“That went well, sweetie. We just have to hope that he doesn’t make waves. He won’t be happy and may consider what happened to him as a sign that you really are the devil’s spawn.”

“Does Dad know?”

“Not yet. He would have gone down to the school and tried to beat the shit out of this Paul. Now that it’s settled, we can tell him that we’ve done all we could, without violence, and then talk about getting security cameras here, in case the bastard comes looking for you.”

After dinner, Ashley was brought up to speed with the situation, restrained from dashing somewhere to hit someone, and then they spoke about the extra security. He said that he would go into Coventry, in the morning, and see what was available. They didn’t play him the CD, with Wendy telling him the gist of it and the result that had been reached.

That night, as she lay in bed, cuddling her friends, Willow told them that changing to a girl changed nothing, as there are always people who hate other people.

“I know that you’ll try to protect me, Tiger. I used to have to look out for a lot of bullies, once upon a time, surely one crazy man should be easy to avoid.”

In the morning, she walked to the church. The Reverend was sweeping the porch.

“Good morning and welcome, Willow. Hilda has kept me up to date with what happened at the school. After you had left, the other evening, I rang the Bishop and played the CD to him over the phone and told him the rest of the details. He told me that he would see to it, and that he was coming to our service tomorrow. Hilda rang on Thursday, saying that a couple of guys from the seminary turned up in the morning and took Paul away with them, then asked me to take the Friday service.”

“We told my father last night, and he’s gone into the city to see about surveillance cameras in case Paul comes looking for me.”

“He won’t be a problem. The Bishop rang me late on Friday. Paul was taken to his home and kept in the car while one of our men packed his bags. The Bishop said that there was enough hate literature and far-right brochures from an American cult, that Paul was given two options. The first was to be thrown out and the police advised that he was an extremist that needed watching. The second was to be sent to Africa with extensive retraining. He chose Africa and is being kept at the seminary until they put him on a plane.”

“That’s a relief! I won’t tell my Dad; he’ll be able to watch the camera footage when I’m brought home by a future boyfriend.”

“Not that Alec?”

“Not anymore. Last week having his parents meet the Baron threw a spanner in the works. We are now just good friends, if it got any hotter, she would take him out of school.”

“That’s a bit harsh! I’m sure a lovely girl like you won’t be left hanging for long.”

“It really is all right, Reverend. Alec was interesting but far too early in my development. I’ll see how I am in a couple of years. Before then, I have a lot of learning to do. What have you got for me for tomorrow?”

“The sheet music is on the keyboard. From what I’ve been told, you don’t need it.”

“I do have a strange brain. I can remember most of what I’ve heard in the last few months, and the more I play something, the longer it stays. Earlier than that, it just needs a look at the music, or the first few bars, to bring it back. You’re right about hymns. Paul would have been incandescent if he had known that I had spent close to six hours on the chapel organ playing hymns for the choir practise.”

“All right. You go up and get Betsie going, toss the sheet music down and I’ll call out the numbers.”

Willow grinned.

“You’re on!”

She went into the church and up to the organ, picking up the music and dropping it down to him. She sat and warmed up with a few bars of Bach. In the silence, he called a number, and she played the intro to the hymn. He called another, then another, then another.

“All right, young lady, you win. This will give you a head start on the Bishop. He has been known to call out a hymn number at random when he gives a reading, to see if the organist is up to scratch. I expect that reports that he has received from the school will tempt him to try it. If you just sit without playing, he’ll look at the board and tell the congregation that he had made a mistake and then call the right number.”

She turned the organ off and went down.

“This Bishop sounds like quite a card.”

“He was a few years before me in the seminary. He had some difficult assignments in his early days and has learned to go with the flow. We served in adjoining parishes for several years and became good friends. He will be staying at the vicarage overnight, so will be coming to the club for dinner tonight.”

“We’re starting monthly sing-alongs tonight, going to fortnightly in spring. So, he’ll get to hear his organists playing honky-tonk.”

They laughed and went back outside as Gina was approaching. Willow went over to the bench, and she followed, sitting beside her.

“All good with the hymns tomorrow?”

“No problems, it should go well. How are you feeling after the surprise of yesterday?”

“Really well. I still can’t see how you could stay steady and calm for four days. I would have been in tears to have been spoken to like that.”

“It’s training, just training. When you’re confronted by a bully, tears make them worse; looking frightened makes them happy, and begging ends up with you getting a kicking. Stare them in the eye and hold your nerve and they think twice. Paul couldn’t lay a hand on me in the school, and that was my strength. The Reverend has just told me that Paul will be kept at the seminary until he’s flown to Africa on a new assignment.”

