and forced and for a split second Kathryn thought he looked a bit like her. For some reason this gave her a jolt of joy.
Lydia was incensed. ‘That’s a crap thing to say, Dad. There are plenty of careers that involve art! I could work in graphic design, illustration, fashion and a gazillion others – what you mean is it’s not a career that you would like me to go into!’
‘I never said that, Lyds.’
Mark flung his hand to his breast, feigning hurt.
‘Darling, I honestly don’t mind what you do as long as it makes you happy – and makes you money! And I don’t want you to feel pressurised by the fact that you are being given an education that most people would kill for. It’s perfectly okay to take that expensive tutoring and put it to best use by colouring in pictures all day.’
‘God, I knew it!’
Lydia threw down her fork in protest.
‘Lydi, I’m joking, kind of. If art becomes your thing then you must follow your dream, but you can’t neglect other subjects that might help you achieve that dream, that is all I am saying. For example, if you want to run an art gallery, you will need an understanding of commerce and marketing. Graphic designers still have to work to a budget and be aware of material constraints and so forth.’
He ruffled his daughter’s hair.
Lydia grinned at her smart dad.
Mark changed tack and kept the teenage duo amused with his impersonations and stories of his colleagues, their tutors. Kathryn thought this was most inappropriate. It was not the way to teach the kids respect for other people, but she was not about to raise that at the dinner table.
‘So, I expect everyone has been nattering about the big award, have they?’
Dominic looked blankly at his father.
‘What award?’ Slivers of salmon fell from his lips and back onto his plate.
‘Please do not talk with your mouth full, Dom, it’s disgusting.’
Everyone ignored Kathryn’s comment.
‘The Excellence in Education awards. I am to be named Headmaster of the Year. Ta da! There’ll be a swanky all-expenses-paid do at a posh hotel in London, which will be very good publicity for the school. Governors are over the moon. It’ll be in all the Sundays…’
Dominic snorted through his nose.
‘Actually, Dad, no, I haven’t heard it mentioned. Have you, Lyd?’
She shook her head. ‘Nup.’
Kathryn tucked her lips inward and bit down to stop herself interjecting, but she was dying to know what ‘nup’ meant and where it had come from. However, having already commented on Dominic’s eating habits, she didn’t want to wade into Lydia about her speech, didn’t want to give them any more ammunition, didn’t want to be continually branded as the baddy. There were lots of things that she didn’t want.
Dominic was still snorting.
‘So, Dad, if you’re going to a swanky do, are you going to take a swanky bird with you? I mean, you can’t turn up with Mum!’
‘Once again, Dominic, I feel I should point out that I am actually here, sitting at this table in the room and not absent. I am also not deaf, so please refrain from talking about me as if I am either or both.’
Everyone ignored her and a curious thought struck her: maybe she was invisible.
Dominic’s statement caused her husband to roar with laughter whilst shaking his head in mock disapproval.
‘You might have a point, Dom, but who would you suggest I take?’
He winked at his daughter, reassuring her that it was all just a bit of banter, good fun, no harm intended.
‘Dunno, you could always dust Judith off and give her an airing.’
This made Mark roar even louder.
‘Oh my God, please! Judith!’
He pushed his plate away and feigned being sick.
‘That has really made me lose my appetite!’
Dominic then piped up.
‘It’s a shame Natasha Mortensen has left. She would have done you proud, Dad! I can just see her frock now, Oxfam meets Tinkerbell.’
Mark gave an exaggerated shudder of revulsion.
‘Oh please, Dominic, I will have no mention of that grotesque lesbian.’
‘Actually, she is not a lesbian. In fact she was sleeping with Dr Whittington the whole time that she was here; may in fact still be seeing him for all we know.’
Kathryn didn’t know where the idea to say this aloud had come from, or the actual voice, but one thing was sure: she now knew that she wasn’t invisible as all three members of her family stared at her in surprise.
‘No way!’ was her son’s response.
‘Lucky Ms Mortensen, he’s a