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’sGreat British Craft Showgained 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?Howhas 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 youdidalmost 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 … therewasa 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.’
‘Filmedsomeone 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 arefine.’
‘Sam?’ Elspeth threw up her hands in horror. ‘Was he in danger too?’
‘Well … yes, but we’renotdead. Clearly. It sounds like this is a rumour that’s been blown up out of all proportionand 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.
