Chapter 7

Ashley looked at the picture and then had to put his hand on the nearest support.

“That’s the picture. Why have you got it?”

“Before you start hyperventilating, let’s sit in down and I’ll tell you who he is.”

They went and sat in a pew and Rupert laid out the family history, as he knew it.

“That man was Francis Dudley Leigh, the third Baron Leigh. He was born in eighteen fifty-five and died in nineteen thirty-eight. He was a direct descendant of the Leighs that are venerated in this church. He married twice, and Marie Campbell was his second wife. The only thing we knew about her was that she was American, as was his first wife. They married in October nineteen twenty-three and she died in nineteen forty-eight. There were no children from either marriage.”

“That fits. My great-great grandfather was born about nineteen-oh-five. My great grandfather in nineteen thirty, so may well have visited his aunt as a young boy. He married and their daughter became my grandmother Bates. Her daughter is my mother, who married Bill Rose. So, what happens when there are no offspring?”

“I’ll get to that. First, Francis Dudley Leigh, the third baron, was a very successful man with a distinguished military career in the Eleventh Hussars. That regiment was originally the personal bodyguard of Charles the First, and closely linked to royalty for many years after that. He ended his military service as the Colonel of the Warwickshire Yeomanry and was given that star on his chest in nineteen twenty-two. That represents the Knighthood of Grace of the Order of St. John. When he died, the Fourth Baron was my own grandfather, Rupert William Dudley Leigh, a long-lived man who died in nineteen seventy-nine aged seventy-one.”

“Wow! That’s some real history. I always thought that there was an American connection. My grandmother’s two brothers are in America, and so is my aunt Millicent.”

“Look, Ashley. The original of that painting is hanging in the Stoneleigh Abbey, in the other part of the village. If you and your family follow me, I’ll get you in so that you can see it.”

“We only live around the corner, so we walked over this morning.”

“Even better. You come with me, and I’ll bring you home again. I expect that it might take a while to explain things to your family.”

They walked outside and joined his wife and Willow, who were talking to Miss Russell. They waited until Miss Russell gave Willow a hug and headed off for lunch with her brother in the vicarage.

“Dear, I would like to introduce you to Rupert Leigh. Rupert, this is my wife Wendy and my daughter Willow.”

“Pleased to meet you ladies. Ashley and I have just had a very interesting conversation. It seems that he has a connection to this church and the Leighs buried here that he has only just learned about. If you’re free to go, please join me in my car and I’ll take you to Stoneleigh Abbey, the ancestral home of the good folk in the church. It’s been run as a charitable trust since nineteen ninety and is open to the public. We will look at a painting that Ashley had only ever seen a photo of, and we’ll try to explain a very odd coincidence.”

They went to his Bentley and got in, the two ladies in great comfort in the rear seat. Willow had an almost unstoppable urge to do the royal wave as they passed people. It didn’t help that many of the people they passed were waving to her when they saw who was in the car.

The Abbey was the other side of the main village, a couple of miles away. It did start out as a monastery, but it had been somewhat altered over the years, and was now an enormous Georgian mansion. Rupert spoke to the lady on the door and then guided them to a short corridor which had a few paintings. He stopped in front of one.

“Is this the picture?”

Ashley could hardly speak, with his eyes getting moist for the second time that morning.

“It is, exactly as I remembered it, only much better in colour.”

Wendy couldn’t contain herself.

“What’s this about, darling?”

“The short story is that this man was the third Baron Leigh, and he was married to the sister of my great-great grandfather. When he died, the title went to one of Rupert’s ancestors”

Rupert gave a little more information.

“The original Baronet Leigh was given the title by Charles the First, for accommodating the King when Warwick wouldn’t allow him entry to the town, during the Civil War. The title was changed in sixteen forty-three when Baronet Thomas Leigh changed it to be Baron Leigh. When the sixth Baron, Edward Leigh, died in seventeen eighty-six, the title lapsed.”

“The title returned in eighteen thirty-nine with Chandos Leigh, the new first Baron. When he died, William Henry Leigh became the second Baron Leigh, followed by the gentleman in the picture, Francis Dudley Leigh. As I said before, the title then went to his cousin, Rupert William Dudley Leigh, then to his son, John Piers Leigh until his death in two thousand and three. My father, Christopher Leigh, is the sixth Baron and no, he never appeared in horror movies.”

“Do I have to call you sir, sir?”

“No, Willow. You can call me Rupert. Why don’t we go to the dining room, I might be able to get the cooks to rustle up lunch for us. Then I’ll show you around. I used to come here as a toddler.”

All they could get was pie and chips, so found a table to eat at. Rupert told them the rest of the story, while Ashley was still trying to take it all in.

