Chapter 2

The three friends went back to the house and helped tidy up and put leftovers in the fridge. Jacob said that Racheal was back from the honeymoon and was going to bring him to the morning service at St. Marys. The Roses went home to have a quiet cup of hot chocolate before bed, Willow still wondering what the week ahead will bring.

The family had a slow morning start, with the service not starting until ten-thirty. The club wasn’t opening today, so Ashley had a clear time. They walked to the church and Willow checked over the hymns. Being Easter, there were five today, all that she had played before. She went up to the organ to play the welcoming music.

As she played, she saw her parents talking to others as they came in and was in wonderment at their integration as church attendees. Then she thought about how her parents had become a part of the Village community. Her father was now an integral part of the club, her mother singing in the Village Choir. Who knows what would happen in time to come? Would they want to move to a more affluent suburb if she became moderately rich? She was happy here, with her own affiliation with the club and the church. She couldn’t see anywhere she would rather be at the moment.

She got her mind back to the job at hand as the congregation stood. The sermon was all about a new, and better, life, and there were the five hymns, all uplifting in their way, if one listened to the words and discounted the magic trick. As she played, she realised that the magic trick may be a bit too far, but that an element of magic was needed. The band produced magic beyond their years, so creating the illusion of professionalism. She had been magically transformed into a girl and that created her new persona. Kissing Jacob was a magical moment in itself.

The service finished just before noon, and the family went home to a midday dinner; roast beef and vegetables, served up just after one, with most of the preparation done before they left. They lazed around for some of the afternoon. Willow was constantly checking her emails, but there was nothing new. Then, they went back to the church for Evensong at four, Gina would be starting to play in the Cathedral at the same time.

St. Marys didn’t often have Evensong, as the numbers hadn’t made it viable before the old organist had passed away. This was something new, and the village turned out, with the Village Choir determined to make their voices heard. In its way, Willow thought that it was as good as the Cathedral singing. When the church was empty again, she went down and outside. Reverend Russell was still talking to some of the villagers, and Edie was there with a tray. It had three small easter eggs, wrapped in silver paper.

“Take them all, Willow. A growing girl needs her strength. They’re caramello inside, so don’t eat them all at once.”

“Thank you, Edie. I’ll share with my parents.”

Edie giggled and leant close to whisper.

“They already took two each, so have your own. You really deserve them. The parish is as good as it ever has been, and the Reverend is out most days, seeing those who can’t attend.”

Willow put the eggs in her bag and went to speak to Jacob and his sister. Racheal gave her a hug.

“Willow, I have to thank you for playing my favourite song at the reception. I’m sorry that my old friends bothered you. Most of the girls at school thought that I was destined to work on the land; piss-poor, and lonely. It was a shock to them that I was marrying a band member of a successful group and had other bands as friends. I doubt that I’ll see any of them again, unless I visit the dress shop, salon, or supermarket they work in.”

“That’s all right. It was a good evening and I have to thank you for the use of the room.”

“The least I could do for my Maid of Honour.”

“I still have your pre-wedding outfit at home.”

They walked to her house and Racheal was given the garment bag. Back at the church, Jacob gave her a hug and a kiss, and then Willow joined her parents to go home to a quiet evening in front of the TV. The inane comedy about an Easter Bunny in a store had no interest for her, so she kissed her parents and went up for an early night. Before she went to the bathroom, she remembered the chocolate eggs, taking them out of her bag and finding that they were very soft. Each one didn’t take long to melt in her mouth, which made toothbrushing imperative. She cleansed and put on her good nightie and got into bed. As she lay there, she giggled quietly, realising that it wasn’t good to put all your eggs in one bag.

Her phone was on charge overnight, and it pinged with an incoming message about half-past eight. The message was from Clive Battersby and asked her to ring him at her earliest convenience. She rang the number he had called from.

“Good morning, it’s Willow Rose calling.”

“Good morning, Miss Rose. Sorry to bother you in the Easter break but my boss has been on my back.”

“That’s all right, sir. I have a free day. What can I help you with?”

“We want to see you in the school environment and take some pictures. Is there any time that you would be able to fit that in?”

“If it’s urgent, we have orchestra practise on Tuesdays after school hours until about six or six-thirty. The four of us that recorded the Carpenters album are all in the orchestra. Will that be suitable?”

“That would be perfect. The launch is around the original four and we can pick up with the others if you go well. How good is the orchestra?”

“We have a concert in a month’s time at Coventry Cathedral, playing a Saint-Saens night. We should be doing final rehearsals for that. We have been asked to play on the Monday of the last week of the Proms.”

“How old are the players?”

“We’re operating as a combined orchestra at the moment, using players from both the junior and senior school, so between thirteen and sixteen.”

“How can I organise to come and see you?”

“If you ring the school tomorrow and ask to speak to the Head, she should be able to let you come in after hours. If she’s not available, Miss Russell is part of the Music School.”

“Thank you for your help, Willow. I’ve shown your other DVD to our manager that deals with metal bands. He has already heard, on the grapevine, that you’ll be opening for Blastmasters at the end of August and is keen to have The Other Side in the shops before that. Any idea how I can do that?”

“Contact Peter, our manager, and tell him that I gave you the disc. Tell him that I said that he isn’t the only one that needs to de-finger. The thing is that he doesn’t have the digital version of that concert. I have kept it back.”

“Will do. I think that it’s going to be fun working with you. See you Tuesday.”

When she went downstairs for breakfast, Wendy looked at her.

“I heard you talking on the phone earlier. Something I should know?”

“It was one of the guys who you met at the church that Sunday. He wanted to know if he could get some pictures in the school. I suppose that they want to push the fact that we’re all teeny boppers. I told him to come Tuesday while we’re at orchestra practise. Maisie doesn’t know yet, but I’ve organised with the estate agent to have a look at the industrial site on Tuesday at six-thirty. I had better email Gina and ask her to ask her mother.”

“You do realise that before you make any decision on that, you’ll have a record out and there’ll be another statement from Peter.”

“I had better ask him to transfer some of my account over, then, so I can organise a deposit.”

She went and turned on her laptop, and sent an email to Peter, asking him to deposit a hundred and fifty thousand from her account to the bank account for WR Holdings, giving him the account details. This was sent from the WR Holdings Google address. She added a postscript that he will have Clive Battersby getting in touch during the week and that she had specifically told him to say that Peter wasn’t the only one who needed to de-finger.

Then she emailed Gina to ask her mother if she didn’t mind a detour to Hood Street on the way home to look at and investment property. While she had the computer on, she found a site that gave a lot of information on The Messiah, including the lyrics and music. She printed off several sheets of paper and spent most of the day working through the music on her keyboard and singing the words. Before she went to help with the dinner, she put her notes in a file and put it in her school bag.

On Tuesday morning, Gina told her that it was all right with her mother, and Willow told the two of them that they may get a visit from the record executive during orchestra practise. It was Gina who asked how she knew this.

“I have to come clean, friends. He was one of the guys watching us play at the reception. He was one of the people that Marcus had seen, but the thinking in the record company was that the DVD was a bunch of kids miming to a proper band. They had come to speak to me, that morning, because Marcus had dropped the fact that I played organ in the church.”

“Why did you keep it to yourself?”

“Because it was all maybe and could be. I didn’t want to raise your hopes if it turned out as a bummer. The email from Peter confirmed that they were going ahead but doesn’t know how close it was to being rejected. At the reception, I gave them my contact details and the guy who spoke to me as we were clearing the stage, rang me yesterday. He wants a chance to see and photograph us in the school and I told him to talk to the Head.”

Placated, the other two got out of the car, with Wendy giving her daughter a nod as she picked her bag out of the footwell. It was Gina’s turn on the chapel organ that morning, and the day was as good as days at school could be. When they arrived at the rehearsal room, it was set with the two keyboards, so Willow thought that they may do ‘Carnival of The Animals’ today. That was confirmed by Mister Bamborough.

“We have three sessions after this to be perfect with the concert. We have looked at the timescale and have decided that Willow should only play the ‘Allegro’ movement of the ‘Seven Improvisations’, then the ‘Carnival’ before ‘Danse Macabre’. There will be an interval before the ‘Organ Symphony’. I want to nail the first two today, the second two next week, and then we will have two extended sessions to do the complete performance with our techs recording and filming, for our school use.”

As he was finishing, the door opened, and the Head came in with Clive Battersby and two other men, one with a camera. The Head asked Mister Bamborough if she could say a few words. She looked over the orchestra.

“Today, we have some visitors to this session. One is Clive Battersby, an A&R Executive with the record company that Summer Rose will be on, with product in the shops on Friday. There is also, as you can see by his camera, a photographer. They are here to take pictures of the four members of Summer Rose that are in the orchestra and were the four playing on their first album. Two will sit by the wall, while the other one circulates taking pictures. I’ve been told that he is experienced at photographing orchestras, so try to ignore him. Brent and Jacob, can you put your hands up, so he knows where you are.”

The two raised their hands.

“Gina and Willow will be on the two keyboards. Is there anything else?”

“Yes. When I saw the band play at a reception, there were wind players. We would like some preliminary shots of those.”

“All right, those who were at that reception last week, put your hands up.”

When the photographer had picked out all the ones he wanted. The Head told Mister Bamborough that the floor was his.

“Thank you, Head. We will open the concert with Willow and the ‘Allegro’ from the ‘Seven Variations by Saint-Saens.”

He nodded to Willow, and she started the movement. The photographer took several pictures of her from different angles, and then went around the rest of the orchestra, taking pictures of them all listening to the music. When Willow finished, she saw the third, so far un-named man, with a big smile. Then they were into the ‘Carnival’. At one point she looked up and saw the man writing something in a notebook and show it to Clive, who nodded and smiled. When they had finished the fourteen movements. Mister Bamborough called that they had done very well and that they would rehearse the second half of the concert next week. The four band members were lined up for pictures, with the school uniform on, with some including the Head. Clive was talking to a few of the other orchestra members, and the third man was in deep conversation with Mister Bamborough.

The three made their exit as soon as they could, after Gina had a quick hug with Brent, who was somewhat bemused by all the interest. They got outside and found Maisie waiting for them. As she drove them to the industrial area, she saw how excited her passengers were and asked why.

Gina gave her the news about the session and the photographer.

“There was another guy there, an older one, and he seemed very interested in what we were playing.”

“Perhaps he’s a classic music buff, friend.”

“There has to be a reason why he was there. Perhaps you will find out and can let us know.”

“OK. If I get an email, I’ll forward it on.”

They arrived at the building, met the agent, and he unlocked and showed them around. As it was, it was unsuitable for a studio, with a lot of smaller rooms with various pieces of equipment in. Jacob knocked on the walls and pronounced that a lot of them were only stud walls and could be removed in a couple of days. Willow told the agent, who had originally thought that Maisie was the customer, that she was prepared to put fifty thousand down as a deposit, providing that he organised an independent building inspection, with an offer of four hundred thousand to take to the vendor. If the offer wasn’t accepted, to send her the inspection account anyway and she would pay it. She gave him the WR Holdings email address and asked him if he could keep her in mind if similar sized properties came up that were well built.

On the way home, Maisie wanted to know about the building.

“It’s all brick, Maisie, with a five-year tenancy at over thirty-one thousand a year. If we buy it, we’ll get nearly half of what we paid in rent. It will have to be worth what we paid in five years, if not more. If all those stud walls come out, we could convert it to a recording studio if the tenants leave. I don’t intend to allow Peter to sit on my money and keep the bank interest. If we pay it off, then we can look for other places.”

They dropped Jacob off, and then Willow.

“See you tomorrow, friend.”

“See you tomorrow, Willow.”

She had a sandwich and turned her laptop on. There was an email from Clive on the company letterhead.

‘Thank you for the opportunity to see you in a different light today. I didn’t introduce our companion as he wanted to hear for himself. He was mightily impressed that you and Gina played the whole session without the score in front of you. He is a contractor with our company, working with the classical catalogue, and has a full-time job as a producer at Abbey Road, which was built to record orchestras before the Beatles. He wants to get the orchestra into his studio and asked your conductor to send him a list of pieces that you can play. We got a lot of good pictures and a hook to hang some advertising material on. I believe that you’re in the Cathedral next Sunday. We will come along to that as well and will be at the school next Tuesday to hear the other half of your concert.
Clive’

She forwarded the email to the team, as it did no harm to let all of them know.

Wednesday evening, she played the keyboard for the choir while Gina sang a bit. Tom was getting excited about the prospect of presenting the Messiah, and Sally was sounding better every time she sung. Before they left, Willow asked Tom if he would like to add the Cathedral Choir to the school one when they had the concert, just for the last part of the ‘Organ Symphony’. He thought it was a nice idea and would talk to the Head. He was told that it would be rehearsed after school the following Tuesday.

On Thursday, on the way to school, they heard ‘Finding a Friend’ on the radio for the first time, with the announcer telling his audience that this was from a new album by local band, Summer Rose, and would be available to buy the next day. Before they got out of the car, he had played ‘Her Day’ as well.

The day went well, and lunch was busy with orchestra members that had received the email on Tuesday spreading the word about a possible recording at Abbey Road. Several wondered if the album could have a picture of them all on the zebra crossing, as a panorama wrapped around the CD. The Head intercepted the three friends as they waited for Wendy.

“I have to hand it to you three. If you didn’t so much good, you’d be dangerous. That Marcus thought he was offering us the world when he said he would get the orchestra on a cut-price classic label. Now, I’m told you may all be taken to Abbey Road and issued on one of the best labels around. I had my radio on quietly at times today, and it seemed as they were playing your new album on rotation. Congratulations on a beautiful body of work. They did mention that every song is an original. Well done!”

Willow blushed, and Gina spoke.

“They are all Willow’s originals, ma’am. She sent the rest of us the vocal and a basic tune and we all added our own parts. When we played it for the first time, we all had the same ideas and what you have been hearing was settled inside a day. I’m now waiting for the next album to work on.”

Willow laughed.

“I’ve been far too busy to even think about new lyrics. I reckon summer may be a good time. I wouldn’t want to take time out of my studies, now, would I?”

The Head laughed with them as Wendy pulled up. When the three were in the car she turned to them.

“What was the joke with the Head? She seemed very happy.”

“Just Willow being playful. The Head told us that she had heard a lot of our album on her radio today.”

“So, have I. We have one on at work, louder in the warehouse, and I’m almost over Summer Rose already!!”

On the way home, Willow’s phone pinged. She looked at the message and passed her phone to the back seat passengers. Gina squealed.

“What’s that message?”

“It’s from Clive, Mum. He said ‘Album on Nat, a/play. Preorders over fifty K. Clive.’”

“Interpretation, please?”

“A lot of people have been hearing the songs, and fifty thousand have placed orders for their copy when it’s released tomorrow.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Better than we expected, Mum. It’s brilliant!”

“When will you start seeing some return?”

“It depends on the payment schedule with the label. It may be weekly, or at the end of each month. Perhaps it’s some chosen day of the month, say, the twenty-seventh, which may have some in our next statement.”

Gina handed her phone back.

“Willow. Can I join in with your property portfolio?”

“If you want. See your mother’s accountant and get him to create a company with you and her as directors. I did that with WR Holdings. That will give you a bank account and credit card in the company name that you can use. It also will include your mother in any profits if we sell. Then, any one of you can come to the other two with a project or likely property. We can enter joint agreements to cover each case.”

“It would be great if you join us, Gina. We can make sure our earnings don’t get frittered away. With the three of us examining each case, we can pick it apart and not get hoodwinked. Dad’s seeing the farm accountant next week about one for me, with him as co-director. He has already spoken to the guy and has created one in Racheal’s and Rick’s names, which has stopped him buying a Ferrari.”

They all laughed, and it was a happy carload that arrived at the farm. Rosalie came out and invited them in, having been listening to her radio.

“When you told me that Jacob would be on the TV this year, Willow, I thought that you were joking. Now they’re playing your songs, and he will be on TV in a few weeks, if only playing the triangle.”

“I expect that there will be segments of our DVD on some of the news channels if our album is a hit. We’re a novelty by all being thirteen. We had pictures taken of us in school uniform the other day, I’m almost afraid at what we will look like. Anyway, if the school pick the guitar concerto by Rodrigo, he may fill the screen at the Proms concert.”

They had a cup of tea and carried on, and when they stopped at Gina’s, Maisie came out to beckon them in. Over another cup of tea, she told them her news.

“I went into the city today and saw Frankie. We had lunch together and had a long talk. The upshot is that I will work for her as a consultant on bridalwear that I’m known for. I’ll be designing and doing the fittings, but her workshop will make the garments. I’ll be paid a retainer and a slice of the profit. It will be enough for us to live quietly, even without what Gina earns.”

Gina went to her mother and gave her a long hug.

“That’s great news, Mum. You can use that new sewing machine to create stage outfits for me and Willow, which we can pay you for. We were also talking about creating a group to buy commercial property. Can we see our accountant and set up a company with us as co-directors. Jacob is setting one up with his father, and Willow already has one with her parents.”

“That sounds good, my darling. I already have one for my dressmaking.”

When Wendy and Willow arrived home, Willow was in the toilet while Wendy was putting the car away.

“No more tea, Mum.”

“I agree, daughter. Now, stand aside while I get to the ensuite.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 3

On Friday morning, there were quite a few of the students wanting to congratulate them on the album. Miss Russell steered them into her office before the first lesson.

“There have been calls to the school to allow reporters to come and talk to you. We expect that they’ll try and ambush you when you leave. Is Wendy picking you up?”

“She is, Miss Russell.”

“Give her a call today and tell her not to come in the main gate. There is an alleyway between the houses from the car park to Terry Road. It’s for the children who come by bus and the stop is there. You three should take that way out and look as if you’re waiting for the bus.”

“Got it, Miss Russell. We’re sorry to cause so many problems.”

“It’s putting the school firmly in the minds of the public, which will help all the Blue Coat Schools in the country, so it’s not a problem we can’t handle. Now, get along to class.”

The half-day of lessons went by in slow-motion, as usual. Lunch was almost a party. Xavier came over to talk.

“My Dad just called me. He was in the line at the record store after finishing his shift and got the CD and DVD. He says that me and the others are clearly listed as the recording engineer and the camera operators, and that the pictures in the lift-out are taken from the video. Thank you for making that happen. We shared out the money after Rick paid us, so each of us got fifteen hundred from that project. That has helped all our families. Are there any other projects coming up?”

“Nothing as big as that one, Xavier. All the bands are playing at the Belgrade at the end of next week. If I bring the cameras in next week, could the others film us backstage? There will be a full set of cameras recording the show, but something for our own collection would be nice. If you want to take pictures yourself, get a camera and I’ll pay.”

“I’m not a movie guy, but I have a good camera that I take still shots with. If you get us backstage passes it would be awesome.”

“We will be at the theatre on Thursday evening for a rehearsal and soundcheck, and there won’t be any TV there, I think. You might get some bloopers.”

They laughed and he went off to tell Frank and Dave. Willow sent Peter a text asking for ten passes to be couriered to her, expecting that some of the families may want to be there. She rang her mother to tell her of the change of pick-up point.

Friday afternoon was Music Study, and the subject was Remix. They found that it was aimed at the more technical side. In the classroom was six mixing boards, each with a digital player and a recording unit. Mister Jamieson split them into groups of three.

“Each team has a mixing unit. I expect that none of you will have any trouble pressing the ‘play’ button on the digital storage, or the ’record’ button on the one marked ‘record unit’. The digital unit all have the same recording, an adagio that lasts for six minutes. One at a time, I want you to listen to the recording and mix the sound to your taste, note all the settings to the nearest marker on a notepad and then zero the slides to allow the next to step in. You only have the one set of headphones, so the others can talk among themselves. When all three have noted their settings, we’ll put all eighteen up on the board and discuss the results, then recording the most popular setting to listen to before we go home.”

The next hour was some silence, some chat, and some who only wanted to talk about the new album, including Mister Jamieson, who told the friends that the school had been promised a box of a hundred CDs and a hundred DVDs to sell through the website or give out among the teachers.

“I don’t think that there’ll be many left for the website. The whole faculty is buzzing with having a group of second years in the charts. The website stuff was below the radar, but this is well in your face.”

“When you see the covers, sir, you’ll see Xavier, Frank, and Dave as the tech team, and a lot is down to their expertise at recording us. The record company will only be adding credits and titles to the DVD, but I doubt that they would need to remix the audio much.”

“I have them listening to film music next week. I’ll be sure to praise them in the class.”

When all the mix numbers were on the board, fifteen were identical, and three were only marginally different. Mister Jamieson put a CD into a player on his desk and played the adagio.

“This, boys and girls, is the actual commercial version of the piece. It has the same mix settings that the majority have noted. Well done, all of you. From my reading of the three of you who had slight changes, I would guess that all three come from large families or live under a flightpath, as some of your higher tones have been lost. That’s all, see you next time.”

They all had smiles as they left the classroom. The three friends gathered up their bags and left the school from the theatre entrance, joining a throng of others heading for the bus stop. Being identically dressed was a bonus. As they reached the alley, Willow looked to the main entrance to see a throng of people and a police car with the lights flashing. They came out on Terry Road and stood to one side as the bus came in. They weren’t alone, as others were coming out of the alley for the next bus. When Wendy pulled up, they got in and Jacob laughed.

“Quick driver, the cops are back there!”

As she drove along Terry Street, Wendy grinned.

“Pull the other one.”

“True Mum, there’s a police car with the lights flashing at the main entrance and a crowd outside. Miss Russell got it right, and I expect that the Head is addressing the crowd to tell them that the school looks after their students and that there’s no way there would be undisciplined access to reporters.”

“Why all the kerfuffle?”

“I expect that our being second year is a major thrust of the advertising. It wasn’t a problem with the website stuff, but it’s very relevant with national exposure. I reckon that Peter will be inundated with requests for interviews. He can do his manager thing and sort out the ones most beneficial for the band. I wonder if tomorrow’s dinner dance will be booked out. Whatever happens, I think that we’ll enjoy it.”

When they arrived home, there was a package on the front doorstep addressed to Willow. It contained ten copies of the CD’s and ten of the DVD. Wendy went to find a padded envelope to put a set in and send to her parents.

“I’ll post this on Monday. Sign them for Mum, she’ll be happy to see them, but I expect that she already has a set.”

They went to change for the evening, Willow putting on a denim skirt and a top, then turning her computer on. There were emails from the other band members and friends and one from Peter.

‘Have acted on your advice and news. Please give digital version of Other Side to record company. It will give them time to formulate a different focus for advertising. Have been told that launch will be last week of June. I am organising security for you until the interest drops. A security team will pick you three up Monday for school and bring you home. Another will be picking up the others in the city. Cost to come out of the earnings but only expected to be ten thousand a month. Will get payments for sales on twenty-seventh, so first weekend will be in next statement. Your money has been transferred and regular payments made as requested. Your account is just under ninety thousand as of today. Information about security sent to rest of band. Will arrange the security to take you to theatre next week. Passes with you tomorrow. Expect requests for radio and TV spots, will sort the best.’

Willow got the USB stick of the album out of the hiding place and put it in an envelope addressed to Clive. She put it in her bag for Sunday when he said he would be at the Cathedral. She printed off the email and took it down to show her mother.

“That’s nice. I’ll be able to have the radio on my favourite station on the way to work and back.”

“But you’ll miss out on all our childish banter, Mum. Just think of all that mother and daughter time we’ll lose!”

“Don’t worry, darling. I won’t love you any less.”

Ashley came home and changed out of his work suit, then was shown the email.

“Ten thousand a month for security! That’s a bit steep.”

“It will be two vehicles and four men on school days, and probably escorts to interviews and back. Clive said that there was over fifty thousand advance orders for the album on Thursday, so that’s two hundred thousand that the band has earned already.”

“I suppose you’re right. It’s just that the numbers are so huge, and I’m just a simple design engineer.”

“Not so simple, Dad. Woolly, sometimes, but never simple.”

They had dinner and relaxed. For Willow, it had been an interesting week. She had been one of the ones who hadn’t got the mix setting right, and wondered if it was from four years of playing in an orchestra, inside the sound.

On Saturday morning, the courier arrived with the passes, and in the afternoon, Wendy took her to the Cathedral. It was almost like a normal day. She worked through the service and Evensong music, spoke to Tom, who said that he would be at the school with his choir on Tuesday, and came home to get ready for the dinner dance that night.

The rest of the dance band were almost out of their skins as they arrived, even the wind players who had not been on the album. Now, playing with Summer Rose was a thing to be cherished and remembered. As her parents had already bought tickets for the Belgrade, and the rest of the band had received extra passes with theirs, Willow gave the four of the passes for the four nights to the wind players.

“Look, we will need to play the hits. You guys have backed us here, so you may as well back us at the show. You’ve all signed with Peter, so it’s only right that you get paid. I know that you all get cash in hand here, but a share of our payment will go a long way, as well as appearing in the TV show that will be transmitted in Band Spot. Let’s surprise the audience with the full eleven of us.”

They all had dinner in the front section as the other diners came in. They were as far from the passage to the back room as they could be, so had little problem with people wanting to talk. Willow’s phone pinged as she took it out of her bag to turn off. It was a text from Clive.

