Chapter 18

On Monday morning, Willow felt better. She had dreamed about life back in Bristol and had pictured herself in a bramble bush after being bullied. The word ‘stoic’ stayed in her mind. She went down for breakfast, determined that life continues, whatever had happened, and you just have to adapt. She was even able to speak about things when Wendy asked what had happened.

“It’s simple, Mum. Beth dragged Alec out to the car, and they took him away. The Baron thinks that she must be a staunch leftie and meeting a Tory peer had rattled her. I’ll be nice to Alec, as it isn’t his fault, but his parent’s support for our relationship has evaporated.”

“But we’re not even related.”

“Doesn’t matter. I was treated like family, and the acceptance of me just disappeared. I put my pillowcase in the laundry, it was a bit soggy.”

When she went up to get ready for school, she was meticulous in her dress and make-up. Luckily, the nighttime tears hadn’t left permanent evidence on her young face. On the drive to school, she had to fully explain the historical link to a peer to Gina, minimising any actual blood relationship. Gina was asked to just accept it as her family having a family friend who just happened to be a Baron.

“It’s all right, Willow. Spending the evening with them was enough to show me that they’re good people. Cassandra told me about you playing the wedding march on the two organs, and how it was so different. She’s one of those who hasn’t realised that the sound of an instrument can be different, depending on who made it.”

They walked into the school, confident that last week had been productive, if surprising. Alec was in a couple of classes, and he looked unhappy and couldn’t hold Willow’s gaze for long. At lunch, he sat next to her.

“I’m really sorry about Sunday. My mother gave me a good talking to about not following the family politics in being with you. She really laid it on thick. I don’t know what her problem is; the Baron and his family are nice people, even if they are Tory.”

“It’s all right, Alec. I realise that she’s made it very difficult for you. She didn’t talk about taking you away from school, did she?”

“Only if we remain as a couple. I’m not allowed to talk about you, but she will quiz me on what I’m doing. If we’re in a concert, together, she doesn’t want us to sit next to each other.”

“Is she afraid that I’ll infect you with a political virus? What about the band shows?”

“I told her that I would be singing with a group, and that you play the organ. She told me to make sure that there’s no contact, or else I’m out of here.”

“Alec. I’ll be blunt. Last night I cried myself to sleep. Today I’m prepared to be your friend and forget our closeness. I want to hear you playing flute and singing and am not prepared to let you leave this school because of her prejudices. I’m not happy about it, but seeing you here is better than not seeing you at all. Remember – hugging but no kissing!”

Gina was listening in and admiring her friend’s depth of character. On the way to the next class, she linked her arm in Willow’s.

“That was some speech, friend. It was almost statesmanlike. You could go into diplomacy when you get older.”

“It was hard, friend. I didn’t know if I could tell him that it was definitely off, but it’s done. I just hope that his mother lets him be himself. I doubt that she would approve of our trio pieces, though, unless he’s your boyfriend.”

That comment started Gina thinking. Living with her mother in a village of older people, she hadn’t had a lot to do with boys, other than seeing them in school. Learning to play the piano had also isolated her. Alec had been the first boy that she had spent time with as they learned new music. She didn’t really think of him as a potential boyfriend, just as a friend. Her first real friend who was a boy. She did think that Brent was cute, and playing the triangle near him may be an opportunity to get to know him better. In the band, he was with his mates, and she knew enough that this was a bond that one doesn’t intrude into.

Tuesday morning, Paul was his usual self. When they gathered for the orchestra that afternoon, Willow asked Zara if he was any different with her chapel mornings.

“He’s a bit stuck up, but all right. He can’t be anything else with Reg there.”

“Reg? Does he play the organ?”

“Yes, he does. He plays in every chapel.”

“Not in ours, the organ stays covered.”

“I’ll ask Reg when I see him. He helps out with Senior Orchestra on Wednesdays.”

Willow went and sat next to Alec, with them smiling at each other. The one thing that Willow had seen, when she walked in, was the two Yamahas set up in front of the orchestra.

Mister Bamborough tapped his baton on the rostrum once the orchestra had settled.

“Today, you will see the sheet music to ‘Carnival of the Animals’. It is a composition that highlights a number of instruments, and I’m certain that we will do it justice. In the original, it only uses eleven members of the orchestra. We have made changes so that most of you get a chance to play. We have a new instrument with this piece, called the glass harmonica. Can you give us a demonstration, Julia, please.”

The orchestra sat as they heard the sound of this new instrument, a proper part of some compositions in its day, a sort of industrial method of rubbing a wet finger around the rim of a glass.

“Thank you, Julia. Today, we will start with the first short piece. It uses two pianos, and we are now lucky enough to have been able to buy these two keyboards. Gina and Willow, can you come forward and take your seats.”

