Chapter 23

That evening, the show was extra special. The full house had heard what had happened on Friday night and was keen to experience the same thing again. Singing the iconic club song was one thing when the stands were two-thirds filled with supporters, but a full house singing was something not to miss.

It made them more appreciative of every song from every band. When Willow led Summer Rose out, the reception was tremendous. Wendy could feel the waves of sound deep inside her body. The set was the same as she had heard before, but the amount of singing that was coming from behind and around her was something new.

At the end of the set, the roar before and after the encore number was the loudest that Wendy had ever heard, followed by that being surpassed as Willow spoke about needing to sing the one song that they all knew, and the team players came out on stage in their home shirts and lined up with the bands. Zara started singing and Herb started playing and the swell of sixty thousand voices was going to stay in her memory until she died. When the pitch lights came on, she had tears in her eyes as she clung to Ashley.

Ashley’s manager could hardly contain himself as he supported his weeping wife. She was born and bred a Liverpool girl and team supporter. They made their way, with the other VIPs, through the tunnel and into the marquee, where both Willow and Gina gave them hugs before they went to change.

In the morning, the bus was waiting after they had eaten an early breakfast. The four girls, Zara, Brent, and Jim were joined by Jill, Xavier, and Frank for the trip to the Cathedral. There, they were greeted by the Dean and Gina was led up to the huge keyboard under the pipes in the North Choir. The usual organist quickly showed her which of the two hundred stops she would need this morning and she started to play the Bach as the Cathedral filled.

Willow was joined by her parents. She asked Jill if it was all right to spend a day away from the rest, as long as she was here to play the Evensong. Jill agreed, saying that there was nothing special planned for the day. When the service was over, Gina came down and gushed at how wonderful the organ was, they hugged, and Willow left to spend the day with her parents. She directed them north, to Blackpool, where they had a relaxing time enjoying the sights, having lunch at the Winter Gardens, eating ice cream and talking about what they had been doing while apart.

Ashley said that the new shed was in place, the concrete floor having been poured in the first week that she had been away. This was news to her, as the times she had been home, she hadn’t looked out in the back garden. She was able to spend the day without being bothered, although a few did look at her twice. A teenage girl, out with her parents, was a good disguise. They took her back to the Cathedral, after a light tea, where she played the organ for Evensong. Afterwards, she was thanked by the Dean, hugged by her parents, and taken to the stadium by car for the show.

She was changed in the marquee when her parents came through with the two granddaughters, who hugged her and took selfies before heading out to the seats. The show was as charged as the Saturday night, with lots of noise from the crowd, a lot of singing along, and a huge roar as the bands were joined by the women’s team for the big finale. Willow gave her parents a special wave from the stage before the stadium lights came on, knowing that there wouldn’t be a chance to talk to them again until she was home.

The next morning, they had breakfast, happy that this venue had been so good. They all checked out and boarded the bus to take them to Leeds, via a stop at the TV station for an interview with a morning show. When they arrived in Leeds and checked into the Ibis Styles, the first thing was to put their laundry in hotel bags, add their names, and leave them in the corridor to be picked up. Next was to have a late lunch, followed by a relaxing time, with many phoning home for a chat. All the bands were staying here, with the Hikers taking up residence in the hotel bar to play billiards.

Willow and Gina sat in the lounge with soft drinks, talking about playing the largest organ in the country. Willow had her phone on charge. She had hardly looked at it in days, and when she turned it on there were dozens of messages showing before it ran out of power. She hadn’t brought her laptop, so there would be a load of messages on that when she got home. But, today, she didn’t care. They were a popular band, on tour, and that’s all that mattered at the moment.

They were joined by Jacob and Brent, and sat, talking about how things were going. They were here for four nights, but the boys were on a different floor, making it more difficult to swap rooms. Brent pointed to a dark glass dome in the ceiling.

