catriona's smile was inscrutable. "I suppose it depends on which governess you're referring to." She thought back to her time with Adele who had never needed to chastise Catriona. "I can understand your predicament. I've these accounts to finish, and then I'll be out until mid-afternoon. That should give you time enough to expunge your sins to Father Cleary." She looked at the storm clouding Katherine's features. "Oh, bloody hell, I'm only joking!"

"Sometimes you can be so frustrating," Katherine said in clipped tones. "I wonder whether you fully appreciate the gravity of this meeting! He may not be at all satisfied with my work, or what I did to the bodies on the day of the storm. He may not be happy about the current arrangement of me boarding with you, given your family's record with nuns to date." Katherine put her hands to her mouth to attempt to halt her tirade.

The air noticeably chilled, as if Coreen was in the room. Catriona carefully rose from her chair. She shuffled her papers into a neat pile, placed them in the top drawer of the desk and locked it.

Catriona looked down to find Katherine gently grasping her elbow.

"Catriona, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. My words were cruel and harsh, and I should have never used them. I allowed my prideful anger to get the best of me. My actions were unfair to you and were definitely not fair to a woman who isn't here to defend herself."

She deliberately removed Katherine's hand and steadily walked toward the door, not once turning around. "I'll pretend you never said what you just did, and we'll speak no more on it. I'm going outside to saddle my horse. I hope your meeting with Father Cleary goes well." She closed the door behind her.

Catriona's clinical response struck Katherine more deeply than any emotional outburst could have done. She made no immediate move to follow her, feeling as if she'd been dismissed like a foolish, wilful child. Regretting her outburst was one thing, but regaining Catriona's complete friendship would be another. She only hoped her meeting with the father would be a lot easier. Nervously smoothing the front of her habit, she made her way out of the study.

ALTHOUGH BUSY PREPARING for the father's visit, Katherine's mind continually returned to the words she'd said in anger. How could she be so callous? And the look on Catriona's face. Katherine cringed. She only hoped she could mend her bridges when she came home.

Attempting to keep her thoughts from dwelling any further on the incident, Katherine prepared the parlour by opening the curtains and windows to let some air into a room. She coughed at the dust created by the movement of the curtains. "This room obviously doesn't see a lot of use." The room was modest in size, dominated by Australian cedar furniture, an upright piano, and a watercolour landscape above the fireplace. The simplicity complemented the room. It was nothing like the dark and cluttered Victorian-style rooms of the ladies' committee. The furnishings of Gleneagle were downto-earth, yet Katherine liked their homeliness----they fitted in so well. She'd barely finished her ministrations when the unmistakable clip of a horse's hooves filtered through the open window. She peered out, in time to see Father Cleary pull his carriage to a halt directly in front of the house. She stepped back, concealing herself in the room's shadows, and surreptitiously viewed him while he fixed a nosebag to the horse.

He wasn't overly big and, unlike the rather rotund church fathers she had been used to in Ireland, Father Cleary possessed a wiry build. His face, like the stationmaster's, had begun its process of physical erosion. When he turned toward the house, Katherine hastened into the hallway. She checked her habit and opened the door.

"Good morning. I'm Father Angus Cleary, and I believe you're Sister Katherine Flynn." He took her hand. "Welcome to Australia, Sister. Do you mind if I come in?"

Katherine stepped out of the doorway. "I'm sorry, Father, where are my manners? Thank you for your words of welcome." With the sensation of butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Katherine took his hat and motioned him toward the parlour. "I must say, it's truly a remarkable country, full of many extremes, which I'm sure you're more than aware of. Of course, the climate is so much warmer than Ireland."

"I've never seen England or Ireland, so I'll have to take your word for it. I did all my theological studies at the seminary in Sydney. Mind you, the previous sisters all remarked on the change of weather. Some dealt with it better than others and I'm happy to see you've realised the conventionality of wearing cotton rather than wool. I'm sure it's much more comfortable." Father Cleary sat and reassuringly smiled. "Wool might be beneficial come winter, but definitely not during any of the other seasons of the year."

"Actually, Catriona, er, Miss Pelham suggested I wear cotton. I don't know how long I would have lasted on my visits to the district's families in my hot woollen habits."

"Yes, Miss Pelham is an eminently sensible young woman. Sometimes too sensible," he uttered and cleared his throat. "If I can add one more suggestion--get rid of your infernal veil and wimple and find yourself a hat to protect yourself from the sun." Father Cleary flexed his hands in front of him. "I'd hate to send you back to Ireland at the end of your tenure with your face looking like mine."

Katherine nodded and inwardly laughed. She couldn't wait to see the look on Catriona's face. She probably knew all along that she'd win the battle of wills.