They went and sat at the keyboards, each with a small amplifier. They were set on the grand piano setting, and Gina played the middle ‘C’ for the rest to tune to. The baton was tapped again, and they prepared to play.

Saint-Saens may have written the opus as a musical joke and a poke at various people, but that didn’t make it easy. It took the whole session to get the first three of fourteen pieces to an acceptable condition. Mister Bamborough told them that they had done well, and then called out some names, including Willow and Gina.

“Can those named please arrange to be able to attend the Senior Orchestra on Wednesday, next week, and every week until the end of term. You will be working on the Saint-Saens concert. We will get this item settled in two more weeks, and then we will work on the ‘Ninth’.”

On the way home, they told Maisie about the new arrangements, excited that they would be in the Senior Orchestra as well. Wendy was also told that evening.

In Thursday lunch, Zara came up to Willow and spoke to her, quietly.

“I asked Reg about the organ in the chapel. He said that Paul told him that he had you playing it on Tuesdays. Something doesn’t add up!”

Friday was the first music lesson for the second half of the term. It was about the blues. Mister Jamieson spoke about early use of song that slaves used to communicate their feelings, and then the movement to other parts of society in southern America. They touched on Cowboy Blues that became sad country music songs and came to the more modern songs.

“We’ll delve deeper into the reasons and history of the blues, but some of you had a close encounter with modern versions in the last week before the break. We can watch this and discuss it.”

He turned on a big screen and they watched the first half – Blue Blues. When he ended it, he turned to the class.

“You will have seen our own Gina playing the organ in this show, the rest of the band are in fourth year. Some of those songs were written more than fifty years ago, who can identify them?”

It was Gina’s week to play the church organ, and Wendy told the girls that Willow would be having a short break in Oxford, to visit her grandparents on her father’s side. They would be leaving in the morning, staying in a hotel overnight, and would be back Sunday evening. It would be the last chance to visit before Christmas. When they were home, Willow asked her mother if the grandparents were aware of her change of status.

“They have been told, love, and your father has sent them pictures. Their replies have been a bit off-handed, though. If it all goes belly up, we can always tour Oxford and sight-see.”

They packed overnight bags that evening and left as soon as they had tidied up on Saturday morning. The drive was reasonable, and they arrived late in the morning, checking into the hotel before going to visit Ashley’s parents. To say the visit wasn’t successful would be an understatement. Her grandfather just made a sour face and left the room to read the racing pages of the newspaper. Her grandmother kept calling her Bill, while being quite chatty with her son and daughter-in-law. There was no offer of lunch, so, in the end, Ashley spoke up.

“Mother. I can see that you are not accepting of our daughter, and that Dad will have nothing to do with her. No amount of telling you that her transition was not of her desire doesn’t seem to sway your hide-bound thinking. We’re going into the city, now, to enjoy our break. Any visit, in future, will be just me. We did hope that you would be as good with this as Wendy’s parents. We wish you both a Merry Christmas. Hopefully, you might reconsider your prejudices at a later date. Say cheerio to Dad for us, we’ll see ourselves out.”

On the way into the city, Wendy put her hand on Ashley’s arm.

“I’m proud of you, my love. That took a lot of courage to talk to her like that. Any time you want a weekend down here, Willow and I will be able to get by.”

They stopped at a pub for lunch, and then did the double-decker tour of the city, getting off if they wanted to see more, and getting on the next one. They had dinner in the hotel, had an early night, and were back on the road home by ten. Willow had a number of brochures to look at, including some from the University. They didn’t take the M40, but stayed on the ‘A’ road to Banbury, where they had lunch in a pub. They took the A423 towards Coventry and then took a side-road to Stoneleigh.

Back at home, Willow hung the good dress that she had taken but not used and checked her skirts for possible reuse. Putting the used underwear into the laundry, she went down to help Wendy put together a light meal.

“That went well, Mum!”

“I’ve told you before that your father’s family are a bit crazy. It means that, if you go to Oxford, you’ll be staying in a dorm, rather than with them. Of course, you could stay with my parents and go to Cambridge.”

“I think that Cambridge would be the go, Mum, unless there are Uni’s closer with good courses. Of course, that is a long way into the future. Who knows how my life will unfold, considering the last three months. Actually, talking about three months, don’t I have to go to the clinic soon?”

“I’ll ask your father to check when they can see you. If it’s only a short visit, he can book you for a Saturday.”

On Monday morning, they told Gina a revised story about their visit to Oxford, and a lot about sight-seeing. Gina said that the general talk at church had been all about the upcoming wedding. Edie had been rounding up the volunteers already, and talking to the flower suppliers to make sure that there would be plenty of spring blooms.