“Those CCTVs are right through the hotel, in every corridor, so any walking about will be monitored. They probably have that happen a lot of the time, but a bunch of fourteen-year-olds in nightwear, creeping about in the early hours, is likely to lead to questions.”

They all relaxed, knowing that there was no show until Wednesday. Tuesday, they were all taken to Temple Newsam, for a visit to the huge Tudor manor and Capability Brown grounds. Wednesday morning, they were taken to Elland Road and looked at the stage and the vendor area. They had lunch back at the hotel, in Arnold’s, and relaxed until it was time to go back to the stadium. Willow had her notebook out and was jotting ideas for future songs.

The dinner was full of dignitaries of the city, the board of the team, and many players. For the band, it was another dinner where they were treated like adults and acted to suit. Willow thought back to the last day of term and realised how much they had all changed in the last few weeks. The show, now a polished performance, went well, and the following night it was repeated, all to forty thousand singing fans. Friday, they checked out, with bags now brimming with clean clothes, and went a little way south to Sheffield.

They went past the stadium on the way to the Hampton by Hilton in the city. The two couples were happy to find that their twin rooms were in the same corridor. They were in the hotel for three nights of bliss, two after working hard at the Hillsborough Stadium in front of nearly forty thousand fans.

A little before eleven on Monday morning, Willow was dropped off at her house, ready to relax for a couple of days. The tour, so far, had been hard work at times, exciting and invigorating at other times, but a lot of fun all the time. She had been to places that she had never seen, seen new people and slept in a lot of strange beds, sometimes two different ones in the same night. Today was all about sorting her bags and putting her laundry in the hamper, and starting to think about what she was taking south.

After a sandwich made from fresh bread and ham that Wendy had brought home after shopping on Saturday, Willow rang the taxi to take her to the clinic, putting her remaining ampoules in her bag. When she got there, she asked the driver to wait while she went in and had her injections, one in an arm and two in her buttocks. They did take a blood sample before they allowed her to leave, after having her sign a stack of CD’s and DVDs for the nurses. When she arrived home, she didn’t have enough cash to pay the fare, so had to use her company debit card.

While she waited for her parents to come home, she looked to see what was for dinner and started preparing the vegetables. After that, she turned on her laptop to see if anything important had come through.

There was an email from Wilhelm, with a report on the progress in Leicester that had been sent to all of them, with a reminder to transfer the August payment if they hadn’t already done so. There was one from the studio designer to say that the whole company had seen the shows while they were local, and that everyone was proud to be working with them.

There was another from Evan and Trevor, asking if she and Gina could come to Cambridge and York in the period after the tour. They would arrange transport for the two of them on the last Thursday of the month, take them to Cambridge and hoped to record the two albums over the next four days. After that, they would be taken to York on the Tuesday to record there over three days, seeing that there was no choir involved. They would be put up in hotels and looked after. That would get that job done and they would be home for a day, or two, before school started again. Willow rang Gina and they discussed it. She then answered that email to tell them that they would be happy to play for them.

There was another from Mister Bamborough to all the orchestra. The security detail would pick everyone up on Wednesday of next week to take them to the Albert Hall to work through the music for the Proms night, which would be the Monday, two weeks after. It also told them that they would be taken to London from the school on that Monday afternoon, straight after lunch, and to make sure that all of them had the black outfits, except for the soloists.

She was happy to be sleeping in her own bed that night. Her father had shown her the new shed, with lights and power for heaters. He had transferred the two cabinets from the garage and installed two new workbenches with overhead lights. Her model was still boxed, but he had started on his. She had also seen the new collection of vinyl in the music centre and told her parents that she, and Gina, would be away again to record organ music in Cambridge and York. Wendy was not happy.

“You’ve hardly been home! This hasn’t been much of a holiday!”

“But Mum, I’ve been all over, stayed in swanky hotels, seen sights and been well looked after. Gran can come into Kings while we’re in Cambridge, and we can sit together while Gina plays. This was discussed weeks ago and both sets will be issued by the label.”

“Oh! All right, but make sure that you knuckle down when you’re back at school.”