“When my father dies, I’ll become the seventh Baron of the new line. This house was home to the Leigh family until the nineteen sixties, when the then Baron launched a charitable trust after a nasty fire. They lived here, on and off, until nineteen ninety. It was restored from a pretty shocking state with help from the Lottery Fund. The Leigh family now calls Adlestrop Park Estate, near Moreton-in-Marsh, in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds, our home. It’s more easily called Fern Farm.”

Willow was fascinated by this cosmic shift of her family history.

“Rupert, Dad’s link is only by marriage. That means that he doesn’t have any official place in the family history, doesn’t it?”

“Correct, Willow. What today has done is to give my family a chance to fill in the gaps with Marie’s family line. With his information, we can find out more about the American connection. It also allows me to invite you all to visit the family and stay with us one weekend. My father will insist, once I tell him what I’ve learned.”

“This house seems very popular with visitors. It’s lovely.”

“That’s because one of the cousins, way back, was Cassandra Leigh, and she married Reverend Austen. They had spent some time here with their daughters, Cassandra and Jane. You know, the writer Jane Austen.”

“So, she may have used her memories of being here as the locations for her stories?”

“It’s quite possible. Her parents lived in a modest vicarage, so she had to get the grand houses from somewhere.”

They exchanged contact details and Willow was able to add Baron-to-be Rupert to her phone list. He gave them a tour of the house that included some ‘No Entry’ places. The chapel was almost identical to the church, with the doors on the pews. The biggest difference was that the organ pipes were brightly polished. Rupert took them home and they all had a hug before he drove away in the Bentley, with a few of the gardening neighbours looking on. In the house, they all went to change into something comfortable, and Willow sat on her bed to tell Tiger the news.

Back downstairs, she found her parents in the kitchen with a teapot on the table.

“Get yourself a cup, honey, and come and sit with us. That was some morning!”

“It certainly was. My brain is almost overflowing.”

“I was just about to tell your father about your next week. It sounded like you’ll be busy.”

“Yes. It was good of Miss Russell to offer to take me to the clothing store. That should make it a quick visit. There will be other teachers there, Dad, to take me and a couple of other new students through a catch-up of the first-year lessons. I have already done some of it at Clifton, but the Indian and Chinese music sounds like fun. What about you, Dad? Do you feel different?”

“I’m not sure, sweetheart. It does surprise me that we are so closely linked to this village and the church. I expect that we’ll all be going on Sundays, when the reverend hears about it, and not just to hear you play. I’m going to have to organise a visit to my parents and find out where the photo album is. Perhaps they may know where the cowboy outfits are. I never had a chance to put on the adult outfit.”

“I’m sure that you’ll look like Wyatt Earp, Dad.”

“More like Rowdy Yates. Yeeha!”

Willow giggled.

“The people, this morning, were very pleased to hear the organ playing. I’m going to have to ask the vicar if I can have some clear time on it to learn the other settings. Miss Russell said that there was a smaller, modern, version in the school chapel that she’ll get their organist to show me how to play. She also told me that I was going to try out with my clarinet in one of the orchestras, they have a full set on violin. Oh! She also said that there would be some of the first-year exams for me to take, next week. Nothing marked, but just to find out where I stand.”

“Then you’ll be ready to jump in with both feet and won’t have to do any remedial study.”

Later, that afternoon, the doorbell rang, and Willow went to open it. Reverend Russell and Edie stood there, with Edie holding some flowers.

“Hello, Willow. We thought that we would take a walk and come and see how you were after this morning, and to bring you some flowers as a thank you.”

“Come on in. Thank you for the flowers, I’ll find a vase to put them in. Nobody has ever given me flowers before.”

“I’m sure that this won’t be the last time.”

Willow called her mother and led the Russells into the sitting room. Her mother took over while Willow found a vase, snipped the stems and put the flowers into water. She carried it into the sitting room where she put it in pride of place on the mantlepiece. Her mother had opened the drinks cabinet, and the visitors were sipping a sherry.

“Go and find your father, honey, and ask him to join us. Bring yourself a soft drink when you come back.”

Wendy and the visitors spoke about the success of the service that morning. Wendy had the idea that there was something else that they were waiting to ask. When Willow returned with her father, they all sat and talked some more, until Edie asked the question that was on her mind.

“I saw you leaving with Rupert Leigh in his car. Do you know him?”

Ashley smiled.

“Not before this morning when he spoke to me while I was looking at one of the memorials. It turns out that way back in my family, my great-great grandfather was the brother of Marie, the wife of the Third Baron Leigh. Rupert took us to the Abbey to look at the original of a painting that I had only seen in a family photo album. It was a very strange experience and I’m still trying to get my head around it.”