The classes were all routine, Willow well able to keep up. At lunch, there was more talk about the juniors being added to the Senior Orchestra. Alec was one who was going to be there, as was Dianne. Monday evening, Willow listened to the complete ‘Carnival of the Animals’, noting how much of it was the two pianos.

Tuesday morning, Paul looked angry. At the end of the short service, they were turning to go as he called out.

“Miss Rose. Could you stay, please. There is something we need to talk about.”

Willow hugged Gina and Dianne, with her back to him, while she pulled her phone from her inside pocket of her blazer, switching it to record. Slipping it back in, she nodded to her friends and then turned back, looking at Paul. He waited until the last of the students had left and the door had shut.

“What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?”

“About what?”

“About making trouble for me. Reg Edwards asked me about a claim that we don’t use the organ on Tuesday mornings.”

“But we don’t use the organ.”

“Don’t you know why, Miss Rose?”

“No, I don’t.”

“When you speak to me, you call me sir or reverend!”

“But you’re not a teacher, and I was told that you were a theology student by the Reverend Russell. Did I miss your ordination?”

“You’re being cheeky! That old fool, Russell, wouldn’t have the gig here if it wasn’t for his batty sister. I’ll tell you why we don’t use the organ. I was at the Summer Project and saw you playing the devil’s music. I refuse to allow your satanic hands play this organ and desecrate the keys.”

“Why don’t you get Mister Edwards to play, then?”

“He’ll only get you playing, and I would have no power to stop him. I can’t wait until that Russell retires. When I’m the Reverend, there’ll be changes, I can tell you. Given the chance, I’ll get a pile of cushions and get the whole school on its knees for assembly.”

“So, would I be acceptable to you if I attend chapel in a sackcloth with a chain for whipping my own back?”

“You would never be acceptable, Rose! I see you, looking down during the prayers. I doubt that you even open your mouth. In future, you will look at me and pray properly, or I’ll put you on detention. Now, get out of my sight!”

Willow left the chapel and switched the phone recording off. Now, she had to think about what she should do next. She was late for the start of the first class and told the teacher that she had been detained in the chapel about future services.

At lunch, the others wanted to know what had happened. She told them that, at the moment, it was a private matter between her and Paul. Orchestra, that afternoon, continued with the ‘Carnival of the Animals’. On the way home, she asked Maisie if she could drop her off near the church, as there was something she needed to talk to the Reverend about. As she got out of the car, Gina gave her a look, and Willow smiled.

“You’ll know when everyone knows.”

She knocked at the Vicarage, and the Reverend came to the door.

“Willow, what can I do for you?”

“Reverend, could you please arrange for your sister to come here one evening? There is an important matter that I need to talk to both of you about. Around this time tomorrow would be all right as I’m with the Senior Orchestra.”

“Just a moment, I’ll give her a call. I know that it must be important, as you would never do something like this without a reason.”

He went into the house and came back a few minutes later.

“She’ll come to tea, tomorrow, so knock when you arrive.”

“Thank you, Reverend.”

She walked the rest of the way home. She was eating her sandwich and drinking tea as her mother was tidying the kitchen.

‘Mummy, can you do me a favour?”

“Certainly, dear.”

“Tomorrow evening, I’m going to need to go back to the Vicarage as soon as I get home. Can you come with me, please?”

“I can. Is it important?”

“I’m going to play them a recording of a conversation I had this morning. It was highly unusual, and I’ve asked that Miss Russell listen to it as well.”

“That serious? Can I hear it?”

Willow took her phone and pressed the buttons to replay the conversation. When it finished, Wendy sat there for a few moments, her face like thunder.

“That ‘holier than thou’ bastard. Give me five minutes alone with him and he’ll be singing soprano. That is going to blow up in his face after Miss Russell hears it. We’ll be there, together, and show them what the Rose women are made of. Transfer that to a CD for them to take to the Head, with a copy for me, if we need to play it to a lawyer.”

Before she went to bed, Willow transferred the conversation to her computer, then made four CDs.

On Wednesday, she kept herself to herself. With Senior Orchestra, it was conducted by Mister Jamieson, with Reg Edwards helping him. Willow had the school organ, Gina had a piano, with the senior pianist on another. They had already worked on the first movement of the ‘Organ Symphony’, with Reg at the keyboard. Over the course of the session, they ended up playing the movement twice, with Mister Jamieson telling them that they will move on next week.

Maisie dropped Willow off at home, and she went in, coming back out with Wendy, five minutes later. They walked to the vicarage and knocked on the door. Edie let them in and showed them to the sitting room, where the Reverend and Hilda were sitting.

“Good evening, thank you for seeing me tonight. I have a recording to play you, but first, I need to give you some background. Since the beginning of the term, the second-year Tuesday service has sung our hymns without organ accompaniment. In discussion with Zara, she mentioned that all of the services used the organ. She said that she would talk to Mister Edwards about it. When she got back to me, she told me that Paul had told Mister Edwards that I was the organist.”