On Tuesday, she met Gina by the church, now with the scaffolding removed. They went in to see the new facilities, all done without changing the looks inside the church itself. What was different was the look of the organ, with the pipes replaced and polished. The Reverend came out from the office.

“Hello, girls, long time since we’ve seen the two of you together, unless it was on a stage or in a newspaper. The organ is ready to go. I heard the specialist play it and it doesn’t sound any different, although I’m just the one running the services.”

They went up to the keyboard to see what had changed. The twin keyboards were new, with much easier feel to the keys, and the air pumps were silent and immediate. Gina played some Bach and then Willow played a new hymn that she had played in Liverpool. They agreed that the sound was still authentic and went back down.

“It’s great, Reverend. We won’t be able to play for the services for another couple of weeks. We’ll be in London next weekend, and then we’ll be in Cambridge the weekend after to record with the Kings College Choir. We’ll be clear on the first Sunday in September.”

“That’s all right, then. I’ll get Jim in for the last Sunday of the month. I’ve got the invoice here for the restoration. It came to a hundred and twenty thousand. Thanks to that recording with the Hikers, the roof is restored. It doesn’t leak any more, and, more importantly, with the new heating we don’t lose the heat out of the holes. This winter is going to be something to be truly thankful for. I also have a little bit of news for the two of you, to be kept between us. When Paul was ready to go on his mission again, it didn’t take long for him to start preaching about the devils’ work being promoted by one of the tribal healers. When they found a body, staked out over an ants nest, it was only the cross around the neck was what could be used to identify him. The ants and the birds had picked him clean.”

The girls looked ashen and nodded. They hugged and the Reverend hugged them both.

“That chapter is over, girls. He wasn’t cut out to be a man of our God.”

They took the invoice and went to Willow’s house where she turned on her laptop and paid the sixty thousand, with Gina putting the invoice in her bag to pay the rest when she got home.

They were sitting and talking when the laptop gave out a ping that indicated an incoming email. Willow opened her email page and there was a new email, marked ‘Important message regarding Southampton and London shows’.

It outlined the procedure for the next morning. The bands will be picked up after lunch on Wednesday, with the trip taking about two and a half hours. They would go straight to the hotel, the Premier Inn, which wasn’t far from the ground. After checking in, they would be taken to the ground for the usual meeting with the guests and dignitaries. The time of the start had been brought forward to seven on both nights, to comply with local noise restrictions, so the show would end at around ten. On Thursday, they would all be taken to visit the Mary Rose Museum and the Naval Dockyards to see the Victory. This news put the recent news into the past. This was their world now.

On Friday, they would be taken to London and the hotel was the Holiday Inn at Camden Lock, about twenty minutes from the Emirates Stadium. Here, they had filled four nights, the Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Clive said that he was very sorry about the lack of warning, but the organisers had charged a hundred pounds a ticket, and had requested that the show started at seven, and finished at eleven, with Summer Rose on stage for the last two hours.

Willow and Gina got a piece of paper and worked out what could be a good two-hour show. They composed an email to all the band, with cc’s to Clive, Jill and Xavier. The suggested show was to open with ‘We’ve only Just Begun’, then do the two from ‘Journey’ as usual. Then, instead of going straight into ‘Homegrown’, Willow would talk about them starting out as a cover band, playing a few of the Moody’s set. Another announcement about the charity, and then for them to play ‘Money’, followed by the entire Kansas set and then ‘Homegrown’, with ‘Spitter’ as the encore. They asked the band if there was any of it that needed practise, which they expected to be able to do on Friday morning, as soon as they arrived at the stadium. They warned Clive that any other functions should be kept to the bare minimum. When it was sent, they hugged, and Gina went home, with them both back into band mode.

Over the rest of the day, the replies came in. One by one, the rest of the band said that it looked good, with just ‘Money’ and the Moody’s needing to be practised. Clive thanked them for the prompt response and their work ethic. There was one email from the real estate agent, saying that he was still looking around for property that might suit her.