Gina was quiet for a few moments, looking at her feet, then held her head up.

“It’s odd, us sitting here like this. When I first met you after that concert, I thought that I was in love with you.”

“I know. I saw the look in your eyes.”

“You knew! Why didn’t you tell me to buzz off?”

“Because I also knew that you are a nice girl. I wondered if it was just awe from the concert.”

“It was, I think. Knowing you better, I respect you and your talent. Your friendship and leading me to better things has made me realise how special you are. I had never thought that I was a lesbian, but there was one short period when all I wanted to do was kiss you. Now we hug and it’s so much better.”

Willow turned to her and opened her arms. They hugged for a while, then drew apart. Gina looked serious.

“I’ve been thinking about the orchestra. If they do a full Saint-Saens concert, it will be the two of us highlighted. You first on the organ with ‘Seven Improvisations’, then the pair of us with ‘Carnival’, seeing that the pianos hog the show. After that you’re the mainstay of the ‘Organ Symphony’ and I get a lot of work on the piano. It’s making me realise that we’re both being picked out.”

“Why is that a problem, friend? We are the youngest church organists around, the best pub piano players in the area. I get a solo in one concert; you get a solo in another. We’re both good enough to wear the mantle with humility and a touch of pride. Our playing lifts the others to new heights, with just a chance that they will get more exposure over the next few years. Take on a side-job. Listen to the others and see if there are any who deserve a chance. Then we can make suggestions. When we get to ‘The Swan’, I think Zara will be setting herself up for a cello concerto later. Mister Bamborough is very good at promoting talent when it is pointed out to him.”

“Talking about talent. Those songs that you opened the show with last week. I can’t remember hearing the first few, before. ‘Driftwood’, I knew, of course, but never how you played it.”

Willow reached into her bag and pulled out her notebook, showing her writing to Gina.

“That’s because I sat here and wrote them. The tunes had been whirling around in my head, and the stress of having Alec wrenched from my life made them bubble to the surface. There has been one thing about a lot of songs, and that is that they are written about a personal loss. Or a personal gain.”

“That second song. That was about me?”

“Of course it was, my best friend forever. Who else could it have been.”

They hugged again. Gina was crying tears of happiness.

“Don’t go blubbing on me, it will set me off as well.”

“I can’t help it, I’m so happy.”

“Stay that way, friend, and nothing will stop you.”

“Talking about stopping, I told Mum that I’ll be stopping at your house for lunch.”

Willow laughed.

“That’s good. We can research the internet for more pub songs, maybe we can get sheet music for you to extend your session.”

They went to Willow’s home, had lunch with Wendy, and then went up to Willows bedroom to get the keyboard, re-erecting it in the sitting room next to the upright. When they had set up the computer, they looked for more pub songs. As they found one that they hadn’t played, they listened to it and then Willow played it on the Yamaha, with Gina watching her fingering and getting the tune into her mind. Then, she played it, solo, with Willow looking on. Over on the other side of the room, Wendy watched as they worked, growing more amazed at her daughter, and her ability to transfer her talent to Gina.

When they had found ten that would work, Wendy asked the question that had been on her mind for a week.

“Those few songs that you opened with. Where did you learn those?”

“The last one was one that we had worked on for the Moody Blues show. The others were ones I wrote. They were just right to fit my mood. Those who had been there at the Abbey understood them, completely.”

“So did I, my daughter. It was the story of your recent life. Have you got any more?”

“Not yet, but there are a lot of songs that Gina and I did with Alec singing. Are you up for it, friend?”

Gina grinned and started playing one of the tunes; Willow switched to a strings setting and started singing. They played recent chart-toppers for half an hour, Gina amazed at how she could drag each song from her memory, as long as they did them in the order that they had played them before. When they finished, Wendy smiled.

“Why don’t we take the keyboard and amp over to the club. You could open the evening with that set. It’s songs that the younger ones would be able to sing along to. You don’t need to be playing old time stuff until they’re getting drunk.”

She left them and walked over to the club, seeing Malcolm, organising a power plug and two microphones. He had a twenty-watt amp that could be used for both the mics and the organ. She went back home.

“All worked out. We just need to take the keyboard, stool, and stand. Let’s get them there and then we can tizzy up for the Saturday Night Hoedown.”

That’s what they did. With the keyboard set up, a sound-check made, and a song sung, they left a beaming Malcolm polishing glasses. Gina and Willow hugged and then parted to get into better dresses for the first performance of Summer Rose.

Ashley had returned with boxes of cameras and other items.

“What on earth have you got there?”

“Security, dear wife. We have five cameras. One to look down the road to the junction, one to be set on wide-angle over the front door, one for the left side, another for the right side and the last looking at the back yard.”

