Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lily sat in the Quayside Café on Bryher hunched over Morven’s laptop. Her hands were shaking and she felt sick.
What she’d managed to see on her phone, once she had a signal on Bryher, was even worse when she saw it on the site of a tabloid newspaper. Not on the front pages, but towards the back: in the space where they wrote about dead people.
Obituary
CONTROVERSIAL FOUNDER OF ‘LILY LOVES’ DIES IN BOATING ACCIDENT
The self-styled ‘Crafty Queen’, Lily Harper, died in a boating accident yesterday while staying at Stark Island, a luxury retreat in the Isles of Scilly.
Harper started her first business while at school, making jewellery and accessories she sold from a market stall in a Staffordshire town. After moving the Lily Loves business online, she built the high-end craft and gift business into one of the UK’s up and coming brands. Her gift range, featuring products all handmade by independent craftspeople, had legions of devoted fans.
However, behind the cosy image of her brand, Harper had a reputation as a workaholic with a ruthless streak. Her appearance as a guest judge on last year’s Great British Craft Show gained her notoriety when her now-infamous remark that contestant, Tyrone Poundbury, was ‘completely devoid of talent’ led to him quitting the show in tears.
‘But I never actually said that!’ Lily protested. Her stomach was churning but she was unable to stop reading.
Tragedy stalked the Harper family after Lily’s elder sister, Cara, died in a car accident almost two years ago, leaving a widower and two young children.
Lily Harper was single and is survived by her parents and her two nieces.
Lily Jane Harper, 23 August 1989 – 5 June 2024
Pushing the laptop away, she sat back in her seat, shaking like a leaf.
‘Oh, God …’ The headline leaped out at her again, her own death announced in large black font. ‘Why has this happened? How has this happened? Haven’t they checked their facts?’
‘Have they just made it up?’ Elspeth said. ‘Surely you can’t just say that someone has drowned? That’s ridiculous!’
‘Well,’ Lily said, her stomach churning but knowing she had to come clean, ‘Sam and I did have an incident in a kayak yesterday.’
‘An incident?’ Elspeth said, clutching the arm of a chair.
‘I got cut off by the tide at Tean Porth, but luckily he was out fishing in his kayak and came to rescue me.’
‘’Kin hell,’ Morven muttered.
Elspeth collapsed into a chair. ‘So you did almost drown.’
‘Not really,’ Lily said, terrified that if Elspeth knew the full truth she might have a heart attack. ‘But it was scary.’
Elspeth fanned herself with her hand. ‘Well, someone must have seen you in the water and thought you were a goner! They might have started the rumours.’
‘How could they? There was no one else there … unless … there was a yacht sailing near the cove. They were too far off to call to but maybe they saw us.’
‘Why didn’t they call for help if they thought you were drowning?’ Elspeth cried. ‘And why did they go on the Internet and tell people you were dead without making any attempt to find out for sure? What’s the world coming to?’
Morven shrugged. ‘People do that all the time, Auntie Elspeth. It’s normal now. I’m surprised no one filmed it.’
‘ Filmed someone drowning?’ Elspeth cried. ‘That’s never normal in my book. It’s certifiable!’
‘Morven’s right,’ Lily said. ‘Believe me, some people would do anything for their five minutes of fame on social media. I’ll get my team to try and find out how this happened, but the important thing is that Sam and I are fine .’
‘Sam?’ Elspeth threw up her hands in horror. ‘Was he in danger too?’
‘Well … yes, but we’re not dead. Clearly. It sounds like this is a rumour that’s been blown up out of all proportion and has gone viral.’ Even as she comforted Elspeth, Lily’s heart sank further – if that was possible.
Morven reached over and clicked on another tab. ‘There’s a longer article on here,’ she said, opening the online site of a different newspaper. ‘With a quote from your friend.’
‘What friend?’ Lily said, almost adding she had no close friends … and feeling sick that she even had to remind herself of how many mates she’d lost touch with lately.