That evening, the Rose family enjoyed dinner and spoke about the next few weeks. Her parents had already booked a room at a bed and breakfast place within walking distance of the Etihad Stadium. They were keen to see the show one more time, and in the capital. They were also looking forward to seeing the orchestra in the Albert Hall and had organised that Monday off. They would drive home from the venue, but Willow would be staying overnight in a hotel and would be dropped off at home on the Tuesday after school.

That night, Willow packed her larger case again for the trip south. As she did so, she quietly spoke the words that she would use during the London show. She just hoped that there would be enough quiet that the audience could understand her.

In the morning, they all had breakfast, and she was hugged and kissed by her parents as they left for work. She double checked that she had enough clothes for the time away, and that her make-up case was good. She listened to the radio and made herself some lunch. She had finished tidying up when the vehicle arrived. Max loaded her cases and she got into the bus and found a seat next to Jacob. They sang the extra songs on the way, just to get them into their brains.

In Southampton, the procedure was as outlined. Hotel, stadium, dinner, show, and back to the hotel. On Thursday, they all had an interesting visit to the dockyard, saw the Victory and other ships, saw the Mary Rose and then had a cruise on the river, going past a lot of naval vessels on the way. The show was – well, the show – and they had a good night of sleep to be ready for London and the longer show.

On Friday, they checked out and were in London and at the hotel in time for lunch. In the afternoon, they went to the stadium and went up on the stage to run through the extra numbers. There were a lot more dignitaries at the function room that day. There were representatives of the charities, club management, some players and a number of people from the label. The dinner was from five to allow for the earlier start, so the bands were down in the dressing area a little after six.

The crowd were tremendous, cheering the G-Force when they went on stage, singing along with Zara, and generally having a good time. The Hikers were well received as well. At eight, when Willow led the band to the front of the stage, there was a roar, which quietened when she sat at the keyboard to start playing a piano intro as the band found their places. She started with the Carpenters number, which many sang along to, then did the spiel to set up ‘Finding a Friend’ and ‘Her Day’. When that had ended, she waited for quiet and then spoke.

“When we first started, we were like almost every band that ever was. We played covers. My first ever pop show was at the school we all go to, and I played keyboard with the band that you heard first tonight. We did a set of Deep Purple numbers and called ourselves ‘Shallow Blue’. The DVD of that show is still available through the Blue Coat Coventry website. The next show that we put on, G-Force did a blues set, and we did a set of Moody Blues. Here are a few from that set.”

Gina started with the intro to ‘Dawn’, which led to ‘Gemini Dream’ and ‘Nights in White Satin’. When the applause had died down, she spoke again.

“This tour has been all about making lives better for the disadvantaged. The bulk of what you paid to be here is going to the charities. There are people that you’ll see, as you leave tonight, with buckets. Haul out your loose change and drop it in. Every bit helps. It’s all about the money.”

Victor started the bass intro to the song, and they sang ‘Money’ for the first time in public. When that ended, Willow spoke about the one set that they had perfected but never played in full for an audience.

“This is the Kansas set that is the limited-edition DVD, available from the vendor stalls. It won’t be repeated so get it while you can.”

They played the whole set through, then went into the ‘Homegrown’ album, finishing with the encore and the full line-up before the stage lights went dark and the stadium lights came on. They had played a two-hour set and had turned it into a positively different show.

They had Saturday to relax, then did the same show that night, with Wendy and Ashley surprised at how assured their daughter was on stage, even though they knew that the show had been lengthened. Wendy had a new promotional item in her big bag, one that she hadn’t seen before. From now on, they would be drinking their tea from ‘Summer Rose’ mugs. Sunday was a repeat, and then it was the last show of the tour on Monday night.

