Page 34 of The In-Laws

Nancy tutted. ‘Children should be reading books at his age, not listening to them. He needs to practise his visual reading and exercise that muscle.’

‘Granny! I knew I heard your voice.’ Lucy ran over to Nancy and hugged her.

Nancy actually smiled and hugged her back. ‘Hello, darling girl, how are you?’

‘Good. I’ve almost finishedJames and the Giant Peach, but I think it’s a bit babyish for me.’

‘I agree.’ Nancy patted Lucy’s cheek. ‘I’ve brought you three new books that I want you to read and then review for me.’

Lucy’s eyes lit up. ‘Thank you, Granny!’ Lucy picked up the books and read the titles. ‘The Secret Garden,Charlotte’s Web,Goodnight Mister Tom. Wow.’

‘How did you do in your English essay? What mark did the teacher give you?’

‘An A, Granny,’ Lucy said proudly. ‘She said it was the best essay she’d ever read by a nine-year-old.’

‘You clever girl!’ Nancy clapped her hands.

Their bond was undeniable. They were connected as if by an invisible thread. Jamie leant towards Katie and whispered, ‘I’ve never seen Mum like this with anyone. It’s brilliant. Lucy’s amazing.’ His eyes shone with pride.

‘Wine, please.’ Katie motioned for Jamie to pour her a glass. She did not share his delight in Nancy favouring their child. She felt pressured and unnerved by it. Sometimes she felt as if Nancy was pulling Lucy away from her. Lucy talked to Nancy almost every day. They had their own little bubble.

Turning to Katie and Jamie, who were sipping their wine, Nancy said, ‘You need to get on to the school and talk to Lucy’s teacher. She needs to understand that she has an exceptionally bright child in her class and that Lucy should be given extra work and stretched so she doesn’t get bored. In fact, I’d say she could easily skip to the year ahead.’

Lucy swivelled to face Katie. ‘Could I, Mummy? Am I really that clever?’ Then she frowned. ‘But what about Sorcha and Ingrid?’

Katie held up her hand. ‘Hold on, Nancy. Lucy is not skipping any year. She is happy in school and thriving. She has a nice bunch of pals in her class too.’

‘She needs to be stimulated more.’

‘She also needs to play sport and do drama and lots of things outside academics.’

‘Nonsense. Lucy doesn’t like sports. I didn’t either. They are a waste of time, as is drama. What rubbish. Lucy has a bright, curious, intellectual brain and it is our job to nurture and foster that.’

What did she mean,our job? Since when was she Lucy’s parent? Since when did Nancy decide how Katie and Jamie raised their daughter? And who the hell was she to dictate what they did with and for Lucy? She was hardly the poster woman for motherhood.

Katie put down her empty wine glass. ‘Lucy is perfectly content in school and we will not be making any changes.’

‘But we both appreciate how much you encourage her reading, Mum,’ Jamie added.

Nancy pursed her lips. ‘Sometimes parents who don’t value education highly enough miss out on enabling their children to reach their highest goals.’

The bitch. The snide, patronizing bitch. Katie’s blood was boiling.

‘Steady,’ Jamie whispered, laying a hand on his wife’s arm. Turning to his daughter he said, ‘Time for bed, Lucy Goosy. Come on, let’s go and tuck Toby in too.’

‘Daaaad, that’s a baby name,’ Lucy said.

‘You’ll always be my Lucy Goosy.’ Jamie kissed her head and Lucy grinned.

Playfully nudging her father aside, Lucy bent to hug Nancy. ‘Night, Granny, thank yousoooooomuch for the books. I love you.’

‘I love you too, my little pet.’

Katie couldn’t remember the last time Lucy had told her she loved her. It had been a while. Maybe Katie should spend more one-on-one time with her. She’d have to think of something they could do together, but all Lucy ever wanted to do was read or go to the library or a bookshop, which, frankly, was Katie’s idea of hell. She always felt as if the books were shouting at her:You’ve never read us, you’re stupid, you’re thick, you mispronounce and misspell, you didn’t even finish school. She knew it was mad, but that was how she felt.

‘Piggyback, Dad?’

‘Of course.’

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