‘Natsales 2days two-fifty K. See you tomorrow’

She passed the phone around the table to squeals of delight. Malcolm called from the bar if anything was wrong. Willow stood and took the phone over.

“Quarter of a million sales in the first two days, Malcolm. You have a week to make space for that gold disc.”

They talked about what they would play, and Gina suggested that they give the others a break, now and then, with some of the folk music that the three sometimes played for the sing-alongs.

When they went through to the back room, there was applause as they went up on stage and plugged in. Willow could see a lot of new faces in the crowd and spoke into her microphone.

“Welcome to the Stoneleigh Community Club tonight. We are the Blue Coat School Dance Band, and any similarity with Summer Rose is in your imagination. We welcome the new faces in the audience and hope that the evening is up to expectations. We will start out with easy-listening band standards while you eat, and then move on to dance music.”

They started in the usual fashion as the dinners were being served and drinks quaffed. For the band, this was now almost automatic and flawless from repetition. As the empty plates were being taken away, they moved into the dance music, the folk songs, and gentle ballads. At eight, Willow announced a fifteen-minute comfort break.

“When we return, we’ll play some songs that you might have heard on the radio this week.”

There were some cheers as they left the stage. While they were off-stage, Willow asked everyone if they could wait a while after the show, as they needed to sort out the list for the Belgrade performance.

“If you could tell those taking you home to be a little patient, we’ll try to be quick. Everyone has a say in what we play.”

Back on stage, they opened with ‘Close to You’, then worked through a mixture from the first and second album, a little Moody Blues, ‘Dust in the Wind,’ and ending the night with ‘Finding a Friend’, ‘Only Just Begun’, and ‘Her Day’. They hadn’t left the stage when Herb announced that this should be the set on the weekend, which everyone agreed was good. Jacob asked that, if they needed an encore, they should do ‘Sparks of the Tempest’ from the Other Side and leave the introduction to him. The others grinned and nodded. It would be a hell of a way to end the gentleness of the concert. Willow told the extra four that she would bring copies of the DVD into school on Monday.

They stored all the equipment in double quick time and left the club, with all the band having a hug-fest. Jacob and Willow, and Brent with Gina having more than a hug. Willow did note that Herb and Roy spent extra time with Vivienne and Nancy, the two girl wind players. Jacob’s father had come to take him home, and then Willow walked home, leaving the table cleaning and tidy up to her parents. She put the four DVDs aside for school and then stripped to have a shower.

She was really happy with the way the evening had gone. They had mixed it up a bit but covered the main ground, and had now played everything so many times, it had almost become second nature. As she showered, she wondered if there would be anything that she ended up refusing to play one more time.

She got into bed with her laptop on her lap and checked the emails. Most didn’t need a reply, but one stood out. It was a group broadcast from Marcus, telling them that he would not continue being their promoter as they went behind his back, so the Belgrade would be the last thing he would be involved with. He ended with a vicious swipe, telling them that he had cancelled the week at the Winter Gardens.

Willow wrote a reply, thanking him for his work and acknowledging the cancelled arrangement. She sent the reply with Peter, Clive, and the team cc’ed into the message. She turned the laptop off and put it on the floor beside the bed. Laying back, she realised that she wasn’t unhappy about losing that week in Blackpool. It was the sort of show that a fading band will happily fill. The Other Side album would have been launched by then, and a genteel ‘lavender and lace’ venue was no place for a rock band. It would also give them time to work on new material to follow the Kansas cover. They would need it when they toured with Blastmasters.

Sunday was her turn in the Cathedral. After this one, there was just another four weeks to go. She had come to enjoy playing their organ and was slowly trying new things with the stops when she practised. It must be working, as nobody had asked her what she was playing at. Ashley took her in, and she saw Tom, giving him the last two passes to the shows. After the service, father and daughter went into the city, browsing the stores, having lunch and looking at something both had been interested in back in Bristol, but had never been able to indulge in. Radio controlled cars.

They bought one each. Both needed to be built from parts and used electric motors with a bank of batteries to drive them. They both knew that it would take some months before they could get the cars going, but it was a project for both of them, outside of work or school. On the way back to the Cathedral, Willow remarked that Ashley now had a reason to get the shed up, to give them a proper workshop.

“Not building a studio, then?”

“Not now, Dad. The record company has access to good studios in London. Marcus has spat the dummy and I think we’ll be looked after better with Clive and his friends. He’s setting up with a friend of his to take the school orchestra to Abbey Road to record a classic album. That’s something so far over Marcus’ head it’s not funny. Anyway, there’s an album out there that was recorded in the Community Club. I’ve promised Malcolm the loan of our first Gold Record for the bar.”

“How long will that take to happen?”

“Halfway there as of last night.”

Ashley had to pull over to get his breath back.

“Just how many gets gold?”

“Half a million.”

“So, you’ve sold a quarter of a million in two days!”

“Yes. That’s a million pounds that will be paid to Peter for us tomorrow. It should be an interesting statement when we get it.”

They got to the Cathedral and Ashley found himself a seat as Willow went up to the organ. Clive sat on one side and the photographer sat the other, taking zoom pictures of Willow with the organ.

“Interesting daughter you have there, Ashley.”

“Oh! Hello Clive. She has certainly made this an interesting year for us since I got the job at Aston Martin. She just told me that you’ve sold a quarter of a million albums.”

“And counting, with a lot of shops open for Sunday trading. At this rate, it could be gold by the end of the month. I can tell you that my boss is very happy.”

“I bet. We would be hard pressed to make that many cars a year, let alone sell them.”

“All a matter of being with the right product at the right time. She’s a remarkable musician. I had a producer with me from the Abbey Road studio when we visited the school as they were practising. He was gobsmacked when she and Gina played the entire ‘Carnival of the Animals’ on piano without having the score in front of them.”

“You need to have a word with the Bishop. She outsmarted him at his own game with hymns. She can play pretty well every hymn she’s played without the music and only needing the hymn number. He used to play a trick by calling out a number that wasn’t on the board. He tried that at St. Marys. He called four hymn numbers that are his favourites, and she was only a second or two before she was playing the intro.”

“And an ‘A’ student, along with most of the band. When I spoke to the Head, she said that Willow brought the best out of those around her.”

They stopped speaking as Willow started to play. Clive sat, in wonderment, at how she made that huge organ sing, and how that made all around him sing, as the voices swelled in the Cathedral. For the whole hour, he was transported to a happy place, and when the choir came in, felt his heart beating in his chest.

When the last note faded among the columns, Ashley stood and led the two over to meet Tom and Sally.

“Tom, meet Clive, the executive with Willow’s record company. This is his photographer. Clive, Tom is the choirmaster here and is helping Willow and Gina train the village choir in the club. It’s coming along nicely, so my wife tells me.”

“It is, Ashley. Having three ex-professional singers is a real help. Margaret is brilliant, despite her problems, and her alto props up the rest.”

“I caught the end of an interview a couple of weeks ago. Was that done in the club?”

“It was, right after the interview with Willow, Gina and Jacob. You should contact the local station if you want a copy.”

Willow joined them.

“Hello Clive.”

“Hello, Willow. I got your email. That Marcus turned out to be a fine piece of work. Cancelling a week-long gig wasn’t nice.”

“But better for us, I think. A week at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool is something we can play when we’re getting about on walkers and needing diapers.”

“Ever the pragmatist, but you’re right. What do you plan to spend that time doing?”

“Writing and recording original material for The Other Side. If we’re going to open for Blastmasters, we’ll need more than a cover of a concept album, even if it was recorded thirty-five years before I was born.”

“Any ideas on that score?”

“One that I only have the title of. It came to me last night and will be called ‘Dummy Spitter’.”

They laughed, and the men shook hands and Willow gave Clive the USB. Tom said he would see them on Wednesday and Willow followed her father to the car. When they got home, he took their boxed projects out of the back and put them up on the top of the new storage cabinets. The Aston Martin DB3 on his, and the pink Lady Penelope Rolls Royce on Willow’s.

Monday morning was different, to say the least. A people mover with dark windows arrived before her parents left for work. Two guys got out, one watching the street as the other rang the bell. Willow was ready to go, the two cameras and empty memory cards in a bag and got in as her parents went to their own cars. She asked the two men their names and was told that they were Max and Sebastian, and that they would be her regular drivers, as it was easy to see any problems if you’ve travelled the same way a lot of times.

They picked up Gina and then Jacob. Arriving at the school and driving past a line of cameramen at the front gate, pulling up next to the theatre and out of the line of sight of the cameras. They were told that they would be picked up when school was out, and they told the guys that Tuesday would be about half-past six. The other people mover came in and the band entered the school as a group.

Miss Russell intercepted them and took them all to see the Head.

“I just wanted to talk to you about Friday. You were all very good in getting away. The reporters got a little heated, but the police made sure that nothing happened. I told them that they were banned from the school grounds unless invited. I hope that they give up and allow you to live a normal life. I think you’ll find that the rest of the school is better behaved, so have a good week and I hope that the only time I see you will be when you’re on-stage Friday night.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 4

After seeing the Head, they went to their first lessons. The day was as normal as it could be, with a lot of the students looking at them and giving them shy waves. Lunch was, once again, like a party, with Zara and the Gees coming to have a chat. They were looking forward to seeing the theatre on Thursday evening and finally playing to paying customers.

In the afternoon, the two people movers were waiting for them. Sebastian behind the wheel as they were helped in. It was a strange sight to the students who went that way to the bus stop. Tuesday was more of the same, with Willow playing in the chapel. They were joined by the three record company men when they went to the rehearsal room. The organ was in the middle of the orchestra, and Willow walked by it with her clarinet. Gina joined Jacob next to the percussion, triangles in hand, with Gina briefly touching Brent’s hand.

The choir came in and sat, as the Cathedral choir joined them. The record guys looked at this, wondering what they would hear.

When the orchestra were settled and two of the visitors seated, Mister Bamborough tapped his baton for silence.

“Today, we will play the second part of the performance. We will start with ‘Danse Macabre’ and then I want you to sit for a few minutes while Willow settles at the organ. In the Cathedral, she will have to leave her place and go up a flight of stairs to the Cathedral organ. We will, at those performances, play the three items before an intermission before finishing with the ‘Organ Symphony’.

He tapped the baton again and raised it. Then they were playing. The quality of the violins made the producer gulp. He had heard this music played dozens of times, but not with such playful feeling. When the piece ended, they sat while Willow walked to the organ and sat down, checking the settings. She nodded at the conductor and the first strains of the concerto filled the room. The producer could hardly contain himself as they played the concerto. Willow’s organ work, once again without a score in front of her, was magnificent, and she made the small organ sound like a pipe organ when she started the final movement. When the choirs came in with the words, he had tears in his eyes. He had to have the orchestra in his studio. As the movement thundered to the end, he just had to stand and applaud, with the conductor getting the orchestra to stand and bow, with a lot of giggling.

Mister Bamborough told them that they had done very well, and to make sure that any pick-up knew that next week would be a longer session. Then he spoke to the producer and Clive as the students left. Brent’s ride had already gone with the other three, so they were given a ride around Coventry to drop Brent off, allowing him and Gina some cuddle time.

On the way, Jacob was serious.

“Do you really think that we’ll get to record in London?”

“You were too far back to see, but that producer was almost crying by the time we finished, and it wasn’t from pain. We’ll be in Abbey Road during the holidays, if not before. He’s already asked for a list of items, so you may get to play the guitar in the same studio as the Beatles.”

On Wednesday, there were no reporters when the van drove in, so they were let off at the main entrance. The whole day seemed as if nothing had happened. The security men didn’t listen to the radio while they were in the van, so the friends had been without any idea of what the album was doing. That changed in the evening when Willow walked into the club, where Bruce, a photographer and another man were sitting in the front part. Bruce took her hand.

“I’m sorry about this, Willow, but my editor is an old friend of the editor of a national paper. He threatened me with the sack if I didn’t bring this other gentleman with me, to talk to you in your secret hide-away. Henry, meet Willow Rose. Willow, this is Henry Talbot. You’ve met my photographer before. Henry has agreed to keep this place secret. I don’t know why, but it appears that the two hundred and fifty people who come to your dances aren’t aware of what they could get by leading the hordes here.”

“Henry. I’ll answer your questions as long as you keep it friendly. Will you want to speak to Gina Summer as well?”

“That will be good. Is she here?”

“She should be in the back with the choir by now. I’ll let her know I’m here, and when you’ve finished with me, I go and replace her at the organ.”

She went through to the back room where the choir was about to begin the practise.

“Gina, I’ve got a reporter from a national paper in the front. When he’s run out of questions for me, I’ll come back here, and you can go and talk to him.”

“OK, friend, I’ll man the ivories for a while.”

Willow went back, got a drink from Malcolm, and sat down. Henry wanted to start with her younger days, but Willow told him that she had been a normal child, up until she had come to Stoneleigh. He wanted to know the steps that had brought her to be sitting here, so she laid out each turning point from last summer and G-Force on. Bruce was able to confirm a lot of the detail, having been to most of the events. They talked about pop music, honky-tonk piano, playing the organ in churches, and being in an orchestra.

He wanted to know about her plans; if she would be touring, if she was considering going solo. All she could tell him that she would take each day as it came and decide on a course of action when needed. He thanked her for being frank and promised that the article would be factual. She went through to the back and took over from Gina when there was a break.

“How is he?”

“All right. Says the right things but keep it factual. I started with the Purple concert so that might be a good starting place for you as well.”

When the choir finished the session, Willow went back to the front room. Henry was just finishing with Gina when Margaret came through. She stopped the wheelchair and laughed.

“Well, the people you run into when there’s no gun handy. Henry Talbot, are you still writing for that London rag?”

“Margaret. It’s good to see you. Someone had told me that you’d been ill, but I didn’t expect a wheelchair.”

“Nor did I, but my legs decided they weren’t part of my nervous system anymore. Girls, Henry used to haunt the theatres for stories when I was singing. Here’s Sandra. Sandy, guess what the village cat dragged in.”

Sandra came over to Henry, who had stood, and gave him a hug.

“Henry, the only reporter that never asked me when I was born, but often pinched dates from other reporters who I’d told lies to. Are you here to write the definitive story of Summer Rose, or will you serve up the fabricated crap that your sleazebag editor wants.”

Henry laughed.

“I was sent here to get the gossip on a bunch of teenagers who struck lucky but found two serious musicians instead. I’ll get an appointment with the school, as it’s obviously a breeding ground for musical talent. Then I plan to write something uplifting and erudite.”

“Erudite, coming from you, that’s priceless. I’ll allow you that you never told lies about us when we were still singing. I hope you keep it that way. We might send you a couple of tickets when we’re singing The Messiah in the Cathedral.”

“You, back on stage?”

“Yes, near Christmas. Willow will be concert master and first violin. Didn’t she tell you?”

“He didn’t ask about that. Sandra. It’s still only in the planning stage. Look, Henry, why don’t you have a bonus talk to these fine ladies. I need to get home and get my beauty sleep. I’ll see you ladies next week, see you, Bruce.”

Gina walked outside with her.

“What’s the rush, friend?”

“My phone pinged earlier. I had a look at the text in the toilet. It was from Peter, telling me that our latest statement has been emailed.”

“Right. I’ll be off home as well. If your phone rings and you hear shrieking, it’ll be me.”

Willow walked home and turned on her laptop. What she saw made here gasp and sit down. She printed off the statement and took it down to her parents, who were watching some mindless game show which was compered by a comedian, with all the contestants being other comedians without any meaningful work to go to.

“Got the latest statement. It’s difficult to get my head around. The website seems to be running as usual, but the new entry is a little more than we expected.”

Her mother took the paper and read the entries out.

“Coventry Carpentry downloads. Forty-eight thousand, giving income of four hundred and eighty thousand pounds. That’s a bit up from last time. Sales of CDs, fifteen thousand, giving income of a hundred and fifty thousand. DVD sales twenty thousand giving income of five hundred thousand. That’s well up on the last month. There’s a small amount for playing at the club and at the Cathedral. Costs were a hundred and eight thousand for post and packaging. That will be all those extra DVDs.”

“That’s right, Mum.”

“OK. So, total income one million, one hundred and thirty thousand. Expenditure was a hundred and eight thousand, plus six thousand admin, plus fifteen thousand to the school, which leaves a million. The bottom line is your share less the five percent. That gives you just under a hundred and thirty-eight thousand. That’s a bit down from last month. The post office has dragged it down. What about the Hikers?”

“Second page, Mum.”

“Right. Income four thousand three hundred less the five percent. That’s lower but steady. What’s this other amount. Payment by the record company for sales of ‘Journey’ from Thursday to Saturday evening. Two hundred and forty-four thousand albums at four pounds an album. That comes to nine hundred and seventy-six thousand, less five percent. Then there’s the new DVD sales; two hundred and one thousand at five pounds each. That’s over another million. Your share of the CD is hundred and thirty-two thousand and a bit. The share of the DVD is another hundred and thirty-five thousand and a bit. There’s another line where you’ve had three thousand into your personal account and you withdrew a hundred and fifty thousand. That makes your current account at just over four hundred and ninety thousand. What’s not to understand.”

As she said that, Wendy couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. She let out a whoop and stood to hug Willow with all her might. Both of them crying tears of joy. Ashley finally closed his mouth, then took the papers from his wife and read the numbers for himself. Just then, Willow’s phone rang. She answered and put it on speaker, hearing shrieking from the other end.

“I think that might be Gina.”

She waited until the sound died off.

“It’s crazy, isn’t it, friend.”

“That’s not even close, Willow. That pays off the house with some left over for investment with you and Jacob. I’ll see you when the armed guard brings you past my place in the morning. The others are going to be beside themselves.”

“And you aren’t, friend?”

“If you think I’ve turned into a red-eyed monster tomorrow, it’s because I couldn’t sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow, true friend.”

Gina ended the call at that. Ashley held the paper out for Willow to take.

“Have you heard back from the agent about that property?”

“Not yet, Dad. I did offer less than the asking and requested a building survey. I expect that the vendor is making up their mind. With Jacob and Gina joining in, we can buy that one outright. It doesn’t matter if we use it or not, it will still be solid collateral when we go to the bank. How are we getting on with my gender change?”

“He told me that it may take weeks to get through the official channels. Everything was good, but red tape has slowed it down.”

“That’s all right. I had a reporter in the club tonight to talk to Gina and me. It turns out that he’s an old friend of Margaret and Sandra from their singing days. I hope that it will produce a reasoned article. I managed to deflect his questions about my days before coming here, and Bruce was there to back me up.”

“Try and get some sleep, sweetie. You’ll be able to make decisions in the light of day.”

She went upstairs and prepared for bed. Tomorrow evening, they would be in the theatre for a sound check. She thought of Jacob’s request for the encore and realised that it would be a good way to end the show with a bang and promote the Other Side very early. She wondered if the theatre had thunderclap cannons or flame guns. She worried, for a few minutes, what he was going to say and fell asleep after making the decision to let him say what he wanted. After all, he was the man in their partnership.

On the way into the city on Thursday morning, Jacob suggested that they should create a separate company, as a syndicate with each of their companies as partners. He said that his accountant had suggested it, and it would only need the three company certificates to set up. That one could have a bank account to buy and receive rents and would streamline the whole process.

“You heard me make the offer last week, and also say I’ll pay for the inspection. If we can set it up quickly, we can transfer the money into that account to pay for the building outright, adding to the account on a regular basis for other purchases.”

“I agree with you on that, Willow. We can put in the same amount, each month, to keep it equalised, and hold back what we’re using for ourselves. If we develop, a company like that would be the overseeing body. What will we call it?”

“That’s the question, Gina. It will have to be something that says us, but not using our names.”

Jacob grinned,

“Already thought of. I’m suggesting ‘Summer Love Properties’. It doesn’t draw you to the Summer part, as Summer Love is a normal phrase, but it is relatable to us, as a group. If one of the others wants to come in, they would need to deposit an equal amount of what each of us has in the account, then get added to the partnership to being able to get the benefits from then on.”

Willow gave him a hug.

“Good thinking, love. When we get our official documents, we can set it up. Are you good with that, Gina?”

“With you all the way, friend. Now that’s sorted, here we are at school.”

The Thursday lessons were, again, as normal as they could be. The only odd thing, for Willow, was that the netballers were told that they were being entered in the inter-school competition, to be held in Birmingham during the week of the half-term holidays. As they were so close, they would be taken in, by coach, on the first three days, and again on the Friday, should they get to the play-offs. Between now, and then, they should do their best to make the team.

After school, they were taken home to have something to eat, and get ready to be picked up at seven for the trip to the Belgrade. Willow made herself a sandwich with some salad, and then went to shower and get dressed in something comfortable. When Wendy got home, she said that Madame Francesca had called her that day.

“She said that she’ll be at the show on Friday night. If you wear the outfits from the photo shoot, she will courier two sets of outfits to the three of you for Saturday and Sunday.”

“That will solve a problem, Mum. I’ll tell Gina and Jacob tonight.”

Her parents were eating their dinner when the people mover arrived. She gave them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then was off. On the way, she told the others about the offer of free outfits, so they decided that they would wear what they had been given.

At the theatre, they went in the back way to join the rest of Summer Rose and the other two bands. The three techs were there with the cameras. They met the TV personality who would be the compere. He told them that the aim of the show was to create a ‘Coventry Sound’ catchphrase. The stage was already kitted out with four, two-hundred-watt Marshalls, a drum kit and two Nord Electro 6D keyboards. Gina and Willow, already having Nord’s, helped the other two keyboard players with the settings and short-cuts.

Then, it was G-Force to open the show. They played their set as the sound engineers adjusted the mix, and the three techs took pictures and film. The TV crew were also finding the right sightlines without getting in the way of the audience. Willow sought out the stage manager and asked if he had flame or thunderclap units. He said that he did but had been told that the show was a gentler affair.

“We want to end the show with a bang. We’ll be playing something a bit louder than the rest, and would like it to have a flash, or a bang, as the lights go out when we end it. Then the lights come back, and we’re all lined up across the stage.”

“Sounds like a real rock concert. I’ll get some set up before you play, four all right?”

“Should be enough. We don’t want to frighten the kiddies, do we. Watch me, I’ll nod to tell you to set them off. After tonight, you’ll know when. Make it five seconds for the lights to come back tonight. If we’re not in place, we can vary it tomorrow.”

She got the other ten together and told them the plan, stressing that they were going for the final line placement inside five seconds, but not to fall over anything by rushing.

Peter was there and came over to them.

“What are you lot planning now? Every time I see you, you seem to grow. How many more do you plan to add?”

“We’re at the maximum, for the moment, Peter. We’re just discussing the final moment of our set. We’re setting up to end with a bang.”

“As long as the set doesn’t sound like a school concert. I would have liked to see the sets before this, but things got out of hand. You do realise that your shares will be reduced from this month with the extra four getting one share between them, so you had better make sure you use the extra players whenever you can. The income from this show will be part of that. Without Marcus to set up future shows, I hope that you have someone else to work with.”

“We’ll look into it, Peter. We have something for most weekends, and I think that the record company would like to have a say in what we do. I have a feeling that they may want us to re-record the Other Side album with all of us. It would fill out the sound.”

“You do what you want, Willow. You usually do and haven’t had a misstep yet. Even at the low commission, you’re still making me richer, so I’m happy to join the ride.”

She saw Clive and a couple of others, so went over to him.

“Hello Clive, come to see the others?”

“Yes, and to introduce my boss to the Coventry Sound. Are you ready to knock our socks off? This group are very good as well.”

“I think we’ll give you enough to make some plans. We’ll be finishing with a track from the Other Side, going out with a bang. Please be free to tell us, tonight, if it works. We were just talking to Peter, and he was wondering who we’ll get to organise performances now that Marcus spat the dummy.”

“We can allocate one of our girls to work with you while you’re the favourite of the day. We can co-ordinate a show with local sales campaigns and work with the big stores. You won’t be able to do anything while at school, though, would you?”

“We could do lightning visits, say a Friday night show, followed by Saturday morning in the store. That will allow us to play our normal shows in the evening. Actually, the club manager is considering hiring this band, which will give us some free Saturdays.”

“Sounds good. I’ll get her to contact you. Her name is Jill and has a good handle on the main outlets and markets. I think these have finished. I’ll have a word with them. I’m keen to hear what the Hikers sound like now. The big hit was only saved by the novelty of the organ track.”

Willow was smiling when she went back to the others.

“What are you so happy about, friend?”

“We’re getting a company assistant to set up shows and shop visits. We may have a quick flight to play Friday night, then be in a store on Saturday. I’m not sure how well it would pay but will push the album sales.”

“You never stop organising, do you? As Peter so aptly said, I’m happy to be on the ride.”

They relaxed as the Hikers played. Racheal came and sat with them.

“Rick is almost hard to live with at the moment. He’s worried that this show will either launch the band’s new direction or sink it.”

“There’s a group from the record company here tonight. They seem happy to be here and Clive told me that he’ll have a word with the G-Force after their set, so, if Rick gets spoken to, you can take it that it’s a launch.”

“How’s your album going?”

“A quarter of a million by Sunday night. I don’t know how many during the week. The hype may have come and gone.”