That day, they were all taken to the Broadcasting House to record a long interview which would be cut into pieces to be broadcast over several days, with all the bands asked about outstanding times during the tour, and what lay in the future for them. At the final dinner, Summer Rose were all given Gold Records for ‘Homegrown’ CD, and the ‘Other Side’ DVD, which had sold out and was now changing hands on eBay for much more than the ticket price. They were also given Platinum Records for the ‘Carpenters’ CD and the ‘Homegrown’ DVD. The final show seemed to be louder and prouder that all the others, and when they left the stage for the final time, all the bands were ready for a break.

On Tuesday, when Willow was dropped off at home, she hugged and kissed everyone in the bus, telling them that they were the best. She put her new awards next to the others in the sitting room, and then had a very long shower, redressed in jeans, and went for a couple of laps of the riverbank and past the church. Over that day, she relaxed and thought about where she was in life. The laptop was full of messages of congratulation and praise for how she had led the band through the experience. Some, she answered, others she deleted. There was one from Wilhelm to tell them that the work on the studio was close to completion, and another from the real estate agent with a list of businesses that she could buy or prop up.

On Wednesday, she was picked up and joined a coach full of the orchestra members, heading for the Albert Hall. A second coach with the others was already on its way, and a truck had left in the early hours with the instruments. At the Albert Hall, Willow watched as her lover played the guitar concerto, and her best friend played the Grieg. Then she was up in front of Jupiter’s Voice again, with the Saint-Saens. The choir had been bolstered with some of the new members and sounded magnificent. They were given dinner on the way home and arrived in the early evening.

On Thursday, a car arrived to take her and Gina to Cambridge. They spent the next few days playing the organ for the Kings College Choir, with portable recording equipment and a small group of technicians from the label. Willow was happy to see her grandmother, who came to see her and listen to what they were doing every day. Then they were off to York to play there, mainly classical pieces written for the church, again recorded by the label.

They were brought home again on the next Thursday evening. With just the weekend between then and the start of the new term. On Friday, she caught up with the statement from Peter, that had been sent while they were in Cambridge.

The Carpenters downloads had earned them thirty-five thousand. Sales of merchandise was forty-eight thousand. The payments for the eight last shows came to four hundred thousand. The Carpentry CD had sold two hundred and forty thousand, the ‘Journey’ CD two hundred and fifty thousand, the ‘Journey’ DVD three hundred and fifty thousand. ‘Homegrown’ was off the wall with six hundred and twenty thousand CDs and four hundred thousand DVDs, and the Kansas DVD had sold the final four hundred and forty thousand and was now unavailable. The CD and DVD sales had created ten point one-nine million pounds.

The tour had taken eighty-two million, two hundred and forty thousand pounds, with a total amount given to charities at just under forty-two million. The band’s share for the month was a total of just on three million, two hundred and sixty thousand.

Costs for Peters services were almost static at twelve thousand for expenses and ten thousand for admin. Costs of merchandise was thirty-two thousand. Francesca had been paid seventeen thousand, security was up at forty thousand, the label’s expenses were up at a hundred and eighty thousand, and Jill had cost them eight thousand. There was a note for her regarding the Hikers sales. The band had removed the download for the original album, leaving the download link for the single and adding the link to the album being sold by the label.

The bottom line was that the band had earned a bit over fourteen million in the month, with each share, less the fifteen percent commission, worth one million and eighty-seven thousand pounds. Willow sent an email to Peter to ask him to transfer a million to her WR Holdings account, and then transferred her hundred thousand to the Summer Love account with a note to Wilhelm to say that she had done so.

She joined her family to eat at the club on Saturday and joined Gina to play some sing-along music on Saturday night.

On Sunday, she played the refurbished organ for the service, had lunch in the club and spent the rest of the day sorting out her school uniform for the next morning, along with an overnight case and a garment bag with her soloists outfit for Monday evening in the Albert Hall. The first term of her third year was certainly going to start in a different way to any other term she had known. She wondered if this school year was going to be as momentous as the last one. She knew, in her heart, that she would enjoy it.

Marianne Gregory © 2025
End of Book 3