Morven angled the laptop so Lily could read the article.
‘Lily was the proverbial swan,’ says Amelia Parker, long-time friend of Harper and former marketing director of Lily Loves. ‘To the world, it looked as if she was gliding serenely through life yet she was always racing around in pursuit of the next big thing. Under her cut-throat and ruthless business image, she could sometimes be a loyal and generous person. It’s a dreadful shame that the wider world never got to see the real Lily.’
Parker added: ‘I urged her to slow down several times for the sake of her mental and physical health. Her family will be completely devastated.’
‘Not very nice of your friend to say that about you,’ said Morven helpfully.
‘She’s not my friend,’ Lily murmured, recalling how Amelia had left Lily Loves. They’d been colleagues but not mates and Amelia had quit of her own accord for a promotion at a bigger company. Lily had found her rather aloof and had never quite trusted her, but they’d always got on well enough. Under her cut-throat and ruthless business image – that was a strange thing to say when someone had supposedly died. It hinted at a hidden agenda. Had Amelia secretly hated her? Did other people in her team feel that way – her friends and acquaintances?
Lily’s stomach knotted at the thought.
‘I doubt it’ll be on there long once they realise you’re not really dead,’ Morven said. ‘But I got a screen shot. In case you want to sue them.’
‘Morven!’ Elspeth said, handing a mug to Lily, her green eyes full of concern. ‘You’ve had a terrible shock, Lily. Anyone would turn pale. I’ve put sugar in it,’ she said before glaring at Morven, who was grinning at Lily from the opposite side of the table. ‘Morven, make yourself useful and fetch some of my ginger fairings!’
‘Thank you.’ Lily sipped the sweet tea. Words and phrases from her obituary and some of the comments under the news stories kept flashing through her mind like a neon sign she couldn’t turn off.
‘Driven and ambitious’ – she’d have used those to describe herself. Yet ‘notorious’, ‘controversial’ and ‘heartless’? She’d never been heartless or sought notoriety. She cared about her staff and the makers – and her customers.
She didn’t even dare look at social media. Those words would not be the kindest things she read about herself, judging by what had happened after the Great British Craft Show .
‘You’ll be wanting to speak to your family,’ Elspeth said.
‘I’ve already sent a message on my phone, saying I’m fine. It was the first thing I did the moment I got a signal.’
Luckily, her parents hadn’t seen the reports, though Richie had sounded hysterical with relief when she’d called him. She’d managed to reach him and asked him to get hold of étienne as soon as he could. He’d managed to message étienne but Lily still wasn’t sure her brother-in-law had seen any communication at all – in the media or from Richie.
What must he think if he’d only heard the worst?
Lily’s stomach turned over but she could do nothing until she heard from him.
In the meantime, Richie was busy issuing a statement that she was alive while marshalling the PR team to contact editors and have the story removed. Now she’d have to get involved in a long exchange of messages with people who wanted to know the full details.
Lily heaved a deep sigh. ‘This is a nightmare.’
Sam walked into the café and Elspeth flew to him, holding him tightly. ‘Sam Teague, you never mentioned you’d been involved in this accident with Lily!’
‘We’re fine,’ he said, avoiding Lily’s eye. ‘There was nothing much to tell and I didn’t want to worry you, Auntie Elspeth.’
Morven clattered a biscuit tin onto the table. ‘It’s all over social media too. People are saying some horrible things.’
‘Can’t you find something useful to do?’ Sam shot back.
‘Useful? It was me who called you about Lily being dead, loaned her my laptop and brought the biscuits. What else do you want?’
‘And I’m very grateful you were on the alert,’ Lily said, trying to stem the rising storm. Morven was a pain but the last thing Lily wanted was a full-scale row between her and Sam. She pushed the laptop aside. ‘Thank you. I’ll be out of your hair now. I’ll use my phone to deal with things from here.’
‘We should set off to the heliport if we’re to catch your flight,’ Sam said anxiously.