They looked on as Rick and the Hikers lifted a notch or two. When they finished their set and came off stage, Clive and his companions were talking to them. Summer Rose went up on stage, and waited while the stage manager had a crew setting up canisters on spigots on the edge of the stage. When it was clear, they started their set, revelling in having more volume with a more powerful PA system and the bigger amps. They repeated the set that they had played in the second half of Saturday night. Then let loose with ‘Sparks of the Tempest’ making all those gathered in the stalls look up. When they reached the last part, they ended with a bang, quite literally as Willow violently nodded her head. And then the lights went out. Five seconds later, they came back and all eleven were across the front of the stage.

When they were back in the stalls, Clive came over to shake some hands.

“Now, that woke some up. I hope that you’ll give some warning for the actual shows. My companions are doubly sure that they want to get behind ‘The Other Side’. Do you think that you may have enough material for an original album after the first one?”

Herb was smiling broadly.

“I have some songs in the same vein, but I was unsure if they would be suitable for Summer Rose.”

“This will be ‘The Other Side of Summer Rose’ and will attract a whole different market. When you have enough for an album, tell Jill and we’ll set up a recording session.”

Willow went to see the stage manager, who said that the effect was as good as he’d seen, and that it would be set up for the other nights, perhaps adding a couple of extra canisters. Peter caught up with her.

“That was as good as it gets, Willow. You have that band ready to take on the world. I hadn’t been sure about the Other Side until I just heard it filled out. The extra instruments really add something. Just keep on doing what you do best, I’ll be less dismissive in future. The band will be famous, mark my words.”

Just then Clive clapped his hands.

“Gather round, good people. There are a couple of people from the record company who want to say something.”

Two of the men who had been watching everything closely stood in front of the stage and the others sat in the stalls or stood. Clive had been away while they gathered, and came back with a suitcase, which he put on the floor in front of them. One of the men spoke.

“Good evening, I am the Chief Finance Officer of the label, and this gentleman is the Chief Executive Officer. Before we get on with what we came for, I have to say that we have been totally smitten with the new Coventry Sound. All bands performed brilliantly. G-Force and the Hikers are certain to have album launches before the end of the month. Well done, and well deserved.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 5

There was applause, and Willow glanced to Peter to see him smiling broadly.

“Now, to what we actually came to do. We are pleased to announce that the Summer Rose album, ‘Journey into Womanhood’, as well as the DVD, both achieved Gold Record status yesterday. Not only that, but, because we bundled the first album, ‘Coventry Carpentry’ in the initial sales, it has also achieved the Gold Record status as well. It’s been a rush, especially after I was told that the band is an eleven piece now, but we would like to hand out these Gold CDs, mounted with the details on a brass plaque. Please come forward. Willow.”

There was applause as Willow received three awards, followed by Gina and the five others. The four wind players got two each for the ‘Journey’ album. Xavier was busy taking pictures, while Dave and Frank filmed it. Then the CFO smiled.

“We have a few awards left. It’s very strange to be giving these out tonight. Normally, awards like this go to established professionals. Tonight, though, we have two awards for each of the three, highly skilled, schoolboys who recorded and filmed the album and DVD. Come forward, Xavier, Frank and David.”

Geoff grabbed Xavier’s camera and recorded his friends as they received the Gold CDs for the technical input to the album and DVD. They were all blushing but also glowing with pride as they were hugged by all the bands. All those who attended the school knew how deserved this was. After that, the theatre crew took over, to clean up and prepare for the opening night. Summer Rose went out to their people movers, with smiling security men. Sebastian commented that he knew that the album had been successful but hadn’t appreciated the band for what it was until tonight.

Willow sat in the vehicle, stunned as she looked at the three awards in her lap. So much, and so quickly. It was like a dream come true. Jacob leaned over and gave her a kiss.

“This is just the beginning, love. There’s more to come for us and the band. And I think it will be just the beginning for the other two bands as well. The next three nights will be amazing, just wait and see. I guess that pictures of us getting Gold records will be published. It doesn’t matter to me that it was all done tonight, it was good without a lot of pomp. Mum’s going to be shocked.”

“So is mine. I was joking when I promised Malcolm one for behind the bar, so I guess I’ll have to give him one on Saturday. I’ll give him the one for the DVD, because he can add a notice that it was filmed in the club. I have a copy with Mum’s original artwork to put up beside it.”

“School’s going to be pumped. I’ll donate one of mine for the Head to put on her wall.”

“Oh, yes. That’s going to get you a better grade?”

“Busted!”

Gina sat with hers, totally overcome with pride and appreciation. She put hers in her bag and turned to Willow.

“This has been the greatest moment of my life, friend. It would never have happened if we hadn’t met.”

“Nor for me, friend. Individually, we’re good, together we’re amazing, and with the rest of the band, we’re almost too brilliant to see without sunglasses.”

“Onward and upward?”

“You bet. Your mother’s going to be as shocked as ours.”

“You had better come in. I know it’s late, but I doubt that I’ll sleep tonight.”

At Jacob’s house, they went in, and he showed his parents his awards. All three were hugged by his mother and father. His father, ever practical, asked if this meant that the next statement might be bigger than the latest.

“Downloads and web activity will go down, but sales income will go up. It should equal out, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

At Gina’s house, they were both hugged by Maisie, with Willow finding it hard to get away. But get away she did, for the trip around the corner to her home, where the lights were still on.

“See you in the morning, Miss. It’s been a real pleasure tonight.”

“Thanks Sebastian. You may have to guide me to the vehicle in the morning.”

She got out and the front door opened.

“You’re a bit late, darling. Did something happen.”

“You could say that, Mum.”

The door closed, but Sebastian didn’t leave, just sitting with the window open until he heard a shriek from inside. The two security men high-fived and he drove away.

Friday morning saw the three friends red-eyed from lack of sleep. Willow had put the ‘Carpenters’ Gold CD on her desk, to hang on the wall later. It was the album that was the launch vehicle. The award for the ‘Journey’ CD was destined for the china cabinet in the sitting room, with the one destined for the club in her mother’s car, on the way to show at her work.

True to his word, Jacob had the award for the first album in his bag. He didn’t feel that he had deserved it. Also, he considered that as it was part of a school concert, the school was the best place for it to be displayed.

All three were quiet on the way in, and when they arrived at school, they went through to see if they could have a word with the Head. She saw, immediately, the drawn faces of the three.

“Is anything wrong, children? You all look like you haven’t slept.”

Jacob took a step forward, in front of the girls.

“We all had bad nights, ma-am. I expect that the others in the band are the same as us. It was a long evening, made longer by record company leaders who wanted to give us things. I’ve brought this one in for you to hang with your diplomas.”

He pulled out the award and gave it to her.

‘This is the Gold Record for the original ‘Coventry Carpenters’ album, re-recorded after the show here in the school. We were also given awards for the second album and the DVD.”

“This is very generous, Jacob. Are you sure that you want to do this?”

“I’m sure. I have two for the band now. As a matter of interest, Xavier and his friends got similar awards for the sound and vision of the DVD.”

“This is amazing. I don’t know what to say. It will make my night out at the Belgrade on Saturday more meaningful. How many sales does it take to get one of these?”

“Half a million. It took a week. We are all finding it a bit overwhelming.”

“I bet. Look, get along to classes. I’ll put the word out to the teachers to go easy on you today, and make sure that you sleep in tomorrow if you can.”

The three friends went off to the first lesson and did find that they weren’t called out if their attention waned. Lunch was another party, with some of the others bringing in their Gold Records to show their friends. During lunch, a lot of phones pinged. When opened, the messages were photos from the rehearsal and the award ceremony. By the afternoon, the whole school knew about it.

The band were hustled out to their transport and driven home. Willow had a sleep on the way. When she was dropped off, she stripped down to her bra and panties and got into bed for a couple of hours sleep. Wendy woke her in time to have a shower, dress and eat a sandwich before the transport was at the door again.

She had her new outfit on, and Wendy had given her extra work on her make-up. Sebastian told her she looked good and then they went to pick up Gina, who was also looking a couple of years older. Jacob was very smart in his outfit. When they arrived at the theatre, there was quite a crowd outside. The vehicles went around the back and parked with others. The three went in to join a large, and very excited, group of band members. The more they met, the more the three bands were becoming friends.

G-Force were up first, and the others had quick looks through the curtains to see the audience. To Willow’s eye, it appeared to be a mix of about half and half adult and teenager. The stage manager got the extra bodies off the stage, the band made sure they were plugged in, and they waited for the compere. He came out in front of the curtains.

“Good evening, Coventry! Tonight, you will be hearing, for the first time in public, three local bands with stella futures. Together, they are creating a new Coventry Sound. First up, I give you G-Force and the lovely Zara!”

The curtains opened and the show was under way. Summer Rose left the wings and went back to the dressing rooms, where they could hear the show from a speaker.

Herb grinned.

“You do look fine, Jacob. Where did you get the fancy gear. Gina and Willow, I can understand, but you?”

“The three of us did a fashion shoot and were given these. The shop has offered to send us things to wear at the other shows if we wore them tonight. I like it.”

“Well, it will make you stand out.”

“I think that we’re working on a plan for them to outfit everyone in the band, but there wasn’t time to get you all measured. I expect that when we play the charity dinner dance, we’ll all look a million dollars.”

They relaxed and listened as Zara and the Gees got the audience going. They wished the Hikers good luck as they went up to get ready for their part. Racheal joined them to listen to the performance. There was tremendous applause for the Gees, and the compere came out again.

“Our second band has already had a world-wide internet hit with their debut single, ‘Love and Marriage’, which attracted over two and a half million views inside a month. They have been a true ‘garage band’ up to now. Please give a big welcome to another Coventry band, Rick Sacks and the Hikers!’

He left the stage as the curtains opened and Rick and the boys hit their stride with the second-best song on the album, a string of catchy new songs, and finished with the hit single. There was applause, and shouts for more, but had another new song for an encore, the best of the new bunch.

The curtain closed and the compere was back again.

“This is the end of the first half of the show. We’ll be back in twenty minutes. The new albums by G-Force and the Hikers will be in the shops soon. Albums by our next band are available in the foyer. If you like the show, don’t forget to watch it on Band Spot next week.”

Racheal turned to Jacob.

“We’ll be off. Last night and tonight has been tiring, and the band need a rest before the show tomorrow. Best of luck with your set.”

She went to join Rick and the Hikers as they secured their instruments. By the time Summer Rose were ready to be on stage, G-Force had left as well, but not before Garry gave Willow a hug and thanked her for everything.

Jacob picked up his guitar and turned to the others.

“Looks like we’re the last line, guys and gals. Let’s get up there and show the crowd what entertainment is all about.”

They made sure that they were all ready and waited for the compere. As the noise of the audience abated, he came on to some cheers.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for. This band released an album and a DVD just over a week ago. Last night, they were presented with Gold Records for half a million sales nationally. They have played regularly at small dances for some months. Please give a big welcome to Coventry’s latest chart busters – Summer Rose!”

They had talked about the list as they waited and opened with ‘Finding a Friend’. Then followed what they had played the night before. They had been playing this music for a while, and it showed in the presentation. Willow made a few descriptive announcements as they went along. They ended with ‘Her Day’ and ‘Only Just Begun’. The applause was tremendous, and many were standing. The curtains closed and the applause continued. When the curtains reopened, Jacob stepped up to his microphone and the theatre went quiet.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends. We thank you for your appreciation of our music tonight. We will play an encore song. You’ve heard our sound tonight; it’s what we’ve done for a while. We do have another sound, and it encouraged our management to book us for a sixteen-show national tour this summer. We’ll be opening for Blastmasters.”

There were murmurs and laughter.

“I know. Sounds crazy. Before I joined Summer Rose, the band had worked on a cover of a concept album that had been released in nineteen seventy-seven. It was the end of the cold war period, and the album is about the advent of nuclear war wiping out humanity after the moderate and brainy leader dies, to be replaced by a bunch of power-hungry, land-grabbing dictators. It resonates with the world we now live in, and will be a future album, called ‘The Other Side of Summer Rose!”

He stepped back as the band ripped into several minutes of stadium rock. It was a full-on display of skills that had been absent for the rest of the set; wild guitar, manic keyboards, blasting wind. All eleven laid it on the line. The end went as planned, the canisters blasting on the final chord and the stage lights going out. When the audience got their vision back and the spots came on, the band was lined up across the stage, and bowing. The audience erupted with whistles, cheers and foot stamping.

They stepped back as the curtains closed, secured their instruments and left the theatre to go home and get a good night of restful sleep. In the vehicle heading towards Stoneleigh, Willow hugged Jacob and gave him a passionate kiss.

“I’m really proud of you, love. Today, you made the Head very happy, and you just gave a very adult and fitting introduction to ‘Sparks’. Will you do it Saturday and Sunday?”

“I will. Playing the album has made me think about the tightrope the world is on at the moment. It worries me, but our album may get discussion if the label treats it seriously.”

The three had a group hug as Jacob was dropped off, then Gina and Willow hugged and cheek kissed at Gina’s, before arriving at Willow’s home. The security men said ‘goodnight, see you tomorrow evening’ as Willow got out. Sebastian, for once, had nothing else that he could say. He had stood at the doors, with the rest of the security detail, and had witnessed one of the best shows he had ever seen. Tomorrow, he would see it again. He whispered “Love this job” as he drove back to the city.

Willow went inside, said a bleary goodnight to her parents, and went off to get ready for bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, and didn’t wake until after nine the next morning, in need of the bathroom. She showered and dressed before going downstairs, where she was hugged by her mother.

“You look better after some sleep, honey. Your father had to work today and took the CD award to show his office.”

“How did your work take it, Mum?”

“It was great. There were a lot of selfies taken with it and the boss took me and his daughter to lunch. They will be at the show tonight. I think that a lot of the faces you’ll see tonight are people you know, including us and Maisie. How was last night?”

“It was like living in a dream. The other bands were better than ever, and we stayed in the dressing rooms and talked. Herb has been writing songs in the rock vein but has been afraid to bring them to us, but we’ll be starting to move that way. We did one track off the Other Side as an encore and brought the house down. Jacob made a very adult introduction to it that you’ll see for yourselves tonight. I think that nobody left thinking that they didn’t get what they paid for.”

“What’s on the cards for today?”

“I need to go to the church to check tomorrow’s hymns, and then I have to see Malcolm in the club. Fancy a short stroll?”

“That would be nice. I’ll freshen up while you finish breakfast.”

A half an hour later, they walked, arm-in-arm, towards the church.

“Remember that morning when we heard the bells and came here, Mum. It seems so long ago.”

“Less than a year, darling. So much has happened. That morning started a journey, with all of us becoming integral in the village life. It’s changed the lives of more people than us.”

They went into the church to find Edie and her husband making sure that everything was good for the next day. Wendy stayed to speak to them, and Willow went up to the organ. She warmed up with some Bach, which had its usual effect of settling her. There were three hymns, which she heard the two women sing as she played. When she had shut down and went down to the others, Edie said that they were looking forward to the evening, as the Bishop had block booked seats.

“I hope that you all enjoy the show, Edie. Last night was good. The band is getting better every time we play, and the extra four wind players have brought an extra dimension. Eleven in the band will make it difficult with the logistics if we tour, but that’s what we are now.”

They walked over to the club. Malcolm was rearranging the bottles and restocking.

“Good morning, ladies. Lovely morning.”

“Good morning to you, Malcolm. You haven’t made room for the Gold Record yet.”

“I will when you give me one, young lady.”

“OK, how about this.”

She pulled the award out of her bag and put it on the bar.

“This is for the DVD, so I’ve added a raw copy of that here, with the original artwork on the cover, created by my dear, talented, mother.”

He looked at the items, reading the plaque.

“This is real. Not some joke?”

“Pinch yourself and check, Malcolm. We were given these on Thursday evening by the record bosses. There was one for the CD as well as for the first CD that was bundled in the first sales. Are you going to find room to display them?”

“You bet. They will be in pride of place by tonight. I’ll be at the Sunday show as Ashley will be filling in. It will be really special, considering that I watched the three bands on our stage. Sit down and have a drink, I’ll organise your lunches in a while. No doubt there’ll be some regulars in who will want to talk. What time are you going to the theatre tonight?”

“I’ll be picked up by our security detail about six, Mum and Dad will make their own way, picking up Maisie, I think.”

“And the Epstein’s, darling. We’re making a night of it, with a meal at the steakhouse on the way, so we’re leaving home about five.”

They sat and relaxed with their drinks and talked to the regulars as they came in. For Willow, it was a return to the real world and recharged her batteries for the evening. After the lunch, they walked home to find a box on the porch with a Francesca Fashions logo on. Picking it up, they went inside.

It contained two outfits, with a note pinned to each. One to wear Saturday, one for Sunday.

“I bet Gina and I co-ordinate.”

“There’s another note. It says that she enjoyed the show Friday night and wants the three of you as models for the summer and autumn ranges, including Brent and the two girls in the wind section. You had better go and try these on. Come down so I can take a picture of them and send to her.”

Willow went upstairs and put the first one on. It was certainly Saturday night in a nightclub, if you were there to find a man to take home. She came down to show Wendy.

“That makes you look like a model, the kind that appears in naughty films. However, as it will give you tremendous stage presence, whenever you stand up, it could work.”

Willow went and changed into the other outfit. It, too, was best described as sultry. The blouse was thin enough to show her bra, and the skirt, while a reasonable length, had a slit up one side to the thigh. After showing her mother, she changed into something comfortable and stretched out on her bed. She laid quiet, headphones on, working through the Moody Blues CDs. Last time they worked on them, they were looking for music that was more melodic than in your face. By the time she needed to get something to eat and change, she had some that were more rock and hadn’t been learned.

When she was picked up, nothing was said about her look, but both guys could hardly take their eyes off her as she went from the front door to the vehicle. At Gina’s home, she came out, trying to walk normally but restricted by her tight skirt. Jacob looked like a pimp.

Willow had Francesca’s phone number and called her.

“Madame, we’re on the way into the show and look like a pimp with his tarts. Can we come by your shop and get something else to wear. We’re thirteen years old, not twenty something and on the game.”

When she finished the conversation, she gave Sebastian the new address.

“Don’t break any road rules, we’re not on until after eight, but you’d better call the others to let them know we may be a bit late.”

When they arrived at the shop, Madame opened the door to let them in.

“I’m so sorry! I gave my assistant your sizes and told her to choose something that fitted rock stars. Come on in, we’ll get you something better.”

A half an hour later, they got back in the vehicle, with more normal, but still nice, outfits on, plus another for Sunday in a garment bag. As they left the shop, the Madame called out.

“Keep those and the other set we sent. You may need something sexy for a hot date.”

They arrived at the theatre while the G-Force were into their set. Brent gave Gina a hug and a kiss.

“I was getting worried. What happened?”

“You should have seen the outfits we were sent. It would have looked like a hooker’s convention. Willow phoned the supplier, and she opened up to give us a different look.”

“Did you get to keep the outfits?”

“Not the ones we were wearing, but we have another outfit that she sent for Sunday. If you’re a good boy, and it still fits, I’ll wear my original Sunday one for our first real date.”

The evening was better than Friday, with a noisy audience. The Gees and Hikers stayed for the second half, hearing The Other Side with eight hundred watts of amplification for the first time. Like the audience, the difference was something to shake your belief that Summer Rose was a soft-rock dance band. The bands, having their transport close by, were on the road before the audience, and the friends all walked into empty houses.

Willow spent her alone time stripping off and showering, then making a hot chocolate and sitting in the kitchen, quietly thinking about the time after Sunday night’s show. Would they be more popular, sell more merchandise, write more songs. More importantly, would the Other Side become the real band on stage, while maintaining the softer stuff for the dances.

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 6

Willow was still sitting at the kitchen table when her parents arrived home. She was swept up in hugs and kisses from both of them.

“Fantastic show, darling. It was a real treat. I saw the Bishop with the Russell’s and the Head, and they all had big smiles. The comments that I heard from others was all positive. A lot were shocked but excited by the last song. Did everything go all right with you? What did Gina think of her outfit?”

“We both looked like ladies of the night, Mum, and Jacob looked like our minder. I called Frankie the Ham, and she changed our outfits for what you saw tonight. If we had been on stage wearing what her assistant had supplied, there may have been a riot and letters to the paper about young girls looking like prostitutes.”

“I did notice that your outfit wasn’t the one you modelled this afternoon. I thought that the original one was a bit flirty, but what do I know about young girl’s fashions. You were right to complain, the Bishop would have been horrified to see his organists looking like that. You get yourself to bed now. I’ll give you a call for breakfast and then the church.”

Willow went up and got ready for bed. As she looked in the mirror to remove her make-up, she giggled at the thought of turning up at the Cathedral in the original outfit to play the organ. She laughed as she thought about it. ‘Hi, Bishop, I’m dressed like a tramp and I’m here to play your organ!’ She was smiling as she told her furry friends the joke and went to sleep.

Sunday morning was like so many Sundays recently. She went to the bathroom to do her business, shower and dry, then dust with sweet smelling powder and dress. They had breakfast and walked to the church, bells chiming as they arrived. The Reverend gave her a hug and told her how good the show was, with all three bands being great entertainment. Willow went up to the organ and played welcoming music. She relaxed as the church filled. She had to smile, as today’s sermon was about not honouring false icons, but to honour the one who stood above them. Reverend Russell finished by surprising her.

“In a conversation, the other day, I was advised that it is no good to make yourself an icon, but to help others to be icons themselves. To be seen as a person who helps others achieve their own level, without appearing to be one who thinks themselves as above them. I hope that you all look to me as just your spiritual guidance to the one that I follow. The one that we consider to be the icon above all.”

They sang the last hymn, and he came down to lead the short period of silent prayer. He looked up at Willow and gave her a wink as he turned to leave the church. As was becoming usual, by the time that Willow had turned off, tidied up, and left the church, most were over at the club. She walked in and there was a big cheer and applause. There, behind the bar, was the Gold Record, and in a frame beside it, the DVD with its distinctive cover. Under both was a properly printed sign that declared that the DVD had been filmed here, at the Stoneleigh Community Club.

She was hugged and kissed by a lot of smiling villagers. Make that smiling friends. Some had seen the show on Friday or Saturday, and there were many compliments for Summer Rose and the other bands. They ate lunch and sang songs with Willow on the old piano. This was the centre of her world. When she walked home with Wendy, there were tears in her eyes.

“They really like us, Mum. Not because I’m in the band, but because they just like us.”

“They do, love. If we had kept ourselves to ourselves, we may have been accepted in twenty years, or so. It’s been you able to play the church organ that brought this about so quickly. They know you, not the talented girl on stage. I suppose that they’re supporters, rather than fans.”

Willow relaxed for a while, and then went to get ready for the Sunday show. The outfit that she had been given was a simple sheath, adorned with small crystals that would sparkle in the spotlights. It was a deep blue, while Gina had a similar one in a very dark red. When she came downstairs, Wendy gasped.

“Darling, you look beautiful. Not only that, but it also makes you look older. Talk about being older, in three weeks you’ll be fourteen. Where do you want to go for a meal?”

“Gina has her birthday two days after mine. We were thinking of a joint party. Either the day in between or the Friday. We have a dinner dance in the club on the Saturday, so I was wondering if we could club together and take over the club, paying for it as a reception. We can get the Gees to entertain us and just have some fun. It might be hard to think of a list of two hundred and fifty guests, though.”

“Come on, my darling daughter! I’m certain that between you, you know at least that number. There’s the school friends, the orchestra, the choir. That’s not even taking in the ones outside school. The Village choir, Tom and Sally and her mother, the Bishop.”

“Hold it right there, Mum. What teenager who doesn’t have a father who preaches would invite a Bishop to a teenage party!”

“You could invite him, dear. He may think it too young for him, but, there again, he might be fun. He is a bit quirky. I’ll have a chat with Maisie and see what she thinks.”

Willow was picked up just after five. They went to the farm, Gina already being in the city and just finishing Evensong. Being alone in the vehicle, Willow and Jacob could cuddle on the way.

At the Belgrade, they had a lot of time before the others arrived and talked about the future direction of the band. Herb was all for moving into the rock scene, with occasional forays into softer music, and suggested that Willow should make the next Summer Rose easy-listening album as a Willow Rose (with Summer Rose) one, when she had enough material for one. Xavier came in and took some pictures while they were talking.

“Xavier. We haven’t seen much of you since the rehearsal.”

“We’ve concentrated on getting the audiences on film. It’s been great to take candid pictures and listen to the comments. It’s the pass around my neck that makes me invisible. We also took a lot of film of the concert, from the spectator point of view. Tonight, we’re getting back-stage shots now that you’re all relaxed about it. I’m hoping that you’ll let us into future performances. My Dad told me I should write a book about my experiences. He called it ‘The Sap Inside the Rose’. I’ve got all the raw material from your school concerts.”

“As long as you let us look at it first. If you hold off a while, you can add the shows with Blastmasters, that’ll be a bit different.”

“I’ll wait a few years until you’re international stars by that time. Although you would have probably forgotten me by then.”

Willow got up and went to hug him and kiss him on the cheek.

“Get it into your head, Xavier. I never forget friends, ever. There will always be a place for you, Frank and Dave. If we lose touch, never be afraid to call if you need anything.”

“Thank you for that, Willow. What are the plans for the rest of term?”