The vicar laughed.

“So, you are linked to the Leighs that founded the church! That’s wonderful. It makes you eminently qualified to become one of the Village Council and a future church warden. One of the Leigh family was the priest in our church for many years. That also means that Willow also has that link. What did you think of the Abbey?”

“It was huge and a wonderful house and gardens.”

“I do the odd wedding there. The couple book the chapel and the dining area for the event. I believe that you can book rooms there overnight, to make it a great experience. Did you see the organ, Willow?”

“I did. It looked a lot brighter than ours.”

“That’s merely polish, my dear. It is a newer organ with more modern controls, but the basics are the same as ours in the church. If I get asked to officiate, would you be my organist? You will get a small payment.”

“If I can try out, first.”

“Agreed. How was young Rupert?”

“He was very nice. He showed us the Abbey and said that his father will invite us to their home once he is told about Dad and the Campbell link.”

“I’ll have to ring Hilda, tonight. She will be tickled pink. She told me that the teachers had a meeting after last week, and decided to make sure you aren’t overloaded at school. She was very surprised to walk into church to find you playing Bach. She really is a fan of yours, but don’t tell her I told you.”

“I’ll be close to her for a week, to catch up on the first-year subjects before school starts, so I guess she’ll have plenty of opportunity to lose the fandom.”

They talked some more, and Reverend Russell pulled a list out of his pocket, along with some folded music.

“These are the three hymns for Sunday, and the music. You can try them out on your keyboard here, then come in at any time Saturday to run through them. The only Sundays or other days that we do something special are at Christmas and Easter, but it may be nice to do something for Mother’s Day, next year. There I am, getting ahead of myself and expecting that you will be available.”

“It’s all right, sir. I’m sure that we will be able to fit something in. I love playing that organ and want time to experiment with all the stops. It’s not as if they all have directions on them.”

“Silly of me. There is an overlay for beginners somewhere. I’ll find it and put it up by the organ for next Saturday. You just seemed so assured when you play. Anyway, thank you for the drink. We’ll walk back to the vicarage and get ready for dinner. We’ll see you all on the weekend.”

On Monday morning, the household was up and ready to go by eight. Ashley kissed his wife, hugged his daughter, and went off to Gaydon. Willow was dressed in her school skirt with a casual top and the new school shoes, to get them walked in. She had a backpack with her handbag in, along with spare panties, and some pens and a notebook. Wendy dropped her off at the school and went to the workplace. She giggled as she realised that both of them were starting at a new place where, she hoped, they would both be happy.

Willow went into the admin area, where she told the girl at the desk who she was. She was told to relax and wait for the other students. By nine, there were another three girls and two boys waiting to be helped. Miss Russell came in with a male and a female teacher. The man took the boys to show them where everything was, the woman took the other girls. Miss Russell and Willow were the only ones left.

“Willow. You’re the only one of this extra intake who is doing music subjects. I’ll show you where the facilities are and give you a tour. We’ll hold off to let Miss Simpson get ahead with the girls. My brother rang me last night. I had thought that you and your family had no more surprises for me, and now I find that you have links to the Leigh family. Did you know about that before you moved north?”

“No, Miss Russell. It was a shock to us. My Dad was shaken to the core. Rupert Leigh showed us around the Abbey; what a beautiful place.”

“With a very nice organ. You played beautifully, yesterday. Before the end of the week, I’m going to get our school organist to try you out on the one in our chapel. It’s not an old one, and is fully electric, but has a lot of the enhancements that the old ones had, as well as a few more modern tricks. He was at the concert and thinks that you have possibilities.”

They left the office and Willow was shown the toilets, the various classrooms, the library, the science rooms, and the lunchroom. The last stop in the main part of the school was the chapel, which was big enough for a couple of hundred students. There was a space for the choir and the organ was to one side, with speakers spaced along the walls.

“When we have someone with conducting skills, they can play the organ while leading the choir. It is a specialist skill, which you may learn in a few years, if you continue the way you’re going. Have you composed anything?”

“Not really. I can doodle on the keyboard but that’s mainly snippets of classics that I’ve heard. The first time I thought about composing was when I was in the MRI machine. The whirs and other sounds almost sounded like a tune of sorts.”

“Yes. Your mother did tell me that you spent a couple of days in the clinic. Nothing too bad, I hope.”

“I had keyhole surgery to remove two lumps from my groin. The doctor said to take it easy for a while, but, otherwise, I’m good.”

“I’ll make a note for the phys-ed teacher to let you do light training, like walking or jogging. You should be able to play netball, but we’ll keep you off the soccer pitch.”