‘Yes, of course,’ Lily said, remembering that she had been on her way home when the news had broken. She’d almost forgotten in the chaos. ‘The sooner I’m back in London to sort this out the better,’ she declared.
Minutes later, Sam was motoring the few hundred metres over the channel from Bryher quay to Tresco, where a golf buggy was waiting. He accompanied Lily and her luggage on the five-minute ride to the heliport. Her phone was constantly ringing. She recognised some of the names as press contacts she’d given interviews to in the past. They must now want a scoop on what it was like to come back from the dead.
Ignoring them all, she managed to speak to Richie, who seemed almost excited by the whole drama.
‘I’ve arranged a car to meet you at Penzance and bring you straight to London,’ he said. ‘It’s all in hand.’
‘Thank you,’ Lily said.
‘You’ll be back by mid-afternoon. I’m sorry for booking that horrible place. I should never have done it!’
The moment the golf cart stopped, Lily jumped off, still talking frantically to him.
‘Richie – it’s OK. It’s not your fault. You were doing your best and Stark isn’t hellish,’ she said, trying to lower her voice so Sam wouldn’t hear. ‘It was OK. More than OK until – well, until things went a bit wrong.’
‘Hun – you almost drowned there!’ Richie bellowed.
‘I was OK ,’ Lily insisted, while feeling guilty for lying.
Rotors whirred, drowning out Richie’s next words.
‘Sorry, I can’t hear you now. The helicopter’s landed. It’s my flight to Cornwall. Message me if you need to but I’ll be off the helicopter very soon.’
Sam was by the helicopter hut talking to the gardener Lily had spoken with when she’d first arrived. Other holidaymakers wheeled cases, chattering excitedly. Tanned staff from the Tresco resort hurried to and fro with luggage and boxes.
One man hugged a woman and two kids; locals bidding farewell, Lily guessed. She wondered where the lady who’d given up her seat was and felt a fresh pang of guilt.
Being ambitious was nothing to be ashamed of, yet she had been prepared to do almost anything to get off the island.
The rotors died and Sam rejoined her. ‘There’s a short turnaround and then you’ll be off,’ he said. ‘Which will doubtless come as a huge relief to you. I’m sure you can’t wait to see the back of Stark and us.’
Lily wasn’t quite sure if he was joking. She was never sure where Sam stood, but she had a suspicion that under the cynicism, the mood shifts, lay some past trauma he wasn’t prepared to share with her. His gaze turned over the water to where Stark slept in the sun, light glinting on the cottages of the retreat. She felt a sharp tug at her heart and recognised it at once: loss.
Her phone rang again and, as she answered it, two voices rang out in unison.
‘Auntie Lily!’
‘Hold on, girls!’ étienne’s voice, sounding uncharacteristically sharp. ‘Lily! Thank God you’re OK!’
‘I am. You got my message, then?’
‘Yes, but I was in theatre so didn’t have my phone. Soon as I came out, one of my colleagues on the night shift was outside and told me she’d seen the obituary.’
‘Oh, God, no.’
‘It’s OK. Fortunately, she’s highly sceptical about the Internet at the best of times and tried to calm me down and then I got to my phone and saw your message about half a minute later.’ He paused then said hoarsely, ‘But for those thirty seconds, I was absolutely petrified we’d lost you.’
Not as petrified as I was , she thought, stung by the horrific memory of Sam being washed out of the kayak.
She shuddered.
‘I’m OK. There was an incident but the owner of the retreat was out in a kayak and spotted me. The sea was rough and we got into some bother, but it was all fine,’ she said briskly. ‘I’ve spoken to Richie and the PR team are trying to find out the exact details but they think some idiot on a boat must have seen it happen.’
‘And decided you were dead?’ étienne said in astonishment.
‘I don’t know what they thought. Maybe they only saw part of what happened, or exaggerated, or just decided to make up a story for the hell of it.’
‘Words fail me.’