Katherine looked at Father Cleary's expectant face. "I'm sure there are a number of things you wish to discuss but firstly, would you like some tea and refreshments?"

"The Lord be praised!" Father Cleary rubbed his hands together. "I thought you were
never
going to ask. I always find my trips have a tendency for me to work up a thirst."

"If you'd like to make yourself comfortable. I'll only be a few minutes."

Katherine soon returned with tea and the batch of scones she'd made yesterday. She put the tray on the occasional table in front of them, thanking the powers above that she'd had the time to practice her scone-making on Catriona. She would've hated to give him food poisoning because of her lack of cooking skills.

Placing a scone on his plate, he sat forward. "So Sister, I hear you had an unconventional introduction to the town. From what I've been told, you nearly died at the train station only to sufficiently recover enough to tend to those of the town who were in need."

Masking her embarrassment, Katherine poured tea for them both. "I believe someone's been, as Australian's say, pulling your leg. I'd only fallen asleep at the station. Despite the tragedy of the storm, I'm sure sooner or later someone would have remembered my arrival, as they eventually did. As for my actions, believe me, I would
never
have shriven the dead if you were here. However, in your absence, no one else could do it. It did give the families who had lost a loved one some comfort. And I did assure them you'd visit them on your return."

Father Cleary held up his hand. "Sister, don't mistake my comment. Your decision to provide comfort to these people was the right one, and I appreciate what you did. In the next week or so, I'll conduct a memorial service to put to rest any doubts the families may have regarding their lost loved ones." Father Cleary smiled. "Rest assured--what you did was correct given the circumstances."

Katherine felt ashamed at accepting the credit for something she'd been virtually forced into by Catriona. Had it been up to her she would have done the exact opposite. This made her feel even more guilt over her earlier outburst with Catriona. She wondered why she had to be so prideful sometimes.

"Apparently you've been very busy working with the less fortunate families around the district. I hear you've made a significant impression with them. I have to say the sisters we've had here in the past, less Sister Coreen may she rest in peace, found it very difficult to find their niche."

"I have no doubt that Sister Coreen's good work made it very easy for me to be accepted."

"All the same, I'm glad you like working with the families. You'll find it will occupy a great deal of your time. One of the requirements I ask of the sisters here is that they have a modicum of knowledge on the treatment of minor ailments and the like. Our closest doctor is in the next town. Even though our town has the new modern telegraph, it still takes half a day's hard ride to get here from there." He buttered another scone. "Were you given any medical instruction by your convent?"

"I was, but only for rudimentary injuries. This training has been supplemented by Miss Pelham, who has given me advice on the treatment of heat sickness and snakebite. I wasn't familiar with either of these." Katherine took a sip of tea. "I'm grateful you're happy with my work. It's certainly a delight to get around and talk with parishioners, especially the children. Speaking of which, I hope you don't mind, but I've sent for some children's books to assist in their learning. It's unfair they don't have access to readings more suited to their age group." Her eyes shone. "I do love working with the children. It fills me with a sense of worth."

"Someone told me about your book venture, and I must say it's a wonderful idea. The children's literacy and numeracy has been an ongoing concern of mine. I have never been able to find enough hours in the day to remedy the problem. I've always thought the children out here grow up way too fast, with the responsibility of adulthood being thrust on them before they barely reach their teens. Such a cycle is repetitive and must be broken. I believe your endeavours may well achieve that."

Katherine felt the tension leave her shoulders. "Thank you, Father. I've managed to incorporate my teaching with their farming tasks so as to not make their parents suspicious of their learning. From what I can gather, it's working out for all concerned."

"By the way, Mrs. Crosier asked me to mention to you she's not yet seen your shipment. Father Cleary fell silent as he searched the room, his fingers tapping the arm of his chair. He took a deep breath and returned his focus to Katherine. "I must mention a meeting I had with the ladies' committee this morning. Let me say I'm not always comfortable with their discussions. You must understand though, I primarily rely on the more affluent district families to assist me in my Ministry. Therefore, when they raise a concern I'm obliged to pursue the matter."

Katherine felt the tension seeping back into her body.

"Mrs. Greystone is beside herself with worry over you living so far from town. She, er, feels you'd be much better suited by staying with one of the committee families." He held up his hand. "Before you answer, I've no doubt by now Miss Pelham has discussed with you the situation involving her brother and Sister Watson. I'm sure you're not surprised to learn it caused a great deal of discourse among the town gossips." He crossed and uncrossed his legs. "Mrs. Greystone's main concern is Miss Pelham's influence and her," he nervously swallowed, "rather unorthodox ways. She told me about the rude manner in which Miss Pelham addressed you after your return from your, er, bushranging adventure. She said Miss Pelham's actions bordered on physical violence. Is this correct?"