“There’s a sing-along at the club next Saturday, the concert in the Cathedral the weekend after, a dinner dance at the club and then the big charity do at the football club to finish the month. June has yet to fill up, but we’ll be having an assistant from the label to help us stay in the public eye.”

As the rest of the band arrived, the conversation turned to the money that they had earned. Jacob explained about the property syndicate and that it would be for commercial property only, with purchases being in full there would be no mortgage payments. By the time that the other two bands had finished their sets, Brent, Roy, Victor, and Herb had agreed to put in three hundred thousand each, with regular payments of a hundred thousand as they continued to be earning. All agreed that they needed to set up their own companies with their parents as co-directors.

Gina had changed into her stage outfit and the two girls looked like stars when they went on stage. The two girls in the wind section had also taken a lot of care with co-ordinated outfits. The compere did his last introduction and told the crowd that it had been a privilege to be here in Coventry. The show was good, the crowd were appreciative, and the encore produced its shock and awe. The other bands had stayed, so once the Summer Rose had bowed, they came out from either side of the stage and the whole show were applauded.

Gina picked up her bag with her Cathedral outfit and went home with Maisie after a group hug. Willow and Jacob went to their vehicle and went home. Ashley and Wendy were waiting for Willow when she arrived, and they sat with a hot chocolate before she went to bed.

“What now, my darling daughter?”

“The concert in two weeks. The fallout from these shows. It will be interesting to find out how much we ended up with. We didn’t go to the foyer so didn’t see what they had on sale.”

“There was a stand from the music store, one with pendants and posters, and one with your CD and DVD, now without the other CD packaged. There was another one taking advance orders for the G-Force and Hikers releases which had a line waiting when we looked.”

“That’s good, it’s well deserved. Before we went on stage, the other guys agreed to set up companies and put three hundred into the property syndicate. That will give us an immediate two point one to get it going. That should leave me with enough to help pay this house off.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s my home, Mum. It’s part of the property idea. I know that I’m not old enough to go on the deeds. It does give me somewhere that will be my rock. I’ll need a rock if this life gets any crazier.”

Next morning, she was picked up by the security men, hopeful that the week was going to be as normal as possible. Of course, all those students who had been to the show wanted to meet and greet, as well as the teachers. Normal lessons weren’t totally disrupted, but lunch was like another party. A lot of the girls throughout the school were wearing the rose pendants.

Back at home, with a whole evening ahead of her without anywhere to go, Willow caught up with her emails. There was one from Peter to all the bands, complimenting them on a great show. There was another from the estate agent with a copy of the building report and their invoice. Willow read the report, which only had minor items to be improved, mainly to bring the property up to current safety standards. She went into her own company account and paid the bill, seeing that she had been the one to ask for it. The agent had told her that the vendors were happy to sell if she upped the offer to four hundred and twenty, as long as the payment was in the next two weeks. She answered him to tell him that the payment would be made before the end of the week and to let the tenants know that the upgrades would be made, and to book contractors in when the property had changed hands. She asked him to now look around for larger premises, with a limit of one and a half million. The reply was sent, with the seven band members cc’ed to show the others that things were happening.

She emailed Peter to transfer three hundred thousand to the WR Holdings account, with Jacob and Gina cc’ed to let them know that the process was being started.

Next morning, Gina told her that she had asked Peter to transfer three hundred and fifty thousand to the business account that her mother already had. Jacob said that he had asked for the same amount to his new company account, and that Summer Love would be in existence by Thursday. They told Sebastian that the pickup would be later as they would be playing the entire concert for the performance in two weeks. At school, it was Gina playing the organ for chapel, then the day was a lot quieter.

At lunch, the other band members told them that the company paperwork was being created. Geoff came over and told them that they were on track to have the CD and DVD from Stoneleigh on the market in week, at the same time as the Hikers. He had been told that it would be a joint release, along with promotional displays with the Summer Rose albums, as a ‘Coventry Sound’ in conjunction with the Band Spot show.

That afternoon, the orchestra and combined choirs played the entire Cathedral show. Mister Bamborough told them that the Cathedral Concert will be on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, with all three performances close to sold out. They would be taken to the venue on Friday afternoon, for setting up and a complete performance, with the BBC getting set up and the sight lines. Because of that, the orchestra session for the next week would be cancelled.

Brent was taken home first, and then the three went to Stoneleigh. At Jacob’s home, Wilhelm came out and gave Gina and Willow copies of the paperwork that had been set up for the syndicate holding company, along with details of a bank account that he had seeded with some of Jacob’s money. Jacob said that he would forward the details to the other four. Wilhelm, now semi-retired, told them that he would be available to transport them if needed. He said that he might buy a minibus and bill the company for it.

That evening, Willow emailed her accountant’s details, the real estate agent’s details, and transferred three hundred thousand to the new syndicate account. She knew that she was putting the accounting into Wilhelm’s hands, but, as an adult with some time on his hands, she thought that he would be very committed to his son’s welfare, and, by association, the band.

On Thursday morning, Jacob reported that his father had checked the account, seeing that Gina had put her share in as well, so paid the four hundred and twenty thousand to the agent’s trust account, getting a receipt in return. They would need to meet at the property, to talk to the tenants, which was set up for Friday afternoon after school. They would meet his father and the agent there, and his father would bring them home. They told Sebastian where they needed to be and that they would be taken home on Friday. She told her parents that she would be late on Friday and would take them to the steakhouse after she got home.

On Friday morning, Jacob reported that he had negotiated with his parents to buy the barn where he would live and would be paying a peppercorn lease for the right to reside. He would also own the second unused barn, which he planned to make weatherproof and concreted as a garage for the minibus and any other vehicles that Rick and Racheal would need.

The music lesson that afternoon was another session with the mixing desks. This time, they had to remix an acapella vocal piece with six voices. Again, the majority were right, with just two who were slightly out. At the end of the lesson, Mister Jamieson told them that this had just been an introduction to mixing. If they wanted to take it further, the entire sixth year music studies were mixing and recording techniques. As the class were leaving, Willow went to see him.

“Excuse me, sir. I got both mixes wrong. I was wondering why?”

“It could be a lot of things, Willow. You have been involved with an orchestra for a long time. You may listen to headphones loudly, or it just may be blockage in the aural canal. I suggest that you get an appointment with a hearing specialist. Your settings were inside a couple of percent of the normal, so it can’t be anything serious. Good show on the weekend. If you play at the level of the last number, you will have to go and see the music store to get proper stage buds, which deaden the real sound but gives you the final mix in your ears.”

She caught up with the others and they were taken to the property, joined by the others in the band. Wilhelm was already there, talking to the agent and the owner of the tenant’s business. When the two people movers arrived and seven teenagers got out, the manager had an odd look on his face until Gina and Willow stepped down. Sebastian gave them a wave and drove off.

“Are you guys telling me that my new landlord is Summer Rose? We went to see you all on Sunday night!”

Willow went over and shook his hand.

“I’m Willow Rose, that’s Gina Summer, and the guys are Jacob, Roy, Herb. Brent and Victor. We’re pooling our earnings to buy property and ensure that we don’t end up on the street after the hype dies. This property is our first, and I looked at it before the release of our second album. Have you looked at the building report?”

“Yes, it was interesting.”

“If you engage a contractor to make the changes, we will pay the bill through the estate agent. Any problems, let us know. Lease payments remain as usual through the agent. We’ll stay out of your way.”

“All very good, Willow. I’m gratified that our new landlord is more prepared to handle the upgrades that I put to them a couple of years ago. Have you looked around?”

“A couple of us had a look before we made the offer, but it would be nice if the rest of the band could see what they’ve got involved with.”

Willow and Gina stood outside with the agent as the manager took the others on a guided tour. The agent put his hand in his briefcase and pulled out some papers.

“These are the papers for this property. When Mister Epstein comes out, he can sign as a director of Summer Love. I’ll get it all through the usual process and send a copy to him at the farm. When he signs, he will get a set of keys and security codes, in case of an emergency. Now, you asked about other properties. There is one in the range that you specified, but it’s in Leicester.”

“That would be all right. What’s it like?”

“It’s three separate buildings around a parking area. Two are warehouses and the third is a two-storey office block. Total site is nearly sixteen thousand square feet, or about eight times the footprint of this place. The asking price is one and a quarter million and there is a tenant at that one with two years into a five plus five lease. They are a distributor for one of the on-line sales companies, working twenty-four seven. It’s another agency that is handling the sale, but I would be happy to handle the tenancy details if you buy.”

“When can we see it?”

“Let me check.”

He pulled out his phone and rang the other agent, putting it on speaker. There was a conversation with the other agent asking when the customer wanted to see the property. Willow said, quietly, ‘Tomorrow morning’.

The appointment was made for ten the next morning. When the others came out, the manager locked up. The four guys left in the other people mover and the manager waited while Wilhelm signed the papers and received the bag with keys and codes. The four of them shook hands with the smiling manager and left in Wilhelm’s car.

On the way, Willow asked him if he was doing anything on Saturday morning.

“Not especially, Willow. Have you got something in mind?”

“We were just given details of a bigger property in Leicester. We have an appointment for ten tomorrow.”

“How big and how much?”

“Sixteen thousand and one point two-five.”

“Just the four of us?”

“For a first look, yes. I have to go to the Cathedral in the afternoon so it will be a preliminary visit. I have a picture and an address in The Saffron Way Industrial Estate. It’s currently a distribution centre and the rent is a hundred thousand a year.”

“That would be an impressive addition to your portfolio. I’ll pick up Gina at eight-thirty and you after. Leicester isn’t that far away, so we should be there in plenty of time.”

“I’ll send you an email with a scan of the paper tonight. Our agent said that he would be happy to handle the tenancy details.”

“Of course he would, adding his cut of the take without doing any work.”

“We all have to make a living, Mister Epstein.”

He dropped Willow at home, and she went inside.

“How was it, dear?”

“The group now own an industrial building and made the tenant happy that we’re prepared to do the upgrades required by law. Mister Epstein is picking me up tomorrow morning to look at a place in Leicester. It’s over a million but we’ll have enough in the syndicate to pay for it by the end of the week.”

“You have no idea how strange that sounds.”

“I know, but it will give the band some income and collateral later on.”

She went upstairs to change, scan the paper and attach it to an email to Jacob to give to his father. Then, nicely dressed, she joined her parents, and they went to the steakhouse where they were becoming favoured regulars. They were given a good table, and in view of most of the restaurant. Wendy mentioned that this was different.

“Look around, Mum. You’re sitting with someone who’s been in the papers. Over two and a half thousand people were at the Belgrade last weekend. What’s the odds that there are some here who saw the show. I have a pen and a texta in my bag in case anyone wants me to sign something.”

She was right, as a few teenagers came over to ask for an autograph. One girl had a nice top she wanted signed, so Willow picked up her texta and went over to her table, asking her parents if it was all right to sign the top. Her mother said that she would happily buy another one, so Willow signed the top and gave the girl a hug, before coming back to her own table. Before they left, the manager asked if she would stand for a picture that she could sign the next time she came.

The next morning, she had breakfast and dressed in a casual top and denim skirt, waiting outside to be picked up. The trip to Leicester didn’t take long, and they arrived at the site with fifteen minutes to spare. Wilhelm drove around the industrial estate so they could see what else was happening. When they got back, there was another car with a man standing next to it. Wilhelm parked beside it and they got out. The agent looked at them.

“Brought your family for a drive out, I see.”

“These are your clients, sir. I’m just the driver at the moment. Do you want to show us the property?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll introduce you to the duty manager, Mervyn Halcroft, and he can show you around.”

They went into the office and met the manager, who got them to wear hi-vis tops as the site was a working one, with electric fork-lifts operating. The agent went to sit in his car to wait. First, they were quickly shown the office building, where only the ground floor offices were used.

“We’re distributors. We get bulk deliveries, usually on pallets, and store them in the building across the other side. In the building at the back, we assemble shipments, and we have small trucks coming to take those away.”

“What about upstairs?”

“Mainly unused, young lady. Don’t I know you?”

“If you went to the Belgrade last weekend or have a record-buying child. We’re Summer Rose, or some of it.”

“We went as a family on Sunday night. Great show. What would you use the upstairs for?”

“I was thinking as a home base if we go further with the band. Somewhere where we could keep records, make plans. The label is sending us a liaison girl, and it may be a good place for her to set up.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 7

He took them upstairs and showed them the large office that overlooked the car park and the road, with toilets, a storage room and lunchroom. It was all dusty from lack of use.

“If you want to use this and we have closed the office downstairs, we can give you a key and code. The other buildings are open all the time except public holidays.”

Then, they went outside to the back building, where they were told to stand to the edge of the open area in case a forklift came in. It was a large open space with plenty of light.

“This is where store the fast-moving items and assemble the outgoing shipments.”

They looked around, noting the lunch area and toilets to their left. He then took them to a longer shed, with a lot of racking for pallets of goods.

Willow gazed around and then looked at him.

“It’s longer outside than inside.”

“Well spotted. This site was originally built as a fruit and vegetable distribution centre. I’ll show you the space that you can’t see.”

They walked to the far end of the racking, where there was a corrugated iron wall and a set of double doors. He opened one and they went into the next space. There was a workshop and a number of charging stations for the forklifts. Beyond it was a solid wall, with a high-speed roller door. He hit the button and the door shot up. Inside was a long, dark space. He put the lights on.

“This was originally the cool store. The current owners won’t remove the wall or the cooling unit. We just use this front part for the forklifts. It goes all the way to the back of the building, with a roller door and another door to the back lane. The space is about forty wide and a hundred odd feet long. All the walls have the original insulation. The current owner used to keep caravans in there. That was another one of his businesses.”

“You don’t use, or need that space?”

“No. We can easily cope with the current space because our turn-over of product is so quick. Do you need to use it?”

Willow looked at her two grinning friends.

“Rehearsal space and recording studio. We just need to build a soundproof entry with a door big enough to take amps and take away the lift-up door. Can we go right through?”

He flicked a switch under the light switch.

“That locks the lift-up door.”

They walked down the room, noting the mess, a couple of older forklifts, and some old caravan chassis parts. At the other end was another lift-up door. He hit a red button and the door shot up, to reveal a room big enough to take a couple of cars, and the outside wall with a barred window and a set of double doors on one side, with a similar space the other side that had been boarded up, leaving a single door.

“That is the way to the lane down the back. It’s just wide enough to swing a small caravan on the jockey wheel. He couldn’t get in from the other end because of the racking. I never had the keys to this entry. If you’re coming in this way, you have some parking, but it isn’t huge. If you shortened the cool store, you could create more parking. You could put a soundproof wall inside the cool store and create a rest room and then a control room with the recording and mixing. There’s a hundred feet of space, so you could close off the wall at the other end, lose fifty feet and still end up with a decent recording studio.”

The three friends and Wilhelm smiled.

“What do you think, Mister Epstein?”

“I love it. You get an investment property and a secret rehearsal space, already insulated. OK, there’s work to be done. If the cooling is on a platform on the roof, we could replace it with a reverse-cycle system to keep you hot or cool. It would need to have a baffled set of airways to allow you to be in it for some time. We would need to install some chemical toilets as I didn’t notice any water taps. Is it possible to link with your water lines, sir?”

“Yes, not a problem. The toilets in the other shed back on to this one. We could put a tee in and pipe water into here, with another pipe to the sewer. I doubt that you would use much water. The cooling unit has a big capacity power supply that you could tap off of and run the power to points inside using plastic tubing.”

“Sir. If we make an offer and it’s accepted, we will use another agent to take care of the tenancy, probably on new terms. We will need to discuss this further, but I expect that we will offer you a reduction if you allow us access to the upper offices and this space at the back. We will remove the cooling system and create a separation between your workshop and our part of the space. We will be able to work from this end, so we don’t mess with your operation. Now, don’t say anything to that agent in his car. As far as he’s concerned, we looked and will be in touch.”

“Not having to deal with that guy would be a bonus.”

“We may be in touch to let the rest of the band have a look. They’ll be part owners if we buy.”

“Anytime. I’ll have a list of needed repairs for you to look at, with estimated costs. If you ask me, the current owners are on the shady side, and haven’t kept up with my requests.”

They backtracked and turned the lights off, closing the door. Back in the open air, they shook hands with the manager, took his business card, and went towards their car. The agent was reading a saucy novel in his car. Wilhelm tapped on his window, and he got out.

“See what you came to see?”

“We did, thank you. The buyers need to talk to their partners before they decide. We will contact you in a week or so if they want to make an offer.”

“The price is set.”

“There is a very large amount of unusable space in that shed, which will take a couple of hundred thousand to turn into usable space. It wasn’t noted in the paper we were given. The offer will be for the whole building, and the current owners will lose the use of that space, if they did expect to have access without permission. Talk to them and expect an offer of something less than one and a quarter.”

“What about settlement period?”

“If they accept the offer, settlement will be inside a week.”

They got into the car and Wilhelm drove back towards Stoneleigh.

“Even without the prospect of a studio, that’s quite a good investment property. The tenant is riding the wave of on-line sales, which is unlikely to drop off for years. If he does need to shrink, you could still let him use the one big shed and clear the long one for car parking. That way, you could brick up the back entry with just a fire escape door and use the back area as a storeroom. If you get dropped off at the front, you could walk into the place from that end.”

“We need to get quotes on the building changes and the installation of the studio.”

“You will, Willow. If I were you, I’d replace the roller door to that workshop with a wall, an entry, and put the restroom and toilets at that end, then the control room, with the playing space at the far end. That way, you can replace the roller at the far end with soundproof double doors, so you don’t have far to carry heavy amplifiers. That way, you won’t have to demolish any walls. I expect that there might be a lot of asbestos in them, considering the age of the building.”

“We’ll need to talk to a specialist door company to replace the doors to the lane with something secure.”

They thanked Wilhelm for taking them, when they arrived at Willow’s house.

“Look, you three. You’ve given me something to think about other than farming. It’ll be something to think about when Rick and Rach take over. I’ll be happy to be your unpaid assistant with the properties. It will get me out of the house. Rosalie may even get involved. We’re too young to be relegated to bingo and card afternoons.”

“You’re on, Mister Epstein. We’ll just have to see how it pans out. If we go back with the band, we’ll arrange it for our security team take us there in the people movers, straight after school. We should be able to show them what we need to in almost the same time as a long orchestra session.”

Jacob said that he would ring Herb to see if he would be able to talk to the others.

She went in to have lunch with her parents.

“How was it, honey?”

“Good, Mum. The investment is sound, but there was a surprise.”

“Oh? Something bad?”

“No. Good. There’s one of the buildings that’s very long, and the tenant doesn’t use half of it because it’s built as a cold store. He doesn’t mind us using it, as it has access to a rear lane. We were discussing the ways we can turn it into a permanent rehearsal room and recording studio, so we don’t need to use the school, or the club all the time. It already has insulated walls, so would just need acoustic tiles to make it soundproof. It looks, at the moment, like the answer to our prayers. We’ll have to organise for the others to look at it after school. Possibly next Tuesday if Sebastian and his mates will drive us.”

“Well, it will be a band need, so should come under their contract.”

In the afternoon they went into the city to check the organ music. The Dean was back and greeted them.

“Good afternoon, ladies. I have some good news for you. Our usual organist is back in the country with his son transferred to a specialist unit in Birmingham. If my maths is correct, we have Gina next week and you will finish the contract the week after. We’re all grateful for your help and for improving the size of the congregation. He will take the next couple of weeks to see a few of his family and friends but will be here in two weeks to thank you, himself. Do you think that Gina will be able to join you on the Saturday?”

“I’m sure she’ll be happy to come in. We start the school holidays that week. Will he be coming to the concert next weekend?”

“I don’t know. It would be good if he can. I’ll have to check and get him a couple of seats.”

Willow went up and got settled, warmed up with the Bach and played all the hymns and songs for Sunday. When she came down, the Dean came over.

“I called him, and he didn’t know about the concert, so I’ve organised tickets for him on the Sunday evening. Good job you reminded me.”

Wendy drove them home, where they changed to go to the club. Ashley had gone earlier, and they joined him there. They had dinner and people were going through to the back room as they ate.

“Aren’t these people a bit early, Dad.”

“It’s seems the normal thing, lately. Malcolm is back there with the booking list to make sure that there’s nobody who hasn’t booked.”

They were joined by Gina and Maisie, Jacob and Racheal, and sat while everyone had their dinner. Ashley was told about the property and their thoughts for it.

“I wondered what you would get up to with that money. If you get seven properties, each one of you will get a steady return.”

“So will the tax office, Dad.”

Still chuckling, they went through to the back room and the three went up on the stage to conduct the sing-along. They weren’t allowed to leave before they had sung some of the hits. Most of the crowd sang along with the Carpenters, and most of the women sang along with ‘Her Day’.

On Sunday, Willow and Wendy were at the Cathedral for the morning service. They went to the music store in Birmingham to see the manager and ask about the purchase of their own set of amplifiers, suitable for a rehearsal room, and came away with prices. They had a quick lunch at the Bullring and were back at the Cathedral for Evensong.

They stopped at the club for dinner, and then went home. Willow got on to the rest of the band and proposed a visit to view the property on Tuesday after school, asking them all to tell their parents that they would be late home but with the usual security detail. That evening, she sat with her mother to watch Band Spot, which featured the first two bands. The compere announced that the two albums would be in the shops on Wednesday, and that the next week’s show would be Summer Rose.

On Monday morning, she asked Sebastian if he would drive them to Leicester after school on the next day to look at an interesting property, and if the other crew would be happy to bring the rest of the band. He said that it would be a pleasure and called the other vehicle on the radio, to find out that they were happy, and had already been asked by Herb, the first pick-up. At lunch, Willow asked Xavier if he wanted to come along and cast his eye on a project, telling him that he would be taken, and brought home, by their security. He said that he would let them know in the morning.

She also spoke to Geoff and Zara, in a large group of students who had seen the program, to congratulate them on the record deal, and then went to the members of the wind section to get their email details, now that they were going to be part of the band.

She went to the afternoon lessons, thinking about the size of Summer Rose now. It started at two, went to three, then four, then seven, and now eleven. The newer members were Bryan, who played both tenor and alto saxophone; Edward, who played French Horn and tuba; Vivienne with flute and pan pipes, and Nancy with trumpet and trombone.

After school, she rang Mervyn at the property, telling him that the whole band would be with him about five the next day. He told her to expect a lot of his staff to want photos with them. That evening, she added the wind section to the team and sent them a welcoming message as now being officially members of the band. She knew that they would get a real shock in a few weeks when they got their first statement, having just being paid by the club.

Tuesday, on the way in, Willow and Gina agreed on making the last Friday of the term as the night of their birthday party. They agreed that Willow would send out an email to the whole band inviting them and their parents. If they all came, that would be more than thirty there without other friends. They would talk about it on Wednesday at the choir practise.

Xavier said that he was able to join them, and the afternoon dragged. Finally, the school finished and both vehicles were on the way to Leicester. When they arrived, there was a good half an hour of selfies before they were able to show the others the real reason for the visit. Xavier wondered why he was along for the ride until Mervyn put the first roller door up and put the lights on. They all went inside, and Willow asked them to stop and listen.

“This was built as a cool store, so is fully insulated, with a cooling unit on the roof that we think can be replaced by a reverse-cycle system. At the moment, we’re not thinking of removing any walls. The door we just came through will be removed with the space bricked up and insulated, with just a single air lock door which we would use if we warned the tenant we’re coming. Where we’re standing will be fitted out as a rest room, kitchen and toilet block, piggybacking on the water and sewerage from the next-door building. Power will be brought in from the cooling section, if we can. Further on will be a control room with the mixing board and recording equipment. There will be a stud wall between the two. There will be a door to the studio section, which will go to the far wall, with a soundproofed door to the room beyond. That has an area behind it big enough to park a couple of cars. There is access to the lane outside, but we’ll need to fit secure doors instead of the old wooden ones there.”

The rest of the band explored the space, with Mervyn going to the other end to put the roller door up. Willow stood with the four security men and wondered what her friends would think of the plan. Sebastian cleared his throat.

“May I say something, Willow?”

“Of course, Sebastian.”

“We have a contact who makes specialised security doors. What do you want down the other end?”

“When we get ownership, we need to break the outer doors down. We don’t have a key and the doors are only wood. I’d like some input, but something steel, with locking pins, that opens inwards. There’s not enough space in the lane to get enough speed to ram raid them, and we want to retain the unobtrusive look. Perhaps one side which can be extra secure, and an opening side that has a few pins that engage. I’m thinking of fire escape doors with a ‘No Parking’ sign on the outside.”

Max grinned.

“That’s well thought out. I used to be a builder. What are the walls?”

“I expect that they are an outer brick, with wood or steel frame, heavy insulation filling, and a heavy board inside. I’m worried that the filling may have asbestos. This was a cool room, not a refrigerator. We’ll put a stud wall between the rest room and control room. The wall from the control room to the studio will be a lot of soundproof triple glazed glass and a soundproof wall. That’s readily available from the installer of the equipment. Where the roller doors are, we’ll copy the original wall. We’ll add a layer of soundproof tile to the studio section, with the electrics and other cabling in channels.”

“That has had a lot of thought. You would have been in a recording studio, so you know a lot more about it than I do. You will need an architect to draw it all up and submit for building approval. I expect that the main thing that you’ll have to prove is the lack of escaping sound.”