Miss Russell looked at Willow with an odd look.

“And?”

“On Tuesday morning, this week, Paul asked me to stay behind when the others were leaving. I’m sorry to say that I recorded the conversation on my phone, because I had been having reservations about Paul from day one. I was worried that he may have sexual thoughts. I didn’t expect what he did say. If I may, I would like to play you the recording. The only person who has heard it is my mother.”

The Russells both nodded, and Willow took her phone out and pressed the right buttons, so that the conversation could be heard, loud and clear. For Wendy, it made her blood boil again. The Russell siblings listened, with both of them getting angrier as it went on.

“That jumped up little shit!”

“Now, now, brother dear, that’s not proper language for a man of the cloth. Mind you, I was about to say the same thing, but with a few four-letter words added. Willow, what do you want done?”

“That’s not my call Miss Russell. I’ve brought this to you to do with as you think fit. He hasn’t vilified me in public, and, as far as I’m concerned, I still think that he’s creepy. His main attacks are against both of you, and the implications of his ideas are for the school to consider. I have made three CDs with the conversation, so you have something to use as you wish.”

“What about you, Wendy?”

“I would feed him his nuts on a piece of toast, but I have to go with my daughter. What you’ve just heard is something the school has to work through. Willow is happy to carry on as usual and will stay quiet about the recording. She is not vindictive. But I will say one thing, if you do nothing, and he expands on his battle with her, I will take the school to court for not taking this seriously, to the detriment of students. His ideas about music do not allow movement into the modern age, in fact his ideas are almost medieval.”

“I agree. Brother, dear, can you contact the seminary and see if there is a replacement we can get at short notice. I will see the Head tomorrow, calling Reg in. I’ll play them the recording. If I know the Head, he’ll be out of the place before the afternoon. Can you just imagine fourteen hundred children on their knees, it’s absurd!”

The Reverend nodded and touched his cross.

“I am not a strong character, Wendy, and just like things working well. Since you and Willow walked into the church, my world has expanded. I believe that we may get a visit from the diocese before Christmas, because of the increase in congregation numbers. The idea that we may host a society wedding next year will get back to them and we’ll be asked a lot of questions. They will want to know how we do it. Hilda, if I’m needed in the mornings, I can come in to conduct the services.”

“Thank you for that. We can only leave it to the Head. It is part of her job description, after all. Thank you, Willow, for not screaming blue murder. We can minimise the disruption and any student worry. I never realised that Paul held those views, but now, when I think of times I’ve spoken with him, he was never respectful of the teaching faculty.”

As they walked home, Wendy had her hand on Willow’s shoulder. They had done all they could and needed to trust the Russells to do the right thing. After they had taken their coats off, they hugged, and Willow was given her sandwich and tea.

When she was in bed, hugging her two friends, she whispered to them.

“Now the excrement hits the rotating barrier, lads. We may have done it now!”

Thursday morning had no upheavals to mar the day, but Friday, they saw the Reverend’s car heading for Coventry as they went to the school. At the lunch, Miss Russell came into the lunchroom and asked Willow if she, and her mother, could go to the Head’s office when she arrived to take them home. Willow asked if Gina could join them, as she had been there when Willow was asked to remain behind, and that she wouldn’t shout it out if she’s told what has happened.

That afternoon, as they stood by the main door, they were joined by Miss Russell. When Wendy arrived, Willow went down to get her mother to lock the car and follow the three of them for a meeting.

In the office, they were sat down, and the Head had a teapot ready.

“Thank you, on many fronts. Gina, you must have had some idea that something was wrong when Willow was asked to stay behind after the service on Tuesday. I’ll leave it to her to tell you exactly what happened. She took a recording of that meeting to Miss Russell and the Reverend Russell. Miss Russell brought that recording to me yesterday. The upshot is that Paul has left the school and returned to the seminary. He may have to undertake further training. The Reverend took the service today and will fill in until there’s a new house priest. We will be pushing for one who is already ordained, maybe one who has retired.”

Gina was starting to realise that this had been something serious.

“I won’t say a thing, Headmistress. I don’t think that anyone has realised that he’s gone for good.”

“We want to keep it that way. Willow, the school offers you a sincere apology for his actions, and his allegations. Your faith is your own business, but your service to the school and St. Marys is noted and appreciated, as is yours as well Gina. Wendy, we thank you for keeping it all in perspective and going with Willow. You are a remarkable family. I will look forward to seeing you and your husband at the various concerts during the next few years. I’ve been told that they will be as good as going to London to see professionals.”

In the car, Gina wanted to know what had actually happened, so Willow played her the recording on her phone, then, ceremonially, deleted it.

Marianne Gregory © 2025