And Those Who Trespass Against Us Read Online Free PDF

Pelham. I'm somewhat older now, but I've never grown to like such formality. Please call me Catriona."
    "I'll do the courtesy of calling you Catriona only if you'll address me as Sister Katherine when the situation demands it. From what I experienced yesterday, Australians are generally more at home calling sisters by their first name rather than their last. I'm more than comfortable with such an arrangement. I'd be grateful though, if on all other occasions you'd call me Katherine." She sat back in her chair and sipped her tea.
    "Then it's a deal, Katherine." Catriona extended her hand.
    "I expect it is, Catriona." Katherine grasped the hand in front of her. "I hope you don't think me too forward, but isn't it strange for you to be all alone out here? Where are your parents now? Are they now living in town? I also remember you mentioning last night that your brother lived with you but he's away at the moment."
    "I told you last night I'd explain things when we had time, and I suppose now is as good a time as any.
    It may be easier for me to start at the beginning." Catriona made herself comfortable. "We have two types of weather out here. One is drought and the other is flood. About three years ago we hadn't seen rain for ages, and the whole country dried up, leaving behind soil as hard as iron. Then one day the clouds gathered over. They promised rain, but there had been so many times before when such promises hadn't been fulfilled. Unfortunately this time it did rain. The downpour wasn't the soft summer shower I expect you're used to. And the clouds, when they finally filled weren't black. They were green--green and full of hail. At the height of the storm, the rain came down in torrents so thick you couldn't see outside to the water pump. Flowing fast and hard, the ground had no time to absorb the water and so it ran into the creeks. The creeks couldn't hold the deluge and many rivers, already full of dead trees and branches, burst their banks.
    "What you must understand is, at first, the day was quite normal. Although clouds filled the sky, they were wispy and very high up, holding not even a hint of any long awaited rain. It so happened that day was my parents' anniversary and my father chose to take my mother for a picnic. From what we could piece together, they didn't reach their picnic spot when the first light rain began to fall. Rather than have their picnic they must have turned for home. They were almost here when the full fury of the storm hit. Do you remember crossing a grate last night?"
    Katherine nodded.
    "The grate covers a moderately deep ditch which you need to cross to gain entrance to the property. It's not a very deep crossing but on that day it must have been deep enough. My parents were coming across the grate when the horse shied, most probably from a lightning strike, and fell into the ditch, carrying the buggy and my parents with it. The doctor concluded that my father died almost instantly for his neck was broken, but my mother drowned. When they found her, both her legs were horribly fractured and this could only have happened in the initial fall. Given her injuries, I suspect she was incapable of moving out of the path of the rising waters. She was carried down the river with her body finally being found in the forked trunk of a tree."
    Katherine reached across the table. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realise you'd lost them both."
    Catriona ignored Katherine's hand. Despite the passage of time, she still struggled to contain the pain that came with telling the story of her parents. "After their funeral, Alexander and I decided to stay on and work the property. My parents had been here the better part of their lives. So we decided we'd also try to make a living out of the land. He looks after any long distance business, only because no man would be seen dealing with a woman. He also attends social events that require a male presence, particularly a marriageable male. I tend to the property when he's