“Yes, we’ll need to consult with a sound specialist to design the air inlets to minimise that. I’m worried that it may be a bit airless when we play, so that might need some extra input.”

“You sound like you’ve made your mind up.”

“I did when I first saw it. There’s the whole upper floor of the office that we can use. It can be the base for the designers.”

The roller door at the far end went down and the others came back. Willow thanked Mervyn for his help and told him that he would be contacted later. He gave her the list of problems that needed to be addressed, and she passed that to Jacob to show his father. The group went out and stood in the carpark.

“Hands up all those who think we should buy the property and turn this into a recording studio?”

Every hand went up.

“Thank you, friends. I’ll send out team emails to keep you up to date. We will be using Jacob’s father as our point man. He is a director of the syndicate and has offered to help us in his retirement. Time to go home, see you tomorrow.”

They got in the vehicles and drove back towards Coventry. Xavier sat next to Willow.

“Thank you for bringing me today. It’s been great. I’ll investigate the mixing and recording units and get back to you. I expect that it will be a couple of months before that’s installed. Will you be advertising for an operator?”

“We’re not doing this as a place where we record others, Xavier. There’s not enough space around here for more than a couple of cars. No, it will purely be a Summer Rose and friends rehearsal and recording studio. Will you be happy to run the board when we get serious? We will also need Frank and Dave and will pay by the hour, along with listing on everything we issue.”

“Are you kidding. A chance to run something as up to date as you can get. I’d ride my bike from home to get here! What will you put into the studio?”

“I thought four or five, hundred-watt Marshalls, a grand piano, a proper organ rather than a keyboard, drums, and whatever else we think of at the time. I liked the sound that we get from the glass harp, and Brent will have a load of different percussion which he’ll want.”

It was a very happy Xavier who got out at home, and Sebastian drove the others back to Stoneleigh. When Jacob got out, he said that he would tell his father of the decision.

The next day, Sebastian had a card from the door specialist, and Max had a card for a builder who specialised in renovations. The lunch was more subdued, with nothing spoken about the visit to other students. The trip home was quiet as well. It was if the property and the project had made the whole band realise that this was getting serious.

That evening, Gina and Willow planned more of the party. Gina was going to email Peter to book G-Force to play for them, Malcolm was told that they would book the back room as if it was a reception, and to organise enough birthday cake for two hundred and fifty. Willow mentioned that they should invite the Russells and the Bishop. The choir was invited, that evening, along with Tom and his family. Willow had some of the friends she had made at school, like Dianne and Barbara. Gina knew a lot more. The ended up with a likely list of just over two hundred.

Back home, Willow related what they had decided to her mother, who told her that she would organise invitations to be printed for delivering next week. In all the excitement, Willow had almost forgotten what would be happening from the next day, the concert in the Cathedral had arrived.

Thursday, school threw up one surprise. Willow was named as Goal Defence on the netball team and given a note for her mother. The school had arranged for the sports supplier to organise two sets of netball outfits for each member of the team and the reserves. The coach would take them from the school on the Tuesday and Wednesday and drop them back there at around normal school times. They were asked to make sure that the first set they wore had been cleaned, in case they were in the semi-finals on Thursday.

Later that afternoon, the orchestra were taken out to two coaches and followed the truck with all the instruments to the Cathedral. When they arrived, there was a couple of OB trucks and a load of cables snaking into the Cathedral. They all helped place the chairs and the music stands on a raised platform, then placed the instruments in next to the chairs. The two Yamahas were brought in and connected to the power and linked to the PA system, with only the speakers at their end of the building used. Willow looked around and then went to Miss Russell.

“Miss Russell, a moment, please.”

“Yes, Willow, what is it?”

“At school, I practised the first item on the Yamaha, then stayed on it for ‘Carnival’. Here, I expect that they’ll want me to play the organ.”

“Ah! I think you might be right. If you start up there, solo, you’ll have to keep out of sight until we’re ready for ‘Carnival’. I suppose that you could take your place during the applause. Let’s talk to Howard about this.”

They went over to where Mister Bamborough was organising the cello pads.

“Excuse me, Howard. Willow has just brought an oversight to my attention. If she’s up with the organ for the first item, she’ll need to be able to join the others for ‘Carnival’. She’ll need to stay out of the way if we do ‘Danse Macabre’ first. If you point to first violin for special applause, she can slide in to sit at the keyboard.”

“That will mean that you’ll be playing solo in the standard black dress, Willow.”

“I don’t mind, sir. I keep telling others that we’re all part of the orchestra, just doing something special. I can spend the whole evening in the black dress. I know that the Bishop would probably want me to stand out, but if I stand out, then Gina should as well. It would look funny with the two of us in gold dresses in the middle of all that black.”

“All right. Hilda, let Gina know what we’re doing, and why. Then call the Head to let her know.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 8

The orchestra started to sort themselves out, get comfortable and tune up. The school choir came in, having stayed to the end of the day and being brought by the two people movers. When Yvonne was heading for her place, she stopped by Willow.

“I just met your driver, Sebastian. He’s quite a hunk, you lucky girl.”

“I’ve never noticed, Yvonne. He is very helpful and could be described as good looking.”

“Says the girl who he takes home at night.”

“But, Miss Yvonne, he has a chaperone in Max. We’re never alone!”

Giggling, Yvonne joined the school and the Cathedral choirs and sort out the spacing of the chairs. The sound man from the BBC went up and spoke to Mister Bamborough, who stepped onto his rostrum and called for silence.

“Listen up, everyone. When the BBC have set out their microphones, they want us to do a sound check. They’re using the camera positions from last time and just need to settle on an initial mix. When they’re ready, Willow will play the first item, then remain at the organ to play the last movement of the symphony. Then we can go home if it’s considered good. Tomorrow, all the girls have the long black dresses, and all the boys with blue shirts and black slacks, with no sports shoes, please. There will be a tea in the lunchroom and then you can change on Friday. There will be a pick-up by two coaches starting from five on the other two days.”

Willow went towards the stairs, passing Jacob helping the double basses set up. Now he was in the orchestra, he was roped in to help out, and would be in orchestra uniform on performance days to help with ushering duty. He stopped what he was doing to give Willow a quick kiss. She went up to get the organ ready and played Bach for a few minutes until she saw the technicians walk away from the orchestra. She looked down at Mister Bamborough, who was standing with a man with headphones. The man nodded and she got a wave to start playing.

She did the movement of the ‘Seven Variations’ that she had played three times before on this organ. It struck her that she may be asked to do another encore. When she finished, she looked down as the man with the headphones listened, and then gave a thumbs up. Mister Bamborough stood on the rostrum, tapped his baton and pointed to Abbie, who stood and took the others through the tuning regime. When she sat, he raised his baton and Willow concentrated on the reflection of him in her mirror.

As the baton came down, she launched into the last movement, with a blast of sound that was very satisfying. As they played, she could hear the orchestra doing what they did best. At the choir part, the twenty voices were magnified twice, and the words echoed through the Cathedral. When they finished, she sat as the technicians agreed that they had got it right. Then she turned off and went down. The orchestra and choir were going back in the coach, while the four friends were taken to one of the people movers to be taken home.

On the way to Brent’s house, Sebastian called out.

“I’ve been told that we’re bringing you home on the next three nights, so that you’re not wandering the countryside in a nearly empty coach. They’ve given us tickets to the show, so all of us will be hearing you. What I heard tonight was impressive.”

After Gina was dropped at home, Max turned to Willow.

“We’ve seen you play pop, stadium rock and now the classics. At all of them, you’re at the top of the rankings. It started as just a job, taking teenagers around. You’ve all made it the best job we ever had. Your manager has contracted us to the end of term, so we’ll be seeing you all until the end of July.”

“Thank you, Max and Sebastian. How would you like to bring your partners to our birthday party, in the Community Club tomorrow week? It’s just around the corner, opposite the church. It starts about six-thirty.”

“We would love to. They’ve been getting on our backs to get autographs.”

She went into her house and had a bite to eat after changing. In her room, she hung away the gold dress that Wendy had pulled out to relax and pulled out the black dress that she had bought to take part in orchestral events. She told her mother of the change, as well as the fact that the usual vehicle would be bringing them home, so would be earlier than wandering around the countryside in a coach. Her parents had tickets for the Saturday evening, along with Maisie and the Epstein’s.

Friday, school dragged. Lunch was a bunch of excited orchestra players, and after the lessons, they all went to the lunchroom to have an evening meal. Afterwards, they all went to their lockers to change. They assembled at the school entrance and were ticked off a list. It wasn’t far to the cathedral, and they all went in. The four friends took their bags with them, leaving them in the Chapter House. Jacob was excited to be part of it all, even if he wasn’t playing. He went off to report for duty with ushering.

Willow, Gina, and Brent went out to make sure that their positions were right. Gina and Willow made sure that both Yamahas were set to grand piano, and then Willow went up to make sure that the organ was ready to play. The leader stood and took them through a tune-up, then they all went into the Chapter House to wait to be led out again. They tried to relax, but it seemed as if it was forever before the door opened. The leader led them out to take their places with polite applause. Willow went to stand at the stairs. After the choir had taken their places, there was another tuning session. Mister Bamborough came out, to applause, gave her a tap on the arm, and she went up to the organ to settle down. She looked in her mirror until there was quiet and the conductor nodded. After the Allegro movement, there was applause and she stood to look down and bow. Then the conductor turned to the orchestra and tapped his baton. The noise died and then they played the ‘Danse Macabre’ as Willow came down the stairs and stood out of sight.

When that ended, she walked quickly to the keyboard as the leader was stood to be acknowledged. Gina held out her fist and they had a quick fist-pump. Then the baton was tapped once more, and they were into the ‘Carnival’.

The two Yamahas, through the PA, was easily the dominant sound when they were playing. Zara was magnificent with the Swan, and the whole item was as mocking, and as playful, as the composer had wanted. When they finished, there was good applause and some cheering. The orchestra had to bow three times, with Gina, Willow, and Zara picked out for their own input. When they left the floor, they all went to the Chapter house, where there was a line-up for the women’s toilets until the gents were finally empty, which made things move quicker.

All too soon, they were getting ready to return. Mister Bamborough held Willow back until the leader had finished the tuning and sat down. He took Willow’s hand and led her out, as the orchestra rose, and the audience applauded. She left him at the stairs and took her place at the organ. He tapped his baton for quiet, then led the orchestra into the first movement. All Willow had to do was wait until her input was needed, a gentle intrusion in one of the movements. Her time came in the last movement with that blast of sound. When the choir sang, she looked at the camera and sang along.

When they reached the finale, there was a few moments of silence until the conductor turned to the audience, then there was cheering and applause. He motioned for Willow to come down and stand with him. The orchestra was standing as she walked towards the podium, and it seemed as if the entire room was applauding her. She bowed with Mister Bamborough, as the orchestra bowed again. Then he led her towards the Chapter house with Abbie leading the others behind them. Jacob and the rest of the school helpers were already there, and he gave both Willow and Gina hugs.

Miss Russell called out to remember to be at the school at five on Saturday to be on the coach. Jacob rounded up Brent and the girls.

“I saw our transport park before the show. I’ll take you out if you grab your bags.”

The girls had their school outfits in the garment bags, while Brent had his in a cymbal bag. Jacob picked up his backpack and they waved to Miss Russell on the way out. The public wasn’t using the door that the players were, so they were able to get outside easily. At the transport, a suited Max was there with a woman about the same age.

“Hello, you lot. Ready to go home?”

“You bet, Max. It’s been a long day. Is this Mrs. Max, then?”

“Willow, meet my wife, Jasmin. Jasmin, this is Willow Rose, the organist, Gina Summer, one of the pianists, Brent was on percussion, and Jacob plays guitar, so wasn’t playing tonight.”

They got into the vehicle and Jasmin turned to speak to them.

“So, you four are the Summer Rose Quartet that made the Carpenters album?”

“We are. The band is now eleven of us. Four of our wind players are also in the orchestra but don’t get the sort of service that we enjoy, yet.”

At Brent’s house, Gina got out with him, and they shared a kiss before she got back in. At Jacob’s house, Willow got out and they did something similar. On the way to Gina’s home, Jasmin asked if they did that every night, to be told that it was only for special events and was likely to happen again over the weekend. At Gina’s house, both girls stood and hugged.

“See you at the Cathedral tomorrow, friend. Mum’s taking me in for the practise, so we’ll be in town.”

On the way to Willow’s home, Jasmin asked why Gina was going to be already at the Cathedral.

“She is taking her turn on the organ Sunday, for the service and Evensong. Saturdays, we go and run through the entire list, with the choir there to sing. Often, there’s quite a crowd of sightseers that sing along. It’s quite a happy occasion. I’ll be doing it for the last time on the next weekend, and then their usual organist is back in the seat after that. We’ve been alternating for about fourteen weeks.”

At her home, she bade them goodnight and unlocked her front door, going in and getting undressed. She hung the black dress and went to cleanse, before putting on a nightie and gown, going to the kitchen join her parents with a nightcap before falling into bed.

She was allowed to sleep late on Saturday and woke refreshed. She dressed casually and went to the church to check out the hymns. Reverend Russell greeted her.

“Good morning, Willow. My sister rang this morning to pass on her appreciation of your performance last night. She told me that the TV crew were happy with the result, and that they will still be there tonight for the live performance. She asked me to tell you to have an encore handy, and that they would like you to do the national anthem at the very end, then get straight down to stand beside Howard.”

“All right. I’ll see what I can find. Something simple for tomorrow, I hope.”

“On the keyboard.”

She went up, fired up ‘Old Betsy’ and played through the hymns, all something she had played before. She went home and turned her laptop on to look at something by Saint-Saens that would be good for an encore. She found a piece called ‘Elevation ou Communion in E Major’, written in eighteen sixty-five, which she found fascinatingly simple. There was also ‘Benediction Nuptiale in F Major’, written in eighteen fifty-nine. Both were simple keyboard pieces that ran about six minutes.

She downloaded both sets of music and played them on her Nord. By the third time, she could play them without needing the music. She went back out and to the church. On the way in the reverend popped his head out of the tearoom.

“Back again?”

“I’ve found two early works by Saint-Saens which I want to try on the organ. They’re both good to play before or after a service as they were both written for a church organ. Tell me what you think?”

She went up and turned the fans on again. He went and sat in the pew nearest the sweet spot and waited. What he heard was his organ playing something so sweet, it brought tears to his eyes. Both pieces were, to him, wonderful. With one, he could hardly breathe. When Willow turned off and came down, he hugged her and the tears in his eyes told her everything that she wanted to know.

“Will either one be good after the symphony and before the King?”

“They will be good at any time, Willow. If the Bishop isn’t crying, then I’m buying you lunch tomorrow.”

She left him and walked over to the club, to join her parents for a lunch. In the afternoon, she played the two pieces again a couple of times and the anthem to make sure she had it right. Then she got ready for the performance, starting with a shower. Sebastian picked her up, wearing a suit, with his wife, Andrea, next to him. She was a hugger and already had a CD for Willow to sign. At Jacob’s house, he got the same treatment, as did Brent.

At the Cathedral, Gina was already there and got the hug and signing treatment, looking at Willow, who just shrugged. They said hello to Maisie and then went to the Chapter House to wait for the others. Miss Russell was there already.

“Do you have an encore, Willow?”

“I have, Miss Russell. It’s a very early church piece by Saint-Saens, gentle and a good intro to the anthem.”

“All right. As long as it fits. I had thought that you may do one of the other movements from the ‘Seven Variations’.”

They relaxed as the rest of the orchestra arrived and checked their instruments that had been stored there overnight. Jacob went off to do his duties. Gina leaned close to Willow.

“At the beginning of term, I never knew that Jacob played the guitar, never thought that he would have the nerve to play publicly, let alone tell important people where to go, even it is showing them where to sit. He has constantly surprised me.”

“He has only found that he can do these things by trying, Gina. I could say the same thing about you last year. You found the bravery to try things, and then found the inner woman.”

“All thanks to you, my friend. Without your own abilities to lean on, I would still be nothing.”

“You would never have been nothing, Gina. You would have broken free of the chains sooner or later. I just helped it be sooner. I’ve invited our security guys to our party, by the way. They’ve become friends with seeing them so often. Sebastian impressed Yvonne as a hunk, but I can take his wife or leave her.”

“She is a bit full-on, isn’t she?”

“I doubt that she’s met girls with a gold record before. It’s just being a fan. When we go out for signings, we’ll meet a lot more like her. Being huggable is something we’ll just have to accept.”

Mister Bamborough came over to them.

“Willow, I’m told that you have an encore that fits the occasion.”

“Yes sir. It’s a very early opus written for use in a church.”

“I’ve brought in the scores for the anthem. When the audience is applauding you after you play the encore, I want you to stand and bow. When you sit, Brent will give a roll on the timpani’s and the whole orchestra will be playing along with you. As soon as it finishes, come on down to be with everyone for a final bow.”

“Understood, sir. We just need to get enough applause to warrant an encore.”

“We live in hope, Willow, but we’re increasing the number of voices for the choir so give that last movement everything you’ve got. This is going out live, tonight, and the BBC will be gone tomorrow.”

The orchestra settled down, had comfort stops, and then lined up to go on stage. Willow, at the end of the line, spoke to Yvonne.

“The hunk has brought his wife, tonight. She’s a celebrity hugger but seems nice enough.”

“I guess that’s the price of fame, fortune, and adorability, Willow.”

The doors opened and everyone except Willow and the conductor walked out, with applause greeting them. They settled and went through the tuning.

“Good crowd tonight, Willow. Lots of important people.”

“That’s good for the school, isn’t it, sir?”

“Very good. Now, let’s go and entertain them.”

He took her hand, and they walked out to applause. He paused for a moment before letting go of her hand. He went to the rostrum, and she went up to the organ, making sure that it was all set. The audience settled and the baton was tapped. He nodded to Willow, and they were off on the wild ride that is performance.

The first half went as expected, with more appreciation than the previous night. After the break, they repeated the process to be in place. The orchestra started playing before Willow needed to add her input. With the last movement, she hit the keys rather than pressing them, and the orchestra played with added energy. When the choir came in sounding like sixty voices, the movement ended with a rush of energy that seemed to leave a vacuum as it ended. The applause was deafening, and the conductor picked out the stand-out players before pointing up at the organ.

There were calls for ‘More!’ and Willow turned to sit. The audience sat and quietened. Mister Bamborough was waiting to be surprised by what Willow had chosen, expecting something intricate and flamboyant. What he heard was a gentle wave of sustained notes that fitted the surroundings perfectly. He looked at the audience, many with their eyes closed, and a few crying quietly. When Willow finished, there was silence for several seconds, then the audience were on their feet. Willow stood and bowed, Mister Bamborough turned to the orchestra, baton raised. When Willow sat, he brought the baton down to start the anthem.

Those who hadn’t stood, now did, and they sang with gusto. At the end, there was cheering, and Willow walked from the stairs to join the conductor, with Abbie, the leader, on his other side. A grinning Jacob came out of the Chapter House with two sheaves of flowers, giving one to Willow and one to Abbie. Then, with Howard leading, they all left the stage to go to the Chapter House.

Tonight was different. Everyone was extra excited by what they had achieved. The teachers knew that they had produced a memorable evening of TV viewing, confirmed by the Head when she joined them to hug everyone in sight. She was followed by the Bishop, several local politicians, members of the local council and a few celebrities.

The Head, mindful that there was a room full of young teens, made sure that they were allowed to leave to get on the coach and get some sleep. The four friends left, with Willow carrying her flowers. They saw Sebastian and the three went to him after the girls had a hug, Gina going off to find her mother. In the vehicle, Willow gave Andrea the flowers as a short-lived keepsake, which brought on a long hug. Then they were taken home. When Willow got out, she told the couple not to forget the party on Friday night, then unlocked the door and went in.

She was home before her parents, so went up to her room to undress first, giving the black dress a sniff. She hung it on a hook and pulled out a similar one to wear on Sunday, then stripped off to have a shower before dressing for bed. Her parents had arrived, and she was hugged and kissed when they saw her, then they all sat in the kitchen with hot drinks while they raved about the performance, with Ashley checking the recorder to see that he had captured it on disc.

Sunday morning, the church was filled with villagers who had watched the show, and Willow was hugged, almost to death. At the club, it was a jolly group that watched Gina perform at the Cathedral for the last time. Willow hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time for either of them. They had lunch in the club and Willow and her mother walked home.

“That encore, love. I’ve never heard it before. It was so sweet and seemed to surround us all with love.”

“It’s his Opus Nine, Mum. I came across it yesterday. It’s called the ‘Nuptial Benediction’, so I expect that it had been written for some special marriage at the time. It’ll be handy if I do more weddings.”

She pottered about, asking Wendy if she could take the dress to the dry cleaners on Monday. Then she showered and dressed to be picked up for the final performance. She felt proud at what the orchestra had achieved. When it had been announced that they would do the concert, it had seemed like a giant hill to climb. Now, they had reached the top of that hill, with a bigger one beyond it in the form of the Messiah.

Jack, one of the other team, picked her up today. His was a bit older than the usual team and called her ‘Miss Rose’. His wife was called Emerline and a bit shy. Willow tried to thaw them out with chat, and, by the time they picked up Jacob, they had broken the ice. He knew where to go to get Brent. Emerline wanted to know where Gina was, and was told that, about this time, she would be on the Cathedral organ playing for Evensong.

When they walked in, the first person to come over was Sally.

“Hello! Hasn’t this been great! I never thought that I would sing in here, but Dad told me that it would be good for my development. Mum’s here tonight, to hear me and enjoy the concert. Last night was a real blast! Dad told me that we’re invited to your party next Friday. What should I bring?”

“Just yourself, Sally. I don’t need anyone to give me things except love and their presence. Do you know if Chris, the usual organist is here?”

“He was here last night with a few of his friends. He said that there were a few other organists that he knew and has been getting in touch with them. Dad had to pull a few strings to get them seats.”

“The Dean told me that he would be here next Saturday when I come for the practise session. He told me to make sure I bring Gina as well. I expect that he wants to thank us for holding the fort while he’s been away.”

They moved towards the Chapter House to wait for the start of the show. They found Gina, having just changed into her black dress.

“How was it today, friend?”

“Really good. Several people wanted to tell me how good the concert was. Mum went home as I started Evensong. Are we doing the ultra-ending again?”

“We’ll need to ask that, but it did work well. Dad recorded it but we haven’t watched it. One thing that Sally reminded me of. The usual organist is back and was here last night. I’ve been asked to bring you with me when I come next Saturday. You’ll need to check in the church in the morning, then come to mine. I’ll get Mum to drive us in so we can get some lunch and look in the shops before we come here.”

“All right. I’ll tell my Mum. Do you think that the others have invited their drivers to Friday night?”

“I doubt it. They are all boys, after all. I’ll talk to Jack on the way home. Thinking about the party, I wonder if we could give all the women who don’t have a pendant one as a keepsake. I like the idea of handing out gifts, rather than receiving.”

“That would be nice. If we go halves on a hundred and fifty, we’ll have plenty to hand around later on. I’ll get Peter to courier them to my place, seeing Mum is usually home. What did the gold chain ones cost?”

“I think that it was ten pounds each. I still have a few. You’ll find out on the next statement.”

They saw Mister Bamborough come in and went over to ask if they were doing the mega-finish again. He grinned.

“That’s something that everyone will be upset about if we leave it out. I’ll set the rest up for that before we go out. That was one of the most amazing encores I’ve ever heard. It should never have worked after such a loud symphony, but it did. What was it?”

“It was a Saint-Saens piece, his Opus Nine, and called the ‘Nuptial Benediction’. I found it when I was looking for something of his to play. There was another, about the same length, but that was even more sleep-inducing.”

“I wondered if it may be a good opening item at the Proms, so that it settles everyone down. It sounded simple enough for you to play on their organ.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 9

When Willow and the conductor followed the orchestra after the tuning, she saw that the place was as packed as it had been on the two previous nights. For her, it was sit and repeat; for the audience it was all new and wonderful. There was good applause with each item, and her passage back to the Yamaha was much easier without all the cables.

The symphony was as good as before, with the last movement as strong as the Saturday night. The encore and the anthem did what it needed to do. When the four friends got in the transport, Willow gave her flowers to Emerline, who had softened enough to give her a hug. Gina asked Jack if they had been invited to the party on Friday, and he said that he hadn’t.

“Willow and I both turn fourteen this coming week and have decided to have a joint party at the Community Club on Friday evening. There will be G-Force entertaining us, but we can’t promise not to want to be on stage. No presents needed. Let your partner in the other people mover know that he’s invited as well.”

After Gina had been dropped off, Willow pointed out the club as they passed. Saying goodnight to the couple, she got out and went inside. He parents were still up, and she stripped and got ready for sleep, then joined them for a hot drink before going off to bed.

Monday morning, she found it hard to wake up, but was ready to go when Sebastian arrived. He was almost too chipper but made her smile when he told her that she had sounded like the thunder god on the organ. Gina was also bleary-eyed, but Jacob was as bright as a button. Gina asked Willow what she was doing on her actual birthday. Willow told her that they would probably go to the steakhouse for dinner.