“That one will be nice, I’ll be able to watch you putting up a shed to store all our extra stuff. We’ll need the spare room if my parents come visiting.”

“Very funny. The rest are a siren and a lot of panic buttons. The whole lot is blue tooth driven and able to be monitored through our phones.”

Willow snorted.

“It looks as if I’ll have to have a goodnight snog around the corner before I get driven home. There’s no way you’ll get me on disc by the front door. Thank you, Daddy.”

“I can always get another one and put it in a tree on Vicarage Road.”

“You do that, and you’ll be getting pictures of the fish in the river!”

They had a laugh and finished getting ready to go out. Both Wendy and Willow had the dresses that they had bought to visit the Baron, and Ashley had to take himself out of his comfort zone to match the good looks.

At the club, they were seated early, and Willow and Gina were fed first. The place started to fill, and Willow saw the three Russell’s come in with a jovial looking man, the only clue that he was the Bishop being the gold cross on a chain, matching the Reverend’s own. As the food was brought out and the talk subsided, the girls went to the two keyboards and sat down. Willow spoke into her microphone.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Stoneleigh Club and what will become a monthly event, hopefully becoming fortnightly as the weather improves. Of course, that also depends on you turning up, drinking up, and singing along. Tonight, we are doing something different. Tonight, we’ll start with more modern songs, so that the younger ones among you can go home to bed. After that we’ll do more of the old favourites.”

Gina spoke.

“I’m Summer.”

“And I’m Rose.”

“Together, we’re Summer Rose!”

And then Gina started playing. They were not a couple of thirteen-year-olds as they worked into the set; they were a pair of seasoned performers. The Bishop leaned towards his friend.

“Those two are fantastic. I wonder what they charge?”

“They do this show for a free meal, my friend. The one on the piano is Gina, a long-time resident of the village. The other is Willow, who moved here in the summer. They both attend the Blue Coat, and they are both organists in the church. You’ll see Willow in action, tomorrow, as they alternate.”

“My word, you are a lucky man!”

The girls finished the modern songs, and the Gina started with her part of the show. Unbidden, Willow continued to play accompaniment, with them both leading the singing. Malcolm brought them lemonades and they continued into the evening, with a swap of seats to put Willow on the piano. Gina found her improvisation skill and switched from strings to organ to brass sounds as needed. After the last song, Gina bade the audience goodnight from Summer Rose, and they stood and bowed.

They hugged and then joined the others at their table for more hugs all round. Willow saw a smiling Bishop being taken back to the vicarage, with more than communion wine in him. Malcolm surprised them by telling them that they would get a share of an overflowing tips jar and thanking them for such a great show.

“Girls. I have an idea. If we need to get the back room into good order for that wedding, perhaps we can do that early and put on a Christmas Party. Give it some thought, and we can discuss it another time.”

Willow walked home with a parent on each side, with arms over her shoulders. She felt tired, but happy at what she and Gina had done. It was if they had a mental connection as they played. It didn’t pass her by that Miss Russell had been there. There would be ramifications during school hours, likely a spot in one of the concerts using both of the new keyboards. She wondered if the guys from Blue Two would be interested in joining them. A party gig in front of a couple of hundred might be something to get them excited.

The relief that Paul wouldn’t be a bother, and the tiredness of playing, allowed her to sleep deeply, dreamlessly restoring her body. Waking up to a cold, but bright, day, she showered and dressed for church, then went down for breakfast. Wendy gave her a hug and then put a plate in front of her. She devoured the food, needing the strength it gave her, and then went up to brush her teeth.

When she came down, her parents were waiting for her, and they walked towards the church, the bells starting as they approached. Reverend Russell was waiting.

“Good morning, good people. Today, we are blessed with having the Bishop give the service. He will join us before it starts, but is being a little slow getting going, this morning.”

Willow grinned to herself as she went in and got the organ ready. She had retrieved the sheet music, just for show, and set it to one side to start playing the Bach variations that she improvised. Slowly, the church filled, the bells stopped, and the congregation rose. She could see the Bishop walk up the aisle, the Reverend to one side and a warden to the other. She timed the music to stop as he arrived at the altar, then sat as he led the welcoming prayer. She was ready when he climbed the stairs to the pulpit.

“Today, the first hymn is one of my favourites”

He called out a number and there was a general rustling of pages as they tried to locate the hymn. Willow left it a few beats until she could hear that they were mostly ready, and then played the intro, which allowed any laggard time to find the right page. Every hymn, thereafter, wasn’t what was on the board, and Willow could see some smiles in the mirror as she played the right tune. The readings and the sermon were normal, and after the Bishop had descended the stairs, he knelt at the altar, and it was quiet. When he rose, he turned to the congregation.