“Thank you. I was wondering how I would go with PE.”

“Now. You may be wondering why I haven’t shown you a locker. As you’re in the music stream, and likely to be starring sometime, you are allocated a section which has lockers big enough for stage outfits, instruments, and other things. If you need to wear something special for music, then you change there. We do like to get the students wearing appropriate clothes when they perform, even if it’s only in-house. It makes them realise that performing is not just standing there in old rags. But I don’t need to tell you much about that, as you’ve already got the standard choir and recital dress. If you play in the orchestra, you’ll need a long black skirt, but we’ll get to that when we go to the shop.”

They went to the theatre area, which Willow already knew, but she was shown a change-room which looked like a make-up salon.

“This is where you prepare for a performance. We do have regular events in the theatre. We also have arrangements with bigger theatres in the area, as well as the one in Stratford, where our drama students have put on Shakespeare in the past. We are talking with the Coventry Cathedral about an orchestral event before next summer but haven’t decided on what we’ll be playing. With your skills on the organ, what do you think of Saint Saens and the ‘Seven Improvisations’ for organ?”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t heard that one. The first time I played a proper organ was the day before the concert. I’ve never considered it to be one of my instruments, before.”

“All right. You just made me realise just how young you are. What about the tune that was featured in ‘Babe’? That was the last part of his organ symphony.”

“Now, that I’ve listened to. I’ve never thought that I would be able to play the organ part. It’s so huge!”

“Look, this gives me an idea. I’ll put it to the others and see what they think. If we get the Cathedral, next May will be the hundred-odd anniversary of the first performance of the ‘Organ Symphony’. We can do a simple Saint-Saens evening. Open with the ‘Seven Improvisations’, follow it up with ‘Carnival of the Animals’, and the second half can be the ‘Organ Symphony’. That repertoire has everything in it to test all of our orchestral members, even if we join the junior and senior orchestras for the performance.”

“This is so much bigger than anything we did at Clifton. I’m not sure that I would be up for it.”

“By the time we get to May, knowing you, you’ll have it nailed. We had wondered if you would be able to play the chapel organ, and then I walk in yesterday and you’re playing Bach on a hundred-year-old pipe organ and doing it beautifully. Never fear, Willow, you are destined to be a star, one day, and you just need to reach out and grab your chances. Just look at what they wrote about you in the Observer.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t read it, other than get shown the photo and the headline. We don’t get it delivered.”

“I’ll give you a photocopy of the article to read. The school has put copies of that issue in every teacher’s cubby-holes. Now, I think you’ve seen everything. We can take you back to one of the classrooms and there are a couple of short tests on the academic subjects for you. By the results from Clifton, you’re well up with most of what we teach. After lunch, you and I are going shopping.”

Willow sat at a desk in a classroom, along with the others from this morning. They were given three test papers. The teacher stood in front of them.

“These are taken from our first form exam papers. They are three questions on three subjects each. This is just to see where you stand so we can properly look after you. If you don’t know the answer, just write ‘Don’t Know’ or ‘Never Studied’. If you’ve studied the subject but have forgotten, do whatever you can. This isn’t a competition, so nobody leaves until the time is up. If you do finish, sit back and I’ll bring you more papers to look at. You have two hours and start now.”

Willow looked at the questions and decided to just give a precis of her answers. The more papers she could finish, today, the more time she would have to catch up with music. The first three papers were completed, and she sat back after a bit under an hour. The teacher gave her another three, and she only had one question unanswered when the two hours were up. Others had received extra papers as well, so she didn’t feel smug.

They all went to the lunchroom where there was a long table for them. Willow, like the others, had brought her own lunch, but the water heater was on, with coffee and tea, and an arrangement of biscuits and cakes. They talked among themselves and got to know each other’s names, and a little of the history. Willow was asked why she hadn’t been with the other girls, this morning, and explained that she was in the music stream. Of course, she would be in normal classes with most of the others, so did her best to be friendly.

After lunch, a couple of them who were in the science stream had to go to the laboratory to do some simple experiments. Others rang their parents and were picked up. Miss Russell took Willow out to her car, and they went shopping.

Willow followed orders, went for bargains and kept the receipts. She still ended up with six bags with an extra skirt, a long skirt, more blouses and school tee-shirts. She had the complete PE kit, including two pairs of sneakers.

When they returned to the school, the bags were left in the admin office along with her backpack. Miss Russell needed to go and catch up with her work, so Willow took her phone and went to the rehearsal room with a baby grand and sat to brush up on her piano technique with a number of Etudes. When her mother rang to say she was outside, Willow closed the piano lid, picked up her bags and went outside, more than ready to be home.

Marianne Gregory © 2025