At school, Miss Russell told them to go to the theatre and wait with the others there. They found several of the orchestra sitting in the seats. There was some hi-fiving and they waited until the rest of the orchestra and the choir joined them, joined by the teachers and the Head, who stood in front of them.

“There were some representatives from the Proms concerts there on Saturday evening, and they were very impressed. We will be working on a number of popular classics for our spot, all of which you already know. The feature piece will be the ‘Organ Symphony’ you did last week, and I know that the Grieg, the Rodrigo, and possibly one other will be the first half. It starts at seven-thirty. It will show the school in a good light and will also give us time to start on the Messiah, which will be filmed and shown on Christmas Eve. There will be a rehearsal in the Albert Hall one day before the end of this term. Keep up the good work and you’ll all be getting solid marks for your music speciality. Now, your first lesson is waiting for you. Good work on the weekend and thank you for your dedication, all of you.”

They all went off to their first lessons, where there was a smattering of applause in several classrooms. Lunch was another party, with a lot talking and smiling. The afternoon was as normal as usual. On the way home, Wilhelm came out of the farmhouse when they arrived. He put his head into the vehicle.

“I’ve made an offer on that property. I offered one point one, based on the cost of remediating the cool store. I’ve also been onto my farm insurance agent, and he has quoted me for the landlord insurance on the first property, which was good, and I paid. I showed him the papers for the one in Leicester and he’ll get back to me.”

“All good Mister Epstein. Just email a note to the syndicate and add it to the balance sheet.”

When she got home, she asked her parents what they had planned for the next day.

“But you’re having your party Friday, darling. We haven’t planned anything.”

“Not even dinner out at the steakhouse?”

“Well, I suppose we could do that, couldn’t we, honey bunch.”

“Didn’t you ring them on Saturday when I mentioned it?”

“Oh! Yes, I did. I forgot all about it. Sorry, love. We do have a reservation there.”

“Oh! You teasers! You had me going then.”

That evening, before dinner, they watched the TV show that had been recorded. Willow had to laugh at some of the comments from the compere during the breaks. What was interesting was that during the break, they replayed some of the Christmas show, the last movement of the Choral. She was named, on air, as the organist, as well as being a stand-in at the Cathedral. No mention was made of Summer Rose. After dinner, they sat to watch Band Spot, which was all Summer Rose and a lot of well-known stars talking about the wonderful new sound out of Coventry.

Tuesday was Gina’s turn in chapel, with Reg telling Willow how proud he was of her performance at the concert, especially the encore, which he said was played with a delicate touch that would attract a lot of attention from other organists.

At the orchestra session, they were told that the Proms evening, being restricted to three and a half hours, would just be opening with the Rodrigo and then the Grieg that they had already practised. The second half would be the Saint-Saens, as it’s uplifting finale fitted what the Proms was all about. They played the Rodrigo and were given an early finish.

The four of them sat in the reception area to wait for Sebastian. Jacob was excited.

“I can’t believe that we’re doing the Rodrigo on TV this summer. It’s a dream come true.”

“Have you noticed that three of us have leading spots? Jacob up first, Gina with the Greig, and me on the organ in the second half.”

Miss Russell joined them.

“I overheard you realising our master plan. You’re right, Willow. Of all the Proms that I’ve seen, very few have a soloist from within the orchestra. We plan to have three. Each of you have just the one job on the night, and that’s to do your part as best as you can. We will expect you to be wearing something to make you stand out from the orchestra, who will be in blue for this.”

“What about the choir, Miss?”

“After you have rehearsed the three items, I believe that you’ll be auditioning for additions to the choir for the Messiah. We’ll see if we can boost the choir for both events, seeing that we have a lot of current first-years who haven’t put their names forward to join. The Head has sent out a message to the best of previous choirs, asking for volunteers for the tenor and bass soloists. This year has been one of the very few that we’ve had without male voices. And there’ll be a new crop of firsts next term, a lot of young ladies with pure voices. The applications to study here have been the most we’ve had, mainly due to the exposure that you and the band has given us.”

The people mover pulled up, and the friends went and got in. On the way to Brent’s house, Jacob joked that it was unfortunate that the great masters never composed anything with a drum solo. Brent laughed.

“That may be so, but while you only get one spot each, I’ll be there in all three. However, I will miss my friend beside me on the triangle.”

On the way south, Max asked what spots they were talking about.

“We’ve just been given the plan for our performance at the Albert Hall. It’s the Monday evening of the last week of the Proms in September. Jacob is playing a guitar concerto, Gina is on the grand piano playing Grieg, and I’m on the big organ with the Saint-Saens.”

That evening, Willow and her parents had a nice meal at the steakhouse. They gave her a necklace and earring set with emeralds. The post had brought a card from her grandparents with a loving message, but nothing, as usual, from Oxford. When their waiter found out that it was her birthday, he gathered the other serving staff around their table and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her, much to her embarrassment and the resulting queue of other diners coming up to wish her a happy birthday as well as getting selfies.

Wednesday was a normal day, with the choir in the club that evening. Tom was getting them singing more complicated items, with a lot of hilarity and satisfaction when they got it right. Gina and Willow shared the organ duties.

Thursday, Willow was given a sheet of instructions for the netball carnival during the holidays. It would be held at the Mosely Tennis Club in Birmingham, with the four grass courts covered with a temporary wooden floor. The clay courts will be covered in a tarpaulin and marquees erected for changing rooms and eating areas. They were warned that the shower facilities were not large, so expect to end the day being smelly.

The team would be playing four games a day, in a round-robin format with a point for a draw and two points for a win. There were thirty-two schools entered, so they would have played half the number. The top four from each half would be playing off in the finals. As there were five classes by school year, that would be a lot of games being played at once. Willow was in the second-year team. They would leave the school by coach at eight-thirty, so Wendy would have to start work a little early for a couple of days.

That evening, Gina was going to Birmingham for dinner with her grandparents from her father’s side, who she really only met on her birthdays. She confided to Willow that they would find a very different fourteen-year-old this visit. She also confirmed that a hundred and fifty pendants had been delivered.

Friday was the music class, and the first time with the Gamelan instruments. There were a lot of percussion choices, and they spent most of the time trying out different drums and bells. Mister Jamieson explained the differences with Gamelan structure and normal orchestra structure, and they all had a session in playing a four-four beat, led by Brent. At the end of the session, it was explained that they would play a simple piece based on the basic rhythm, but then would overlay it with their own input.

“Most of you are musicians, so I expect that by the time we end this segment, at the beginning of July, you will be able to play an original piece to the Head and other teachers. Every piece that has been produced by these classes has been original, so I expect that you’ll add things that only you can create. Now, have a good week and wish our netball teams every success in Birmingham.”

That afternoon, the three friends were dropped off, all saying “See you tonight” as they arrived home. Willow went in and went upstairs to strip and shower. Tonight was going to be a big event for her. It was her first proper birthday party and having over two hundred invited guests made it very special. She had put on her underwear when her parents arrived home and dressed in the white dress with blue edging that she had worn before, last year. It made her feel special. After she had brushed her now full hair, applied make-up and put on the new necklace and earrings, she went to see how her parents were in getting ready. When Wendy saw her, she smiled.

“You look more like sixteen than fourteen, love. Just try and make sure that you don’t spill drink or ice cream on that dress. Are you excited?”

“I am, Mum. It’s a big event for me, my first real birthday party. I hope that it will be a lot of fun.”

The family walked to the club. Malcolm was setting up.

“Fabulous show on Sunday, Willow. We were absolutely blown away by the second half. I’ve heard you play here on a Sunday, but that organ was something else again. It made my insides shake. It must be satisfying to play.”

“It is, Malcolm. The sound isn’t so bad at the keyboard, as the pipes are directed outwards, but I have to admit that I’ll miss playing it after next Sunday.”

She walked through to the back room and stopped in her tracks. There were streamers all over, the tables all had a big candle in the middle, surrounded by covered plates, except for a few near the stage. She walked over to look. On one, were three boxes with fifty pendants each that Maisie must have brought over today. On another was big stacks of plates and eating utensils. But, between them were two tables that had full-size copies of the two Yamahas, even down to the white and black keys. Malcolm came up behind her.

“What do you think? One of our helpers has a daughter in the city who specialises in custom cakes. The base is a straight sponge and cream layer cake, and the icing is dyed to suit, with one set of keys made from white chocolate and the other with dark.”

Willow turned and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.

“I love it! As well as the rest of the room. I think that we’ll have some fun tonight. I see that you pulled out both organs. Do you expect some of us may want to have a play?”

“I know you, young lady. Any chance you get to play never passes you by. We’re having a little party here on Sunday morning, straight after church, to watch the stream of your last turn in the Cathedral.”

“Never say ‘last’, Malcolm. Who knows what’s around the corner. I know that I’ll be playing violin the next time we have a concert there, but the original organist is back, and he doesn’t have any holidays left. When we get to cut the cake, we’ll be handing out pendants to all the ladies in the room, so make sure that all those in the kitchen come out to get one.”

Gina and Maisie came in, with Gina in a stunning black dress with sparkles. Maisie commented that when they stood together, they looked like a black and white keys on the piano. Slowly, people started to arrive, and the room filled with talk and laughter. Brent and Gina stood and kissed, followed, not long after, by Willow and Jacob when he arrived with his parents.

Zara and G-Force arrived and went onto the stage to set up. The Hikers all arrived after Rick and Racheal. All four of the security detail came with their wives, followed by the school group; the Head, all three Russells, Mister Bamborough and Mister Jamieson with their wives, with the Bishop with Tom, his wife, and Sally. All of the band arrived, in dribs and drabs, with their parents, as well as a large contingent of schoolfriends with their parents. The last to come in were the Village Choir, Margaret and her two friends, and, finally, Peter and his wife. Ten minutes later, three men walked in who Willow didn’t know had been invited. She wasn’t about to ask Clive, the CFO and the CEO of the record label to leave.

When she did get to talk to them, they all congratulated her and the school on one of the best concerts that they had been to, especially the drama of the last movement, followed by the quiet air of love that followed it.

The covers on all the plates were taken off, to reveal nibbles, crisps, small cakes. The girls from the kitchen brought out hot pies, pasties, and sausage rolls for everyone to grab. The bar was handing over free drinks and the party was a lot of eating, talking and laughing. Eventually, Malcolm, acting as the emcee, stood by the cakes and called for silence.

“Thank you for coming tonight. On behalf of Willow and Gina I must say that it’s a good turn-out. I call for the birthday girls to come forward and each cut one of these cakes.”

The two came forward and picked up two knives. Xavier, who had been snapping photos most of the night, took up pride of place in the midst of a lot of phone wielding friends. They cut through the center of both cakes and the crowd sang ‘Happy Birthday’ including both names. There was a line-up to be served a portion of cake.

When everyone was quiet, Clive walked out to the front of the stage and put a suitcase where one cake used to be.

“I think that there are some in this room who know what’s coming. On the soundcheck evening before the three great shows, we had the great pleasure in giving all of Summer Rose and the three from the technical team Gold Records, one of which I saw nicely displayed behind the bar. I would like to take a few minutes of your time. We have the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive Officer to make an announcement or two. Those with cameras should be ready.”

He stepped aside as the other two came and stood beside him. One opened the suitcase and the other spoke.

“Good evening, I’m the CEO from the record label that all three of the bands in this room are contracted to. Last time I was in their presence, I gave out gold records to Summer Rose. Since then, G-Force and Rick Sacks and the Hikers have released albums, with a very good showing on Band Spot a few weeks ago. I’m happy to announce that G-Force now have their album passing the number of sales to give them a Gold Record. Please come forward and receive them.”

There was applause as the four Gees, Jim and Zara went to the front to get their awards, with Clive taking pictures. Willow was standing behind Zara’s mother, who turned to her.

“This is good, isn’t it?”

“Very good. Just make sure that you and Zara are sitting down when Peter emails you her first statement.”

When the band had received their awards and sat down, the CEO smiled.

“We have another set of Gold Records to hand out tonight, the album from Rick Sacks and the Hikers achieved Gold status during this week. Come on and get them, lads.”

When Rick was handed his, he turned to the room.

“I have to thank Willow who turned an ordinary song into a world-wide hit with her organ overdub. That allowed us to clean up our act and write the new songs that featured on this album.”

When the cheering died, and the Hikers had all sat down, the three men all had broad smiles.

“The last set of awards are for the headline act at the Belgrade. We gave them Gold Records then, and last week ‘Journey into Womanhood’ album achieved Platinum status for selling a million CDs. It has been one of the fastest to reach that point since the sixties.”

There was a lot of cheering as Willow, Gina, and the rest of the band went to collect their awards. All eleven were individually given them, with Clive taking pictures. Afterwards, Xavier received a Platinum Record for his recording work. As he was walking away, the CEO, smiled again.

“These were for sales of the CD. The DVD is selling steadily, and we expect that we will need to hand out Platinum Records to the band and all three technicians for that then. Thank you for your time, and we will stay on, if you don’t mind, to hear the bands tonight.”

Clive took the empty case out to their car, Malcolm and Ashley moved the cake tables away, and Willow led Gina to the other table.

“Tonight, has been the best birthday party in my whole life. Gina and I decided that this would be a birthday where we give back. We have these pendants that are available through the website, and we would like to give one to every female in the room. If you have one already, pass one on to another daughter or friend. Come on, girls, let’s see you all wearing one.”

As the queue formed, G-Force went up on the stage and started playing an old song from the sixties, about the girl who wears his ring around her neck. When the line had ended, Gina put the remaining box, with some pendants in, on the floor next to the stage, as Malcolm and Ashley removed the last table. Jacob and Brent came over to the girls and they started dancing as Zara began singing a love song. Before long, the dance floor was crowded.

In the course of the night, the Hikers took over, and then Summer Rose did some numbers. G-Force played out the evening with old-time twelve-bar and it was a tired, but happy, party who started to leave, thanking the girls for a great party.

Willow sat with her parents, Gina and Maisie, Brent and his parents, and Jacob, Rick and Racheal, as the casuals started to tidy up. Malcolm sat down with them.

“Are you going to let me have the next award for the DVD for the wall?”

“Of course, Malcolm. You have the Gold, it’s only right that the Platinum goes alongside. I’m hanging on to this one, though. Thank you for all the work you put into tonight, I can’t thank you enough.”

“Yes, you can. I’ll tell you how much tomorrow when you come in.”

Maisie looked at him.

“Split the cost with Gina. It’s been a fabulous night, and we’ll pay our way. If the CD has gone Platinum, I expect that the next statement is going to be interesting. It will be your first from Peter, won’t it, Rick?”

“It will. My mind may be playing tricks with me, but gold is a quarter of a million sales, right?”

Willow laughed.

“Not a quarter of a million, it’s a half a million. If you’re on four pounds a sale, the Hikers have just earned two million pounds. You’ve already been through that, but this will be the first time Zara and the Gees have seen this kind of money. I hope that they don’t let it go to their heads. Remember, your DVD must have been selling, but hasn’t reached the threshold yet, so there’ll be more on top.”

They finished their drinks and Malcolm told Ashley to go home. There was a general hugging session, and Gina, Brent, Willow and Jacob went outside for the goodnight kisses. Wendy and Ashley came out and collected Willow to go home, with Wendy clutching the award and Ashley carrying the box of remaining pendants.

“That was a lovely gesture with the pendants, love. All the girls will be wearing them now.”

“We just thought that it would be a nice highlight of the evening, Mum. I never thought that we would all get awards. I’m sure that the Head will have something to say about it when we get back in school. I saw the Bishop enjoying himself. Miss Russell picked up two and gave him one.”

“Well, he does wear a dress for his work.”

The girls were still giggling as they went into the house and got ready for bed.

On Saturday morning, Gina knocked on the door a little after eleven. She sat with Willow in the kitchen with lemonades.

“That, friend, was the best party I’ve ever had. I wonder if there’s any left-over cake. The black keys were so rich.”

“We’ll find out tonight at the dinner dance. It was great going Platinum, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. I’m happy for the wind section. This will be their first statement as band members. They will get a minimum of sixty thousand, each. Zara will be happy if she gets a sixth of two million. She’s a lovely girl who now has managed to drag herself out from under her mother’s thumb.”

“I told her mother to be sitting down when she reads the statement.”

“I think that we’ll need to do the same. You do realise that the syndicate will have another seven hundred thousand in it next month. If we get that property, we’ll still have enough to look for more, or just do the conversion and hold off for a month.”

“I’d like to get moving on the conversion. New doors first, air conditioning and a professional inspection of the walls. Then we can bring in the interior experts. Xavier is keen to run the board for us. I think that we’d better get Mum and head for the city. Time for shopping, lunch, and seeing what we’re told at the Cathedral. I’m going to be sad at not going there to play.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 10

As they were driving to Birmingham, where the girls wanted to visit the Bullring, Wendy asked them if they had enjoyed the party.

“It was fabulous, Mum. So many friends and so much cake. I don’t think I could face another slice.”

“Well, there is some left over, which Malcolm will probably have out as dessert tonight. Did you know that the label was going to be there?”

“No idea that they had planned that. What was really good was that the others got Gold Records. The Gees and Zara will be waking up this morning and pinching themselves. Grant wrote a lot of that album, so will be getting noted for that. Rick’s share, this month, will allow him to finalise the payment for the farmhouse and get a bit of new equipment. It was all good.”

“What about your income, this month, going to Platinum?”

“We’ll just have to wait to see the statement. The CD would have sold at least five hundred thousand to pass the next hurdle. There will be some income from the DVD, and some from the Belgrade shows, but it depends on costs. I expect that the first album downloads will be well down. One thing I do know, and that’s that Gina and I will have seven hundred and fifty debited for the pendants. I picked up the last box, by the way.”

“That’s all right, friend. I took a few out when they were delivered to give to my father’s family on Thursday.”

“How did that go?”

“It was funny. They hardly knew me, and it was mainly Mum and them talking about Dad before. This time, there was I, their granddaughter in the charts, and they didn’t know how to treat me. Giving out pendants broke the ice, and it turned out quite well. I have three cousins who are fans already, and they spent a lot of time with me, so the pendants were happily received.”

“That’s good. The Bishop took one. I wonder what he will do with it.”

“If he could even get it round his neck, it would clash with the big cross.”

When they had parked at the Bullring, they went shopping, with Willow looking for something to match her emerald necklace, and Gina looking for nice things to fill up her new wardrobe, having sent a lot of her old clothes to charity when she moved house. They had lunch, then went back to the Cathedral.

When they arrived, Tom came over.

“What a great party! We had a wonderful time, ate too much cake, and watched Sally dancing with one of those Hikers.”

“She has certainly become a girl who knows her own mind, now that she has a place in the choir.”

“When you’ve finished with the rehearsal, can the three of you go in the Chapter House before you leave? Chris wants to thank you for taking on the job for him, and he has a couple of his friends with him.”

Willow went up and started playing Bach to warm up. Wendy and Gina found seats, and Chris, the usual organist, sat next to Gina, with a couple of other men beside him. They sat and listened as Willow moved into the hymns for the next day, with the usual sound of singing as the choir led the sightseers and usual attendees. The Evensong items were mainly ones that a lot of people could remember, and the singing continued. The more choral pieces had the choir in full voice with Sally lifting the sound with her clear voice.

After Willow had closed down the organ, the six joined her to go into the Chapter House where there were drinks and biscuits laid out. The first thing that Chris did was to hug both Gina and Willow for the job that they had done while he was away. Then he introduced his companions.

“These two, fine upstanding gentlemen, are Evan, the organist and choirmaster of Kings College, Cambridge, and Trevor, the organist at York Minster. Gentlemen, may I present Willow Rose and Gina Summer, who have not only sat in my seat for three months, but have also increased the size of the congregation. First with their fame, and then with their playing.”

Evan took Willows hand.

“We came along last weekend to hear a school orchestra, invited by Chris. What we heard was a professional ensemble, capped with a wonderful second half. That encore piece was sublime, Miss Rose.”

“Thank you, Evan. Call me Willow, please, Miss Rose sounds like I’m in school again.”

“We were also in the Cathedral as you played on Sunday, Miss Summer. If Chris hadn’t been sitting next to us, we would have thought it was him at the keyboard.”

“I’m Gina, sir. Thank you for the praise. It has been a privilege and a pleasure for both of us over the last few months. How is your son, Chris?”

“Improving, I’m happy to say. They wouldn’t let him leave Germany until he was able to be in a wheelchair. I expect that he’ll use one for a while but is in a clinic where they are teaching him to walk again. I’ll be bringing him to the service tomorrow. He’s jumping out of his skin to hear you play, Willow. He’s a big fan of the band.”

“Why don’t you bring him to our dinner dance, tonight. In fact, why don’t you all come along. We pretend to be the Blue Coat Dance Band, but, in reality, we’re the full Summer Rose line-up. The Stoneleigh Community Club is wheelchair accessible; Margaret has a powered one and she has no problems. Your only cost will be what you eat or drink. Mum can check with Malcolm about spaces, while we’re here. What do you say?”

“That would be wonderful!”

Wendy rang the club as they all sat. When she ended the call, she said that Malcolm will set up a table for eight, so spouses were catered for. Then Evan looked at the girls.

“Look, Gina and Willow. You have done wonders here with your fame and playing. I have a similar organ in the Kings College Chapel, made by the same company. We are in negotiation with the record label that we had issued some CDs on. They are not overly interested, as our material is not a big seller on the open market. I was wondering if the two of you could come to Cambridge in the first week of your summer holidays. We want to record our choir with you. One disc with you, Gina, and another with you, Willow. All we need is the label to be interested.”

“That sounds like a lovely idea, Evan. We are both thinking to go to Cambridge when we finish school, and my grandparents live near Cambridge. Do you think that Gramps would put the two of us up, Mum?”

“They do have a bed-settee that I’ve slept on in the past. They have separate bedrooms now, because your grandfathers snoring keeps your grandmother awake. If you do arrange to go, I’ll talk to them. I expect that the College would arrange a car to transport the girls?”

“It will Mrs. Rose.”

“Mrs. Rose is my mother-in-law, please call me Wendy.”

Willow reached into her bag and pulled out a couple of business cards.

“One of these is for our manager, Peter, who handles our finances. The other is for Clive, the executive of our label, who may be interested in the CD. He does have a colleague who is a producer at Abbey Road, and they want to get the school orchestra in there to record a classical CD.”

Trevor, who had been sitting with a smile fixed on his face, leant forward.

“Can I have those as well, Willow. I’m also keen to see you on the organ at the Minster. It has been revamped recently, and we have yet to issue a new album. I would also like to do a double CD, with each of you on one, to launch the new sound. I have played it, and it has a more modern tonal range, but with a lot of the older features. It has been worked on several times since it was built in the late eighteen hundreds. We can put you up in a nearby hotel.”

“Our only arrangements, so far, are our dates with a tour on the last two weeks of August.”

“Who else is on the bill?”

“We’re opening for Blastmasters.”

All three of the men looked incredulous.

“Blastmasters! But they’re a heavy metal band. How is Summer Rose going to fit in with their audience?”

“By that time, there will be an album out called ‘The Other Side of Summer Rose’ with a lot of stadium rock. We’ve already recorded a DVD in the school covering the Moody Blues. My first concert at the school was on an organ with G-Force, playing Deep Purple. We have already given our label an album and DVD with us playing a concept album, covering Kansas. I think that it will be the only way we can move forward if we want to play larger venues as a serious rock band. So, if you want to tap into our sweet side, early summer could be the best window of opportunity. Being on our label will allow them to space the issues out for maximum effect.”

All three men sat back and laughed. Chris was the first to recover.

“This is precious. You’re willing to go outside of a proven hit sound to play bigger audiences?”

“Well, the biggest venue we’ve played, so far, is the school theatre. If we want to go big, we will have to play what the people want. Ask yourselves this. Can you see a full crowd in Wembley Stadium singing along to Carpenters songs, unless it was the Carpenters on stage?”

Chris shook his head.

“I guess that you’re right. Will there be any of this new sound tonight?”

“We’ll see what we can fit in. Anyway, we must be getting along. We have a show to get ready for tonight. It’s been a real pleasure meeting you, and I hope that you can arrange suitable dates when we can play for you. We go back to school on Monday week, and it’s full on until the middle of July.”

“No chance for next week?”

“No. Gina’s good, but I’m playing Goal Defence in a netball competition. I tell you, without us playing here, we alternate at St. Marys, so one of us will be available on weekends unless we have another booking. The club is going to start using other bands, so we’ll be a lot freer. I’ll put together a list of known engagements and give it to you tonight. Given time to practise the items you want to record at home, I’m sure that we can get your CDs in the can in a weekend or two.”

On the way home, Wendy commented on her daughters negotiating style. Gina laughed.

“I leave it all to my friend. She may go around in circles, but I think that we could have both of those CDs on the market before the end of term. They have all the pointers towards how they should work it. Even I didn’t see that last suggestion coming.”

At home, Willow checked her diary and wrote out a list of known dates when they wouldn’t be playing. She saw that, with the Winter Gardens now cancelled, they had a huge space between school and Blastmasters. She also saw that the Proms Concert was the first day back at school, and wondered, again, how that would be handled.