“My friends. I had heard whispers about St. Marys and my friend, Reverend Russell. They told me that great things were happening here, in Stoneleigh. I came to your lovely village yesterday and was taken to your community club last night. There, I was amazed at how strong the community spirit is, and enjoyed the show that was put on by two, very talented, girls. One of those girls was at the organ, today. I have a habit which I should stop, and probably will, after this morning. I would call out a hymn number that isn’t scheduled to see if the organist is up to scratch. Usually, it only those with many years behind them who will be able to adapt. If they remain silent, I say that I’ve made a mistake and revert to the one on the board. Today, every hymn that was sung were my personal favourites, and my personal choices. Your organist, Willow Rose, was with me all the way and I hereby vow that I will never play that trick again, having been beaten four – nil.”

He turned and left the church, with the two attendants behind him. Willow started playing the music as the bells were ringing. There was some applause as the congregation slowly left. When Willow thought that everyone had gone, she timed the music to finish with the bells, then turned the organ fans off and went downstairs. Her parents were waiting for her and hugged her. Her father laughed.

“Queen takes Bishop, check mate!”

“Don’t pretend that you play chess, Dad. That was fun, though. The Reverend had warned me that he might try one ring-in, but four was interesting.”

Wendy gave her another hug.

“But it was a very enlightening set of hymns. The Bishop is a man of joy and hope, if those show his feelings in song.”

They left the church as a family. Gina was the first to hug her, the Bishop was next.

“What can I say, Miss Rose. I have had seasoned organists cry when I’ve played that trick, and then I come here to find a teenager who beat me at my own game. Hilda Russell has told me about you two girls at the school, and I’ll be with my church committee to listen to the concert that’s planned. With the two of you on piano and organ, it can’t go wrong.”

“Thank you, Bishop. We’re working on ‘Carnival of the Animals’ at the moment and should have the whole thing ready to hear by the end of February.”

“Excellent. Now, I have a favour to ask you, young lady. I’m told that Gina will be playing here next Sunday. I wonder if you’ll like a chance to get some time in on our organ, at the Cathedral. I’ll give my organist the day off, and you can come in on Saturday afternoon to see what you think. Then we have two services on Sunday, the usual and an Evensong. Do we have your permission, Mister and Mrs. Rose?”

“You don’t have to ask, Bishop. We will be happy to bring Willow to Coventry and see your wonderful Cathedral. Saturday would be a good opportunity for Willow and me to get new dresses for the occasion. My husband can give the house a clean on Saturday.”

They all grinned and then the Bishop left them to speak to others. Gina hugged Willow again.

“Playing the organ in the Cathedral! It’s a wonderful instrument. You’re so lucky!”

“What is lucky is that I get to play it before we go there for a rehearsal of the concert. It will let me know how quickly I can leave the piano, after Carnival, and be ready to play.”

Miss Russell came over to them.

“Well done, you two. The Bishop was the one who had doubts about our concert idea. Now, with him on board, we can push forward with it. Last night was an eye-opener. My brother had told me that you played pub songs in the club. What I didn’t expect to see was a three-hour show of new and old tunes that everyone could sing to. I guess that you won’t be surprised if I pencil the two of you in for a complete show in the school theatre, sometime next year.”

“We had spoken about that, Miss Russell. We were wondering if we could pull Blue Two into it and make it a complete band. They were thinking about a Christmas party in the Club, in the bigger room out the back.”

“Blue Two?”

“Yes, the four Gees will be Blue One when we do that blues show, with Jim on the organ. Blue Two are all second years, the two of us plus Alec, Brent and three of his friends. We will do the Moody Blues half of the show. We have all rehearsed the two halves, so the actual show will be different looking to the DVD.”

“You have four new members able to play that set?”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“Certainly not. Can we have a demonstration, some time?”

“Not a problem, Miss Russell. After that, we can show you the other show that we’ve put together. It’s from a concept album by Kansas and will be a full show of ten long tracks.”

“That, we’ll have to hear. Do you have any idea how much you two are doing for the school? Mister Bamborough has been in my ear about how much better the orchestra is, with the two of you providing the higher bar for them to jump over.”

“We’re just doing what we love. We’re both amazed at how well we play, together. Last night was the first time we had both stayed out front, and it worked. That reminds me. I have to get my keyboard back from the club.”

“You go and do what you have to do. I’ll be telling the Head that you’ll be at the Cathedral next week, so expect some of the school staff along, although you won’t see them from where you’ll be sitting.”