Page 104 of All Wrapped Up
‘It certainly will.’
I didn’t tell Ash that Jason had said Callum wouldn’t befeatured in the article, in case for some reason his nephew had a change of heart and included the details after all.
‘Right then,’ I said instead, ‘I’d better go. There’s a little hound here clamouring for my full and undivided attention.’
‘All right,’ said Ash, ‘give her a fuss from me and I’ll see you Friday. I’ll pick a paper up early and drop it round.’
‘That would save me a trip, thank you. We’ll see you then.’
‘See you Friday.’
Having given Lizzie, Jemma and, most significantly, Joanne the go-ahead to disclose my online identity, I didn’t have to wait until Friday to find out if the AutumnEverything revelation was going to have an impact, because those locals who knew me or followed the account, or both, made themselves digitally known to me from early Thursday morning.
I never kept my phone close to hand, but as I pottered about in the cottage, played with Pixie and tidied up my breakfast things, I could hear it pinging away in the next room and when I eventually picked it up, I could immediately see I’d had a flurry of new followers, a dozen or so messages and lots of new comments on my most recent posts. I only had to read the opening words of a couple of the messages to know that people had been looking me up online and that those who had, were now privy to my past.
‘I don’t suppose it matters what’s printed in the paper now, does it, Pixie?’ I shrugged as I set the phone aside and picked her up.
I sat with her on my lap and had a think. In the time before I had taken the festival on and ventured into Wynbridge, I had imagined that being outed online would be a huge calamityand that my anxiety would soar to its former heights as a result, but I discovered that wasn’t the case. This time around felt different. I had taken an active part in what was happening. I was in a much stronger headspace and consequently, more in control of what I read and responded to and, with that in mind, I carefully composed a post and pinned it.
I thanked everyone for following AutumnEverything, and for their kind words about Callum and their suggestions as to how I could cope. I then explained that I wouldn’t be interacting with anyone directly – irrespective of whether they were new or old followers – as so many people had been in touch, and said that I hoped they would all understand.
That was as much as I was willing to do. I would now continue to run the account in the way I always had – without showing my face, Pixie’s face, or making any reference to exactly where I lived. Some locals would know that Rowan Cottage was my home, but I hoped they would be respectful enough not to impose.
I felt proud of how I was handling the situation, right up until Mum and Dad video-called and I realised it would have been useful to keep them in the loop before word had got out.
‘Clemmie!’ Mum practically shouted when I answered. ‘What’s this post you’ve just pinned to the top of your account?’
‘Yes,’ said Dad, as he also wrestled into view. ‘Have you pinned it or have you been hacked?’
‘It was me,’ I told them quickly. ‘It’s all fine. I haven’t been hacked.’
‘But this post,’ Dad frowned, ‘it says an awful lot considering we thought you wanted to keep AutumnEverything anonymous.’
‘I did want to keep it anonymous,’ I confirmed, ‘but someone who visited me at the cottage recognised a jug of flowers I posted and let it slip that I was the account owner.’
‘How mean of someone to do that,’ Mum tutted.
‘They didn’t intend to be mean,’ I corrected her, thinking of how forlorn Joanne had been when she’d realised what she’d done. ‘They just didn’t think, but as the news was out and people were already commenting, I thought I should say something.’
‘I bet you’re being inundated with messages, aren’t you?’ Dad groaned.
‘It’s fine,’ I said calmly. ‘You know I’ve been down this road before and therefore I’m handling it differently this time. Hence the pinned post. I’m not going to be privately messaging well-meaning strangers this time around.’
Mum and Dad hadn’t been privy to the full extent of it, but I recalled how I’d spent literally hours reading every single comment and message I’d received on the previous account, how harrowing it had been and how I had taken it all in. I knew there was every possibility that even more messages were going to pour in now that both new and old followers discovered my identity, but I had no intention of getting sucked into the maelstrom again. Not now I’d so healthily moved on.
‘Well, that’s good.’ Dad nodded.
‘I always worry that people will think it’s rude if you don’t respond,’ said Mum, ‘but knowing what happened before, I’m pleased you’ve taken action and you’ve worded the post so well, if anyone takes offence, it won’t be your fault, will it?’
I was surprised to realise that Mum was more aware than I had known that I had spared her and Dad the worst of it before.
‘It certainly won’t,’ I agreed.
‘Well,’ said Dad, looking happier, ‘you do sound like you’ve got a handle on it.’
‘I have,’ I told him. ‘And I’m determined to carry on with the account in the same way that I’ve always run it.’
Mum and Dad were both happier when we ended the call and when Ash arrived the next morning with a newspaper hot off the press, I was already feeling content but the feeling was further compounded by the article.