That Saturday evening, the club was at capacity. Chris and his friends had brought their wives, and Willow was introduced to Drew, his son. Margaret was there as well, so they set up the odd table with the wheelchairs at each end and the three couples along the side. Drew was happy to meet another person in the same situation as him, and Margaret told him a few tricks that would make his use of the wheelchair better. When the three organists realised who she was, the talk at the table was quite animated. Margaret’s friend Sandra sat with others from the village choir, happy that her friend was having a good time.

The band had their meal in the front room, and then went on the stage to play the eating music as the meals were brought out. For Drew, after his long time in hospital, it was like being born again into the real world. The band moved to dance songs and then had a short break. When they came back, Willow spoke into her microphone.

“Ladies and Gentlemen. There are a few new faces here tonight, so the rest of you will have to put up with hearing some of our songs again. My Mum said she was over Summer Rose before we had our first big show at the Belgrade! Tonight, we’ll be playing some tunes that you haven’t heard, later. They are from an album that’s likely to be in the shops before the end of summer. But first, we want to play one of the slower songs that many have heard before. I want to dedicate this one to Drew, sitting there, in his wheelchair. He is lucky to be alive, and luckier still, will walk again with exercise. I’m sure that he thought the things that I did as I lay in my own hospital bed a couple of months ago. This is ‘Dust in the Wind’.

Jacob played the guitar intro and Willow sang the words, with the first line being ‘I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moment’s gone’. The whole band in harmony as backing. At the end of it, Chris and his wife had tears streaming down their faces and Drew called out in the silence.

“You’re a mind reader, Willow, thank you.”

They carried on with the Carpenters, the ‘Journey’ album, Moody’s, some sixties love songs and there was dancing. As it was near the end of the night, Willow spoke again.

“Now something from the band ‘Kansas’ who had that hit with ‘Dust in the Wind’ in the late seventies. It was from a concept album about the end of the human race after the last moderate leader disappeared, to be replaced by ego-driven dictators. As Jacob said at the Belgrade shows, it has a lot of resonance with today’s world. If you don’t like loud music, cover your ears, you’re in for a wild ride. These are the last three tracks from the album.”

They ripped into ‘Sparks of the Tempest’, ‘Nobody’s Home’, and ‘Hopelessly Human’. At the end, they all bowed and left the stage to some applause. At the table, Willow asked if they fitted a Blastmasters concert and the guys all laughed. Trevor stood and went to give her a hug.

“Willow, I’ve been to a Blastmasters show. It’s chalk and cheese. They’re simple three chord rock using the big amps to make their point, and here you were, using tiny amps in a small room and sounding far better than them. I can see them wanting to toss you off the tour for making them look bad. I’ve got to get tickets to hear the whole album with a wall of speakers behind you.”

“Thank you, Trevor. Now you know why we should be moving down that road. Big places, big crowds, and a big sound go together.”

She went to her bag and pulled out a DVD.

“Here’s the whole show, as recorded here a few weeks ago. We may re-record it for general release, and we’ll be working on our own material to go with it.”

“Thank you, Willow. I’ll pass it on to the others when I’ve watched it. Do you mind if it stays with Drew after?”

“That would be nice. I’ll bring in a CD and DVD of the recent album for him tomorrow.”

After some circulating and more than a few hugs, Willow walked home with her mother.

“That was a lovely gesture tonight, love. Drew will remember tonight.”

“I hope that the realisation that he has to work to walk again will let him improve. I did think about that song after the operation. It’s about how fleeting life is, and to make sure you enjoy the time you have, because there’s no second time around.”

On Sunday, Gina was in the church and Willow was being driven to Coventry. She was wearing the outfit that she had worn for Cassie’s wedding, and felt very adult, now that she was fourteen. The service went as usual, and they left the Cathedral to go to have lunch.

“It’s the big charity dinner dance at the end of the week, isn’t it?”

“It is, Mum. I suppose that I should send out an email to the others in the band to remind them. I expect that the Head will expect us to be wearing school blue. I’d better tell the girls to be in the blue dresses and the boys to have blue shirts and black trousers. And everyone should see a hairdresser. It’s a big event for the school, so we had better look good.”

“And a sing-along the weekend after.”

“That will be a nice break.”

“Not a ‘stay at home’ break, but a working one.”

“I know, Mum. I just love playing. More than that, I love entertaining people. During Evensong, just look around and see the smiles on the faces as they sing along. There must be at least three different singing groups there, besides the actual choir. I can even pick out individual voices from the keyboard. It makes me happy, and it energises me.”

That afternoon, the voices sounded as good, if not better than usual. Willow had tears in her eyes as she played the last item. As she stepped from the stairs, Tom called out in his strong voice.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, just a moment of your time.”

He waited until there was quiet.

“We have just heard Willow Rose playing the organ. She, and Gina Summer have played for us for the last three months. Chris, our usual organist, is back from extended leave due to family matters, and will be playing next week. In the meantime, please give Willow a hand for her skill and dedication.”

There was applause and she had hugs from the three organists. She gave the two plastic disc cases to Chris, for Drew. He took them and thanked her.

“Since last night, Drew has been a lot more positive. He was getting depressed by being in the wheelchair, but talking to Margaret he realised that if he worked at it, he could be walking again. He was taken out before the rush. I hope to see you again, perhaps when he has a party to celebrate his first steps.”

“I’d like that, Chris.”

She was spoken to by many of the parishioners as she left the building with Wendy. In the car, she sat and buckled up.

“Dab your eyes, love. You don’t want to look like a panda when we get to the club.”

Wendy kept quiet, knowing that Willow needed to process this change in the normal way of things. At home, they changed, and Willow repaired her face before they walked to the club. The main crowd was in the back room and the equipment from the dinner dance was still on stage. Brent was there, with his mother, and Jacob was there with Racheal. They all had dinner, and there was, indeed, cake to go around as a free extra, with custard or ice cream.

Gina told her that her performance had been flawless. The feed had finished with the last item, so they hadn’t seen the short speech, and Willow didn’t enlighten her. They played a sing-along as the quartet, with a lot of their own songs added in, which still had a lot singing along. At the end of the evening, Willow had reached the end of her emotional tether, and wasn’t long before she had hugged the others, kissed Jacob, and walked home with her mother. She hugged Wendy and went up to undress and cleanse, headed for sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Monday was the first day of the holiday and Willow stayed in bed until her parents were nearly ready to go to work. She made an easy breakfast and then tidied everything up. Then, she took a long shower, washed her hair and spent a fair chunk of the morning drying it and brushing it. When she had dressed, she took her phone from the charger and turned it on. There were some messages that didn’t need an answer. She turned on her laptop and checked her emails.

There was one from Peter, congratulating the band for the Platinum Record, sent to everyone, and it went on to say that he had been told that the dress code for Saturday evening was school blue. He also told them that some of the band would be required for personal visits to record stores and for interviews, and that he would be working with the label on these.

There was another with the label logo on it, from Jill, the person who would be working with them for future shows and presentations. She asked Willow if they could meet, mid-week, to discuss things. Willow replied to that to say that she was going to be playing netball for the school on Tuesday and Wednesday, gave the location and said that there would be lots of time between the games.

There was one message on the WR Holdings account, from the Summer Love account. It was a message from Wilhelm, telling her that the vendors had countered with a new asking price of one point one two five, with settlement inside fourteen days. Willow answered to ask the rest of the syndicate first, but that she thought it would be a good deal, as long as the title clearly showed that they were buying the total footprint of the property. When she sent it, she smiled at the thought that Wilhelm was finding this enjoyable, even though he was working for his own thirteen-year-old son.

There was an email from the Bishop, thanking her for the invitation to the party, and telling her that he had enjoyed the evening, especially because he could be just another person in the room. He said that they all deserved the awards, because every member of the three bands were talented. He had given the pendant to his secretary, who had been thrilled to put it on.

She sat at her desk and took her notepad, writing the lyrics of a song about a girl who had become so impatient with her boyfriend that she told him that she had booked a church for their marriage. The boyfriend then told her that he had never intended to get married and walks out. It had a chorus line that said, ‘You told me you loved me, baby, that you’re a straight hitter. But you’re just a baby, baby; a real dummy spitter’.

She worked out a rock style tune, recorded it to her computer with her singing the lyrics. She then sent it to Herb, with a message that he should record the basics of his own songs and then all new songs should go to the rest of the band for discussion. She added a footnote. ‘I’m thinking that we need more songs in the stadium rock vein if we want to be serious about the Blastmasters tour. I would like our Other Side issue to be a double album. One disc the Kansas set, and the other about a dozen originals, to be called ‘Homegrown Summer Rose’.’

She had some lunch, and then took time to re-sort her wardrobe and drawers, putting both sets of netball outfits in a sports bag, along with spare underwear, sports shoes and socks. She found a simple shift dress to wear in the coach, that would be loose enough to be able to be worn home again. She saw that her parents would be getting ready to leave work, so went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Concentrating on peeling and slicing vegetables was almost as good as playing Bach to calm her down, and she was starting to appreciate the work that went into making a good meal.

After dinner and the tidying up was done, she went off to bed. There had been a lot of energy spent over the last week, and she needed to catch up. She had her phone alarm in for the morning and was up, dressed and getting breakfast ready when her parents came down. The mother and daughter left the dishes for Ashley and headed for the school.

The coaches were waiting at the main entrance, and there were some girls standing around, so Wendy dropped Willow off and went on to work. Her office would be open as the warehouse worked around the clock on weekdays.

Willow joined her team of second years and they got on one coach with the firsts and thirds, plus some teachers. The second coach had the fourths and fifths with some volunteers and all their lunches. The drive to Birmingham was quiet, with the girls talking among themselves. At the venue, they were sent to their space in one of the marquees. It was obvious that there wasn’t enough room for all the teams from all the schools, so those teams that were playing later were sent back to the coaches to wait.

The procedure was simple. With four courts, the teams played their four games with a game break in between. The court time had been shortened in the round robins to get everything in and the pace was hectic until they found their rhythm. The first years games were a bit scrappy, and their team ended up with six points for the day.

The seconds did well, with Willow stopping several goal attempts, and ended their sessions with seven points. The thirds played two games before lunch, after which, they played the other two and the rest of the teams played.

Jill arrived before lunch, and Willow was pointed out to her, being very much part of a mass of girls, rather than a pop star. Willow had played all her games, so they went and sat in Jill’s car. They talked about general things, at first, getting to know each other. To Jill, in her twenties, it was like talking to an older girl than a fourteen-year-old. Willow had brought her diary, and they spoke about dates that would be available.

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 11

Jill was not a promoter, more of an arranger, and she talked Willow through the process of store appearances and the like. She explained that some events would not be able to have all eleven band members, due to logistics, so any performances would have to be tailored to the size of the band, with, at the moment, the quartet being the easiest to move around.

Anywhere within a three-hour drive could be done by coach, with Friday night in a hotel, Saturday in a store, with an afternoon matinee performance and home again Saturday evening. Because of their central location, there were a lot of stores in the Midlands that could be visited. Further afield, though, it would be the quartet flown to the venue with a similar process on the Saturday.

They agreed on a tour, in the first few weeks of the summer holidays, with all eleven playing. Jill would work with promoters to create a loop that wasn’t too strenuous and would be the band likely playing the soft-rock and smooth music. Then, the label would issue the Other Side album, and Willow told her that they would be working to make it a double.

“A comment was made on the weekend about that tour. Have you seen the Other Side disc?”

“Not yet.”

“You need to. It’s very different to what we’re doing now. The comment was odd. I was told that Blastmasters are just a three-chord rock band relying on the big sound to get the message across. We had just played three tracks off the album and told that it was complicated enough to make Blastmasters sound less than us. Do you think that you could look into that. I would hate to have us kicked off the tour because we make them sound bad. I’d rather not be on it in the first place if that’s the case. Our promoter, at the time, was, I think, clutching at any straw he could find. He’d even booked us for a week in the Winter Gardens at Blackpool!”

“All right. I’ll go back to town, talk to Clive and watch the DVD with the sound up. Then I’ll take it around to the promoter of the tour and see if he realised the implications. When he pencilled you in, you were just unknowns, but now have two hit albums and Platinum awards. Where are you the rest of the week?”

“Tomorrow we’re here to finish the round robin. I have the Village Choir practise at the Community Club in the evening. Thursday depends on how we go, and Friday we’ll be getting ready for Saturday evening, when the band are playing a big charity event at the football stadium, and Sunday morning I play the church organ at St. Marys. We normally have lunch in the club.”

“Some school holiday!”

“Busy, but not at school!”

Willow went back to cheer on the other teams and Jill drove back to London, trying to match the netball playing schoolgirl with the star with a Platinum record.

Wendy was waiting at the school when the coach arrived and took Willow home. After dinner, Willow had a relaxing bath with salts in to ease the muscles and went off to bed. Next morning she was ready with breakfast for her parents and Wendy took her into the school. At work, Wendy called the doctor at the clinic to ask about Willow and her sleeping.

That day, the first years were beaten in three of their games, and the second year won three. At the end of all the playing, the second, third, and fifth year were all through to the next round, where eight teams would each be playing two games, in a knock-out semi-final in the morning, and would play the final in the afternoon. That afternoon, Willow emailed Gina to ask if she could take over the keyboard that evening, as she was too stiff and needed another relaxing bath.

On Thursday, the coach was leaving later, so Willow was dropped off at the normal school time, with her uniform from Tuesday washed and ironed. It felt a lot softer now. The team had to wait while the first-year teams played their knock-out semis. Then they were on for their first game. It was a cut and thrust affair, which had her team winning by one point, with Willow needing some dressing on a graze when she had been steamrolled by an opponent.

A drink and a pep-talk later, they were back on the court, against a highly fancied team. They had learned their lesson from the first game, and showed no quarter, knocking out the favourites by two points. The third-year team also made it through to the finals by the barest margin. Because there were another two years to get through, both teams were sent back to the coach and taken to a local café for lunch. While they were away, the fifth-year team lost their semi.

Back at the tennis club, they waited for the first final to be completed, now lasting the normal time period. Then Willow joined her friends on the court. Over the course of the game, she was knocked on her back a few times, but managed to stop a lot of shots at their net. The game was even, with a minute to go, and Willow was able to harass the attacker enough to make her miss. Willow grabbed the ball and threw it over half the length of the court to her Centre, who passed it to the Goal Attack, who had been left in open air. From there, it went to the Shooter, who scored. They were in the lead and didn’t allow the other team any space until the final whistle.

They all jumped up and down and hugged. Next, the third-year team went out, and buoyed by the success, played with a lot of energy, winning by three points. They had to wait until the other two teams played off. With the facilities now much clearer, both teams had showers and changed into going home clothes but were all asked to put their uniform tops on, over the top, for the presentations.

After the last game, all ten teams were gathered in the large marquee, with the losing team given runner-up medals, and the winning team getting medals and a cup to hold until next year. With every presentation, the teams were posed for the official pictures, as well as the teachers taking their own pictures. The coach going back to Blue Coat was full of joy. They had two teams into the finals, and both were going back with cups. Someone must have phoned the Head, as she was there to welcome them and take possession of the cups to display in the school for Monday.

They were still milling around when Wendy arrived. Willow put her sports bag in the back and got in the front.

“How did it go, sweetie?”

“We won, Mum. And so did the thirds. It got a bit brutal at times and I need a bath and some disinfectant on a few scrapes. I’m bushed!”

At home, Wendy put the uniform in the wash while Willow was soaking. Then she went to have a look at the scrapes for herself. She dabbed them with disinfectant and rubbed them with cream to help them scab over. Willow dressed for bed and went off as soon as she had eaten.

Friday morning, Wendy woke her up.

“Time to get up, love. I called the doctor about your tiredness, and she organised a visit to a specialist today. She’s an endocrinologist and will take your blood and the pathology lab will test it. The doctor said that it’s usual for transitioned girls to have the odd problem and that a test is normal. Your father will be taking you in and you can get a taxi home.”

They had breakfast and put the dishes in the washer. Willow went and got ready to go out, gave her mother a hug and a peck on the cheek, and was then driven to the clinic. When she got out, she remembered the other times she had stood there as her father carried on towards work. She just hoped that this time wouldn’t be as drastic as before.

The appointment wasn’t long to wait for. The specialist reviewed the records and took blood.

“Pop down to the café for a while, Willow. I’ll put this through the pathologist with an urgent note. There are several reasons why you need to sleep, but I’m not going to talk about any until we see the results. I’m only asking for a few tests so if you come back in an hour, I’ll be able to tell you what we can do.”

She went to the café and sat with a coffee and raisin toast. She looked at her phone for the first time in days. There were a few messages of congratulations on the team win yesterday, and one from Gina.

‘Went to your place this morning and you weren’t home. Give me a call.’

She rang Gina.

“Hi, friend. I’m in the clinic waiting for the results of tests. Mum booked me in because I seem to be tired a lot.”

“I can believe it, friend, with all the things that you’ve been doing. I heard that your quick thinking in the last minute put the team in front. You’ll be the girl of the day on Monday.”

“I just did what I had to do. It was full-on; seven games in three days. The third year won as well, so it won’t just be us being spoken to at lunch.”

“Have you checked your emails lately?”

“Not since Monday. I’ve been at the carnival, in the bath, or sleeping since then.”

“Ring me when you leave, and I’ll be on your doorstep.”

Wondering what was so momentous that Gina needed to see her, she finished her coffee and toast, then scrolled through the other messages, deleting all those that were just taking up space. She got herself another drink, finished it, and went to the toilet before heading back to the specialist’s office. The receptionist noted her return, and she read an old fashion magazine while she waited. The first time that she had been at the clinic, she would have only looked at the pictures to check out the women, now she only saw the clothes.

When she was ushered in, the specialist smiled as she sat down.

“Willow, I have the results back and I can tell you that your problem is that you have an onset of anaemia, from a lack of iron and vitamin B-twelve. If it was left to go further, you would be starting to have problems, and your blood would be in a far worse state, possibly leading to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. What we can do is very easy. I need you to see your doctor who will give you vitamin B-twelve injections. Weekly for a month, and then get blood taken for a path test. You can have the injections and blood taken at your school, with the resident nurse. I will email her a pathology request form. I’ll call your doctor to expect you and give you a script for the first six injections. Her nurse will give you the first one and you should take this note and the rest of the ampules to the school nurse. The other thing is to try and eat more meat or take iron tablets.”

Willow took the script and went to the pharmacy to get it filled. Then she reported to her own doctor’s office, where she was given the first injection. As she was waiting for the taxi, she rang Gina to say she was on her way home, and then rang Wendy to tell her the result of her clinic visit.

When the taxi dropped her off, Gina was waiting and gave her a long hug.

“Did they find something?”

“Iron and B-twelve deficiency. I was given an injection before I left. Come on in and tell me what’s up.”

They went in and Willow put the kettle on. Then went upstairs to get her laptop. She turned it on and there were several emails about the win yesterday, including one with a photo of the team with the cup, and another one showing her, hair flying, as she reached up to block a pass from an attacker. Gina waited patiently, until she reached the one from Peter, with her statement attached.

“Stay calm, friend. It was quite a shock to me.”

Willow looked at the statement, then sat back.

“I see what you mean.”

She read it again, slowly. The statement showed that the original album downloads had dropped to fifteen thousand, the original CDs had only sold two thousand, and the DVD download had dropped to eight thousand.

“That’s understandable, with the actual album being bundled with the second album.”

The Belgrade shows had earned a hundred and twenty-seven thousand, plus merchandise sales of twenty-two thousand. Hire of the hall was five thousand for each of the four days, and other expenses was another five thousand. The other bands had been paid five thousand each.

“That shows you why there’s so little live music these days. We were in the biggest available theatre and the seats weren’t cheap, yet the return, for three days, is less than a bad month of downloads.”

There were small amounts for playing in the club and at the cathedral, and forty-two thousand in costs, twelve thousand for security and another six thousand for admin. The amount for the school had dropped to three thousand.

“That fits. When we sold a lot of mailable items, it cost a lot in post and packaging.”

The next page had her money from the Hikers sales, which was also going down at two thousand five hundred. It was the next entry that had revved Gina up. The ‘Journey’ CD had sold seven hundred and sixty thousand to give a total of forty thousand over three million.

“Wow! I thought that it would be big, friend, but that blows me away!”

The final income line was the sale of the DVD, which had sold four hundred and fifty thousand. That had earned another two and a quarter million. The bottom line was that all seven members of the band had earned over six hundred and fifty thousand that month, after the commission had been taken. The wind players had each earned around a hundred and sixty-five thousand.

“This is great Gina, but it doesn’t last forever. You can see how quickly the website business has dropped, although a lot of that was our fault by putting out an actual disc. We can all put the hundred thousand into the property syndicate, with enough left over to do some serious damage to mortgages. I expect that Jacob may pay for the work being done on the barn, or even get a house of his own later on. Rick is in line for around four hundred thousand as his share of the Hikers album sales alone.”

“The numbers are so huge, Willow. This has to be the best birthday month ever!”

Willow looked at earlier emails, seven of the band has sent back a music track to her songs and four of Herb’s songs. She took her laptop upstairs and printed off the statement and the carnival photos. Then she set up with the computer, the screen, and the songs, showing Gina how to use the editing software to record a track and overlay others. By the time that Wendy got home, they had combined all the input to the songs, ending up with something they could listen to.

Gina went home with a disc they had burned, and Wendy started preparing dinner, helped by her daughter.

“You said that they gave you an injection today?”

“Yes, Mum. B-Twelve. I have more that I have to give the nurse at school on Monday. She will be giving me another three, one each Friday, and then will be taking a blood sample to send to pathology. After that, it will be once a month until the blood is more normal, followed by the injection every three months. Hopefully, I’ll get the advantage of not getting so sleepy.”

Ashley arrived home and was brought up to date on Willow’s health. They sat and had dinner. When they had cleared the table, and were sitting with hot drinks, Willow looked at her father.

“Dad. How big is the mortgage on this house?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Humour me, please.”

“About five fifty, I think. Why?”

She pulled the statement out of her bag and passed it to him. She watched as he read it and when she saw his eyes go wide with the second page, she grinned.

“Can we pull the balance of the mortgage out of that account and have our own home, please?”

He passed the papers to Wendy.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Dad, I’m sure. Whatever happens next, we’ll have our home, free and clear. If the music business rejects our change of sound, then what I’ve done will ensure our future. You’ll both be able to enjoy your salary, with just the usual payments to make. I’ll have more than enough to take me to university and beyond, as well as getting a share in the returns on one, or maybe two by now, commercial properties. The syndicate will have enough to create a recording studio in Leicester, which we could always hire out to others as a secluded hideaway to practise and record. It will make me feel safe to have a home that I can totally rely on.”

Her parents both stood and Willow stood to be enveloped in the loving arms of her mother and father, with more than a few tears. Ashley went to check the mortgage balance, and Willow sent a message to Peter to transfer that amount to her father’s account on Monday. It would still leave over three hundred thousand in her account. She sent another to Peter, asking him to transfer two hundred thousand to her WR Holdings account. After that, she spent an hour with her violin before going to bed. It had been a very big day.

Saturday morning, she woke feeling more refreshed than usual, but thought that it might be mainly in her own mind, seeing that the injection was only the day before. She took her time dressing casually, and had a breakfast with her parents, all thinking about the ramifications of what they had done the previous evening.

She checked her phone, to find that she would be picked up at five-thirty, by the security detail, to go to the venue. There were also more texts about the win. She went up to her room and brought down the two pictures that she had printed off. She gave them to her mother, who gave her a long hug when she looked at them.

“Send me the email, love, and I’ll print these on photo paper at work, and get a pair of frames for them. They mean as much to me as your news last night. Having my girl in a winning netball team is almost a rite of passage. The school will be interesting for you on Monday.”

Willow went to the church that morning and worked through the hymns for Sunday and met her parents in the club for lunch.

After lunch, Willow listened to the songs that they had worked on and saw that more of the band had sent their added tracks, which she overdubbed to the tracks she already had. They were sounding good, in a ‘big arena rock’ way. ‘Dummy Spitter’ had been given quite a good treatment and would only need some work to be recordable.

She stripped, showered, and made ready for the dinner dance tonight. Her parents had tickets, on a table with Maisie and a few other parents of band members. She dressed in her good underwear, tan tights and the blue dress, with the blue shoes. Wendy did her hair and helped her with her make-up suitable for a performer. Near the pick-up time, she checked that she had everything she needed in her bag and put her school jacket on.

When the people mover came down the road, she hugged her parents.

“See you tonight and have fun. This is the most prestigious event that we’ve played at and should be interesting.”

When she got in the vehicle, she noticed that Sebastian and Max were both in suits.

“Going somewhere tonight, lads?”

“The four of us are doubling as security for you tonight. There’s been a lot of talk in the newspapers and on social media about tonight. Peter and the school are worried that there may be some who want to gatecrash. It’s a good gig, and we get to hear you lot again.”

They picked up Gina, who had her own blue dress and school jacket. Jacob was in a blue shirt, black trousers and his school jacket, and carrying his guitar case.

“Hello, girls. Big do tonight. I would hate to have to wear this as stage costume.”

“We will look good tonight, and that’s what matters.”