‘I know,’ Lily said. ‘But whoever started the rumour, it was picked up by all and sundry, spread by that shitty gossip site before it went viral.’
‘But how did an actual obituary end up online?’
‘Some news outlets prepare them in advance, even for young people. Richie found out an over-keen intern released mine before double-checking I was actually dead.’
étienne swore in French but Lily understood exactly what he meant.
‘Apparently, it’s happened loads of times before. I’m in the best company. There’s Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, the Pope …’
‘I suppose you should be flattered, then,’ he said sarcastically.
‘I’m not. At least Richie’s managed to have the obit removed from the newspaper but the press are still hounding me for quotes. And that business from the TV show has been dragged up again too,’ she added, feeling despondent.
‘You’re in the best place you could possibly be right now. I should hunker down there until the heat dies down, if I were you. Don’t rush back.’
‘I have to. The helicopter’s leaving soon …’ Lily looked out over the channel to Stark, which did seem like a haven. Over there she could escape from the Internet, the phone calls … but she still had to deal with the fallout from the press story. Running away and letting Richie face it alone wasn’t fair.
She could go back to Stark, of course … she should allow herself a proper break here. Its beauty was breathtaking and, apart from fog and a near-death experience, she had found a peace there she hadn’t experienced since Cara had died. Stark had reawakened her creativity and uncovered raw emotions she’d buried very deeply. Perhaps she’d needed that safety valve to let them out and still did …
A uniformed pilot was talking to some of the holidaymakers outside the hut. He seemed to be checking names. She spotted Sam glancing at his watch and trying to catch her eye.
‘Lily, before you go, I must let the girls have a word or I’ll never hear the last of it,’ étienne said.
‘Put them on quick,’ Lily replied, trudging over to join Sam. Her legs felt as if they were made of lead.
The questions flew at her like serves from a Wimbledon champion. Lily cowered on her side of the net, with the two girls firing aces so fast she couldn’t even tell who was speaking.
‘Auntie Lily! Are you having a loverly holiday?’
‘Have you been in the sea yet?’
‘Er …’ she said.
‘Have you seen a sea monster?’
‘Can we come and see you?’
‘Daddy needs a holiday too.’
‘Daddy says there’s a story on the Internet about you that people have made up. Why have they done that?’
‘Daddy said it’s gone viola.’
Lily was half-laughing, half-crying. ‘It’s a silly mistake. It’s rubbish.’
One phrase from the obituary had hammered itself into her brain harder than any other.
A dreadful shame that the wider world never got to see the real Lily.
But who was the real Lily?
Was being a ruthless, driven businesswoman all she wanted to be known for? What about a beloved friend and auntie, a loving daughter, a good partner ?
The roar from the helicopter throttle was almost deafening, but Lily couldn’t move.
What if this – now – was her second chance? Not the kayak accident but this moment? What if this was the opportunity to take stock of her life?
To think and to breathe?
To change ?
‘I don’t think I can come home …’
‘What? What did you say, Lily?’ étienne’s voice was faint against the sound of the propellers.
‘I think I’ll stay here for a couple of weeks. I – I do need a proper holiday.’
‘Of course you do, my love. We’ve been trying to tell you that.’
‘Yes … but will you bring the girls to see me?’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Sam was now at her side. ‘Lily, we have to go.’
‘I’ll call you later. Love to the girls.’ She shut off the call and stared at him.
‘The helicopter’s boarding,’ he said. ‘You must go now .’
‘I don’t want to go.’ A new certainty pumped through her veins.
‘What do you mean? The flight’s about to take off.’
‘I know, but I’m not ready to get on it. I said I’d take a proper break and I’m going to. I can sort things from here. Richie can be in charge at the office. The business won’t implode in less than two weeks.’ She was almost breathless in her haste to get the words out.
The roar from the helicopter grew louder.
Lily raised her voice and held Sam’s arms, almost pleading with him. ‘I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you but, please, I need to stay here.’