“Dad got a phone call today. The vendors at Leicester have agreed with the sale, and it will be finalised next week. Then we can get quotes for the extra work. Dad’s really fired up about this. It’s so different from driving a tractor up and down all day. I helped my parents move into the other house during the week. A week where you covered yourself in glory, my love.”

“Not only glory, but a few cuts and scrapes in the process. What do you think of the new songs?”

“Really good, a step in the new direction, but not over the top, with loud heavy metal. We only need a few more and we’ll be heading for the second disc. I liked the idea of calling it ‘Homegrown’. Hopefully, it can be our first recording in our own studio.”

When they arrived at the football stadium, the vehicle went down a slope and to a parking area. There was spaces next to the lifts and they all went up to the function room. When they walked in, they stopped to look. It was a huge space, with the stage way at the far end. Between them and the stage was a sea of tables and chairs, with silver cutlery and fancy napkins, all with a vase with red roses at the centre of the tables.

“Wow, this must be costing a lot to set up. I hope that the diners are generous with their donations.”

The walked to the stage area, taking off their jackets and putting them out of sight behind the amps. The two girls from the wind section were already there and they hugged the three friends. Nancy was almost beside herself.

“Thank you, thank you. We got our first statements yesterday and my parents had to sit down while I made them a cup of tea. They couldn’t believe what we had been paid. That, alone, has paved my way to university or a music school.”

Willow gave her a hug again.

“It was the same for us, the first payday was like a bolt from the blue, but you get used to it. The seven of us have formed a syndicate to buy leased commercial property, as you now know. Perhaps you four could club together for something. You just need to form a holding company and not go off buying flash cars or holidays. We all have a few more years in school to get through, and I hope that there’ll be a lot more for you. With you on the next album, you should all go for an equal share.”

The other band members started arriving, all in school colours with their jackets on. As they began to set up, they saw that the equipment wasn’t the school amps and keyboards. The four guitar amps were all fifty-watt Vox amps, and the two keyboards were Nord Stage Three with eighty-eight keys and Peavy sixty-watt amps. They all had microphones, including the wind players.

They had time for a sound check before the doors opened, so Willow and Gina tried the new keyboards out, able to master the extra features. The boys tested out the Vox amps, with Jacob and Herb seeing if the sounds through their pedals were any different. Brent moved the cymbals and snare drum to suit his usual placements. A man came in and told them that he was the sound mixer and to play something loud. They played a Moody’s number which used all of them, and he stood in the middle of the room with a tablet in his hand, moving digital sliders.

“I have that setting. When you play background music, I have a master volume which I’ll turn down. I saw you at the Belgrade, so I have a good idea of your range. I sit by the kitchen door and will be there all night. If you want me to boost you, look over and make the ‘higher’ gesture.”

The boys put the guitars on stands and they had a meeting on the stage. Willow took the lead.

“If you look at the room, although it was touted as a dinner dance, there is very little space for dancing. We will need to treat tonight as if we’re in a night club, or on a stage like the Belgrade. We’ll take two breaks, about an hour apart. First section all background and smooth dance tunes, as usual. Second section will be things from the albums, and the third section will include Moody’s and other oddments that we do. When we come back for the second session, I’ll go up first and play three songs solo, with just the piano. We can repeat them later as a group. There will be people that we want to show how versatile we are, so bring your best tonight. We have nothing big booked next month, just a dinner dance at the club in the middle of the month. Now, let’s go and eat.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 12

There was a table set up for them in an adjoining room, and they went and sat for a meal.

“What do you think of those keyboards, Willow?”

“They’re great! I think that we could do with a pair of those in the studio. I did see them when I bought my Nord. They were close to five thousand, but I guess I can afford one now.”

“What do you guys want for the studio, Herb?”

“Something small, like the Marshalls we use at the club, and something we can get used to, like two hundred watts, Gina.”

“What about you, Brent.”

“A good kit would be all right, but I want to try an electronic set to see how they go. They’re able to be carried around in a small case, and all you need is an amp. There’s a lot of odd percussion instruments that would be fun to experiment with.”

Willow looked down the table.

“When we get closer to filling the space at Leicester, we’ll have to revisit this discussion. You’ll have to decide if you want to have personal property, or if we buy everything static from the syndicate. The desk will have to be part of the building, but the other things will be able to be taken out. A lot depends on how well our shows go over the summer, whether we need to supply our own gear at a venue. With the new songs, can we please aim at trying them out in the next couple of weeks? I can get Xavier to record us, we already own the portable equipment for that, and I can get us time in the club. If we are going to re-record the Other Side. It would be good it we have the second disc ready to go.”

“Why the tight timing, Willow?”

“I was talking to Jill, our girl with the label, at the netball carnival. She thinks that the label will want the launch at the end of June, so that they can organise a tour in the summer. She is going to talk to the Blastmasters promoter to see if we’re still up for opening, now we’re in the charts. When he agreed, we were nobodies without an album.”

As they finished the meal, they went to the adjacent toilets to freshen up, with the four girls checking their make-up. They had a group hug before going out to be ready to play. The room had filled up, with well-dressed men and even better dressed women. There was a smattering of applause as they went to their places. The entrées were being served, so the band started their usual mix of songs and tunes as the people ate. They continued as the mains came out, and then the desserts.

As the dessert plates were being removed, Willow turned her head an called ‘Dance’, and they moved into more dance music. A few did dance, but these were captains of industry, unable to loosen up enough to have fun. After about twenty minutes, Willow called out that the band will be taking a short break but would be back with some songs that they may have heard on the radio, lately.

They left the stage and went into the other room, where there were hot or cold drinks and some nibbles. They recharged, had a comfort stop, and the Willow left them to walk to the keyboard. There was some chatter, as most expected the whole band to come out. She set the Nord to grand piano and started singing ‘We’ve only just Begun’, which quietened the room. They may have heard the song, but never this way. She went on with ‘Finding a Friend’, and then ‘Her Day’. As she was nearing the end of that, the others in the band joined her on stage and they followed with ‘Close to you’. When Willow eventually called that there would be another break, the Head came to one of the microphones to conduct an auction of vouchers and holidays. The band sat in the other room, listening to the bidding, which got quite high. The last item that was auctioned was Summer Rose playing at your venue, offered by Peter. The winning bid was twenty-five thousand. The Head asked what the occasion would be, and the answer was that it would be here, at the football ground, during the summer break.

Willow turned to her friends.

“When we go out, I’ll ask the question whether the venue is in here or out in the stadium. If they want us to play in the stadium, we should give them a hint of what we can do.”

As the band went back on stage, Willow sat at the keyboard and asked if the winner of the band performance wanted them for a private show in the function room, or somewhere else. The man who made the winning bid stood.

“Miss Rose. We are planning to hold a fundraising show outside, on the pitch, with a stage set-up at one end. I went to the Belgrade, and I intended to book all three bands for it. This was an opportunity to get you booked early. I’ll be talking to your manager about the others. This will be a Coventry event, held at the Coventry City Club, to aid the homeless and disadvantaged of Coventry. I hope we should get around forty thousand to come along.”

“Thank you, sir. If you were at the Belgrade, you would have heard the sort of music that we can play at an event like that. I can tell you, right now, that there should be a double album of stadium rock on the market by then. Does anyone want to hear some of it now?”

There was a shout of ‘yes’. Willow looked at the sound man and lifted her upturned hand. She turned to the band.

“Change of plans. We do the Moody’s show and follow with Kansas. That should see us out the night. Winds, follow us if you’re able, Vivienne, do you know the flute parts of the Moody’s?”

“Sure do, Willow. Let’s show them something they weren’t expecting tonight.”

They all grinned and then Willow played the intro to ‘Dawn’ and they were into it. As they played, she could see a lot of interested faces as, for the first time that night, those who had their backs to the stage turned their seats around. By the time they had arrived at ‘Nights in White Satin’ the room was swaying with the beat. Vivienne and Victor nailed the bass and flute part and there was applause when they finished. When it died down, Jacob went to his microphone.

“The next segment will be our last for the night. It’s a set of songs about the world going to hell with ego-driven dictators, and ends with the human race wiped out. It was written in the late seventies, when the world teetered on the brink. We just hope that it doesn’t happen fifty years later.”

He stepped back and Willow called out, ‘three, two, one’ and they were into the album. Ten songs later, they were finishing ‘Hopelessly Human’, and nobody had left. The band stood and bowed, with a lot of applause, and they left the stage to go to the side room. The applause didn’t abate. Herb smiled.

“How about we try them with something new. Let’s encore with Willow’s ‘Dummy Spitter’? I think that we can do what we did before, and nail it.”

They walked back out on stage and the applause died. Willow spoke.

“Thank you for that great reception. We have been planning that sort of show for a tour, later in the summer, opening for Blastmasters. We have a little thing that we do, being modern children and living so far apart. If one of us has an idea for a song, they record their part and email it to the others to add to the basic song. This is what we did for ‘Journey’, and the first time we played it live was the first time we’d played it together. I sent out a song in the last few days, and most of the band sent back their additions. We will now play, for the first time, a little number that I called ‘Dummy Spitter’. Peter, you will know the reason that the name came to me. One thing that I will say, right here and now, is that we can do this because of our time at the Blue Coat School and its excellent music studies. If you haven’t thought about sending your little primary school child there, this is a good reason to do so.”

As the others had followed her thread, she played the intro and then they played the song as if they had practised it for days. At the end of it, there were smiles from the ladies in the room, with a few giving out a whistle. The band bowed again and went back to the side room. They sat around the table and rehydrated. Herb, grinned.

“Good one, Willow. We made the punters happy, and you put in a plug for the school. The Head is going to love you on Monday, especially after that match-winning pass in the netball. Dianne texted me and told me about that. By the sound of that auction, I expect that the Bishop will be happy with tonight.”

As they were resting, they were visited by the Head and the Bishop. He told them that it was a fabulous evening that had done all that was expected. He went off to touch hands, and the Head sat at the table and grabbed a drink.

“What can I say? You lot are a one-band advertising campaign. There were some in the room who would never stoop so low to send their precious baby to us. Who knows, perhaps they’ll now consider it. I agree with the Bishop, the evening was fabulous, and it was a pleasure to see you all adapt to the changing situation. Willow, I won’t drag you into the office Monday morning, but I will say that the second-year netball team are very happy that you’re on the team. Consider yourself the Goal Defence in third year.”

“Thank you, Miss. I’ll have to get more liniment and bandages then. Those are bigger girls in that bracket.”

The Head smiled and stood.

“Once again, well done all of you. I believe that the orchestra session next week will be a full run-through of the Proms performance. Then we’ll get a notice on the boards and the website to start auditions for the choir. Goodnight, see you at school.”

She left, and Herb looked at Willow.

“What’s this about auditions?”

“We need to boost the choir for the Proms concert, with male voices and more female ones. We will be doing the Saint-Saens again at the Proms, and the Messiah in the Cathedral before Christmas. We need a big choir for both events and just don’t have them yet. Tom, the choirmaster from the Cathedral, will be coming in to evaluate the voices. You should try out, Herb, you do have a good singing voice.”

“Does it pay as well as these gigs?”

“What it does is get you noticed by the powers-that-be. Jacob will be playing a guitar concerto to open the Proms, and Gina will be doing a piano concerto. I’ll be on their organ for the symphony, and our great wind section will be at their usual places in the body of the orchestra, along with Brent on percussion. There’s no room for electric guitars, but there’s plenty of room for good singers.”

“Who is in charge of the auditions, one of the teachers?”

“No. Gina and I will be playing the scales and Tom will note the range of the voice. It doesn’t take long, and then you get to line up with the other girls in the choir to work through some simple exercises. We will get serious next term. If you think playing three hours here is easy enough, the Messiah has around fifty movements and you’re on stage over three sessions for two and a half hours. At least you have seats for when you’re not singing.”

“When the notice comes out, I’ll put my name down. It sounds like a challenge, and being in the orchestra hasn’t done you guys any harm. What about it, Roy, Victor?”

“If you’re in, Herb, I guess that we have to continue to be your other two musketeers.”

Willow grinned.

“I’m sure that you’ll all do well. Now, I’ll see about getting the club one evening, the week after next. Please do as well with the other songs as you did with ‘Spitter’. Anyone who have any ideas for another five or six songs, please send your ideas to everyone. Even you wind section. You’re becoming part of the band, so none of us will laugh at your ideas, who can tell how a good song gets started. ‘Spitter’ came about because our previous promoter didn’t like us going behind his back. We all thought that he was a nice guy until I gave our label a copy of the Kansas session. I’ll send out an email to tell you the day. Good job tonight, now, let’s all go home.”

They went back to the stage, and the girls picked up their coats and bags. Jacob and the boys picked up their guitar cases and effects boxes. Willow gave the big Nord a gentle tap, and the seven went to meet the security detail, while the wind players found their parents. The drive back to Stoneleigh was a happy one, with Sebastian telling them that it was a great show and saying that he’ll be in line for the tickets to the big show, no matter how much it will cost.

Her parents were already home when Willow arrived. They both gave her a hug and she went upstairs to strip and get ready for bed. She sat with them in the kitchen for a while with a hot chocolate and talked about the show and the money-raising. Wendy was curious about the big show.

“Had you been told about that offer?”

“No. That was a surprise for us. If Peter had any idea that the other bands would be booked, I guess that he will put their booking fee up a bit. I don’t mind not getting paid, as it will be great experience for us. Who knows, we may get to play at other football grounds and any practise is good.”

“How can he charge extra for a charity event?”

“Do the numbers, Mum. If they charge twenty pounds and get fifty thousand in, that’s a million at the gate. Spending a hundred thousand on staging and the bands is only a drop in the ocean. Then there’s food and drink sales, merchandise, perhaps a payment from a TV station for the rights to broadcast it. If it’s filmed, there could be a DVD after. The income just adds up. It’s their own venue, so no hiring fee.”

“Just listen to my daughter, the accountant in waiting. It’s about time you went to bed, you’re in the church tomorrow.”

That night, Willow cuddled her furry friends and thought about the evening. She was certain, with the attention of the diners to their last songs, that the stadium rock sound would have a wider audience than she first thought. She was thinking about being on a stage that towered over her head, a wall of speakers behind her, and big screens on either side showing the band as she dozed off to sleep.

Sunday morning, she walked to the church with her parents. The service was all about giving, and the hymns were easy. Afterwards, she pulled the church door shut and walked over to the club. The big screen was showing Chris playing organ for the service, and she sat with Gina to watch.

“Can’t say I see much difference in how we played, Willow.”

“How do you make it sound different, friend. Play one huge organ, played them all.”

The girls giggled. Malcolm sat down with them.

“Ashley told me that the show last night was a great success and that you’re slated to play at the football club in a big show.”

“It seems that way, Malcolm. We will need to have some time to put together some songs that fit that sort of show. Can we have use of the back room on a weeknight to practise?”

“Not a problem. Ashley can open up for you and you know where everything is. I have to tell you that next week I intend to talk to your manager and book that G-Force for a few dance nights. That will give you a bit of extra time to do what you have to do.”

“That’s perfectly all right. We need to put together a bunch of original songs for another album, and our contact with the label is trying to put together lightning visits to shops, with matinee performances, between now and the end of term.”

“Sounds like you’ll be busy over the summer.”

“That will be our window of opportunity, where we earn what we can. The next term will have us in the Albert Hall at the beginning, and back in the Cathedral at the end. Oh! And sometime this term we’ll be with the orchestra recording an album at Abbey Road.”

They had lunch at the club and went home. Willow checked her phone and emails. There were two new song suggestions. Vivienne had sent a five-minute song, loosely based on plot of the Magic Flute. It had at least three voices, all telling of getting through great trials and tribulations, with a fourth that spoke of being a total failure. It was quirky, to say the least, but workable. She went to her room and added an organ track and sent it out to the team.

After that, she had a change and played the opening movement of the Messiah on her violin. Firstly, from the music sheet, and then listening to the piece through her headphones and playing along with it. With daylight saving now in place, she went for a walk after dinner, meeting some of the villagers along the way and having some short conversations. Back at home, she had a leisurely shower and went to bed, wondering what the second half of the last term would bring. It would certainly be different than last year.

Monday morning, she woke, refreshed, and got ready for school. The clothes, the uniform, the expectations, were all becoming second nature. This week would be momentous in a few ways. Hopefully, her home will be paid for, the distribution centre will be finalised, and they would be able to start on the redevelopments.

Every class that she walked into, that had netball players in it, was started with a cheer and some hugs, with all the teachers smiling. Lunch was more hugs, from Zara and the Gees this time. They had received their first statements and had shared over two million between the six of them. As they were hugging, Zara whispered that her mother had fainted when she was told. The atmosphere quietened down by the end of the day, and things were close to normal on the trip home. In the vehicle, she raised her voice.

“Sebastian, I didn’t hear any noise from gate crashers on Saturday evening.”

“That’s because getting to that function room is like finding a needle in a haystack if you’re not going the proper route. Our guys caught about a dozen, trying to bluff their way in.”

She worked on the emailed songs that evening, after a walk. On Tuesday, Willow played the chapel organ, and the orchestra session was the full proms set, with the friends getting home later than usual. That evening, there were some interesting emails on her laptop.

One was a group email from Peter, with the date of the football club event set on the first Saturday in August. He confirmed that it would be the three bands and that the equipment will be loaned by the Birmingham music store. More details to follow.

One was also a group email, from Wilhelm. The Leicester property had been purchased and the paperwork may be about a week to finalise. The sticking point was that the tenant had been paying for the whole site, and that there would have to be alterations to the lease agreement to reflect the area that the band would be using. He expected that the lease payments would need to be twenty thousand a year lower if they take over the use of the upstairs offices as well. Their agent had been notified and would be talking to the tenant. He said that he would let everyone know when they could invite an architect to oversee the changes and start to get quotes. He added a statement of accounts and asked that anyone who hadn’t transferred this cycle, should see to it.
There was one from Jill to Willow. She read it and forwarded it to the rest of the band.

‘Willow, I took your advice and looked at the Other Side DVD with the sound up. It blew me away with the power that the band put out, so different from the other albums. I went to see the promoter of the Blastmasters tour. He and I sat with the DVD and watched it right through. It appears that he was played a couple of tracks off a CD by The Other Side and never told the ages of the bandmembers. He has never linked Summer Rose with the band he heard and would never have considered you if he had been told the truth. He admitted that a bunch of teens, playing like that, would make the headline act look stupid. He has time to replace you and has offered twenty thousand as compensation.

Peter has advised me of your show in August, and I’m working with our people to make it a stop in your summer tour. We have negotiated a group booking of the three bands and are working on a tour, with it starting in Nottingham the Saturday after the term ends, with a Sunday show if the bookings require it. The middle of the week will be in Derby, and the following Saturday will be in Leicester. You get a week off to recharge and make any changes needed. The next will be the Coventry one, with us working with the club to advertise it. After that will be Liverpool (Saturday), Leeds (Midweek), and Sheffield (Saturday). After that will be Southampton (Midweek), with the final venue at London, with three or four dates being thought about. The show will be billed as ‘The Coventry Sound on Tour’ and Band spot will be helping with TV advertising. It will give you a bit of down-time at home, and two full weeks to enjoy your holiday before you go back to work.

We will get you into Abbey Road to re-record the Kansas cover, and another album which we hope that you’ll have ready by then. The date pencilled in is the weekend after the school orchestra is there, with launch in the first week of July, two weeks before the first show of the tour.

Your product is selling well in Europe, especially Denmark, so will see if we can have you playing there as well, probably in the half-term holiday in October

Hope you find this suitable. Jill.’

Willow printed this to show her parents and the Reverend. There was likely to be some Sundays that they would be away from Stoneleigh over summer. Then she had an idea. She emailed Jill and asked her if there were any budding organist that she knew, or, maybe, any retired ones who would like to play at St. Marys when they were on tour.

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 13

The next morning, all the talk was about the possible tour, with a few moments when the subject was Marcus and his patina of respectability and expertise. Willow had shown her parents the email from Jill that morning, and they had been happy to see that she would be home quite a lot between shows. Lunch was a lot of discussion with the rest of the band, and the Gees, about having a multi-city tour, especially one that ended in London for one, or more, nights.

When they got to the farm, Racheal and Rick were there to give them hugs before the girls carried on. On the way, Sebastian asked why there was so much excitement about.

“We’re going on tour in the summer. It’s staggered so we get a lot of time at home, unless the bookings demand extra shows. The Coventry City show has been blended in with some before and some after, ending in London. Before that, we’re all going to Abbey Road to properly record our Other Side albums. It’s going to be busy, we know, but will be something exciting.”

“That’s good. I’ll talk to our boss about talking to your manager so that we can continue to support you. If it’s all eleven, plus your kit, we would need three vehicles. How far away are the venues?”

“All Midlands as far as Liverpool until we go south, then just Southampton and London, with plenty of time to go by road.”

School was normal as could be, except for a pair of big photos of the two winning teams in the main entry, with the cups on stands in front of them. There were lists beside the pictures, with the teams and the coaches named. Every member of the two teams were tempted to stand in front and get their friends to take a picture, Jacob took several of Willow as she smiled for the camera.

Lunch was a bit quieter, but still very happy. The afternoon dragged and then it was time to go home. Sebastian told them that his boss was negotiating with Peter about being their transport for the tour. That evening, Willow took her laptop into the club, let Gina handle the keyboard duties, and started making lists of things involving the Leicester property.

She looked at the area on Google Maps and saw that there was a supermarket just around the corner. Not only would it be good to get supplies, but also good as a parking spot if you were only a few of you in a single people mover. She sent Wilhelm an email asking him if he had bought a minibus yet, and, if not, get a seven-seater people mover instead, telling him about the parking area. She also found a fish and chop / pizza place down the road, with a chicken place a couple of doors further on. The websites both showed that they took on-line orders.

When she was back at home, she found the cards that have been given her, and sent the door specialist an email to ask if they would like to quote for a pair of high-security double doors and specialist doors to a recording studio, designed to minimise sound escape.

She also sent one to the specialist builder and invited him to talk about a project to convert a cool store into a recording studio. With both emails, she noted that it was Sebastian and his fellow workers from the security company who had given her their details, and cc’ed Wilhelm.

On Thursday, she told Sebastian that she had made the enquiries, and the three talked about the project. Lunch was a lot quieter, everyone seemingly now used to having gold record holders in the room. Willow asked Xavier if he knew of good builders of recording studios, and he told her he would give her a name on Friday. PE was very different, as the coach allowed them an easy session, with just a friendly game of netball, where the winning team were allowed to just watch and make notes for her afterwards. She, like the other coaches, were now looking at the following year with anticipation of more cups.

On Friday, Xavier gave her a piece of paper with the name of a company that specialised in recording and TV studios, who were also sound baffling specialists. At lunch, she went to see the nurse first with the packet of injections. The nurse gave her the shot and put the packet away. After lunch, they had a lot of fun in the music session, starting to get the hang of what you can do with gamelan. Mister Jamieson told them that they had another session before needing to play something for the marking. After that, several of the class looked at Willow and Gina for inspiration. Dianne suggested that they try to incorporate ‘Her Day’ into the beat, with it a little slower being a bonus. They worked on that, with Willow singing the words, and the drummers and bellringers following the notes.

That evening, she emailed the studio specialists, telling them that the site was in Leicester, and that she would like to talk to them about a complete set-up, sound studio, comprehensive recording suite, rest room and post-production facility.

Saturday morning, she received a phone call from the studio builders. The man said that he would like to visit the site to see if it was possible before he would commit to a quote. She said that she would ring back. She rang Mervyn to see if it was possible to come to have a look with a specialist, and then, after being told ‘anytime’, rang Xavier.

“Xavier, Willow here. The guy from that studio specialist wants to have a look at the site. Is it possible for you to organise someone to take us there, this afternoon?”

“Sure thing, Willow. I’ll get Frank’s dad to bring us. We can pick you up about one. You have a sing-along tonight, don’t you?”

“We do. I’ll give him a call and tell him the address, with a two ‘o’clock meeting. I’ll ring you back if it’s anything different.”

She rang the man and he confirmed that he would meet her there at two, leaving Manchester soon. She got herself some lunch and told Wendy that she was being taken to Leicester for a meeting that afternoon and should be home in time to be ready for the club that evening.

Just before one, Frank’s father stopped outside and she went out to sit in the back, next to Xavier. Frank was excited, as he hadn’t seen the site yet. They talked about the sort of equipment that they would need on the way. At the site, they parked and waited for the specialist. Willow went to see Mervyn and got five hi-vis vests. He was smiling and told her that he had been advised of the lower lease costs and said that it would make a big difference to his bottom line.

When the specialist arrived, they all stood in the carpark and Willow made the introductions as she gave out the hi-vis.

“You’re Willow Rose. I’m so pleased to meet you. We don’t often get asked to create recording spaces for established stars, usually commercial sites. Where’s the studio going to be?”

“Follow me and watch out for fork-lifts. They’re electric and very quiet.”

She led them into the storage area, and then into the workshop. Xavier grinned as he hit the button to lift the roller door. Willow went inside, switched the door-lock on and then turned on the lights. Frank said something that his father frowned at him for, and then laughed.

“I totally agree with you, son. This is amazing.”

The specialist pulled out a small voice recorder.

“Tell me what you want as we walk down to the other end. First, tell me what we’re standing in.”

“OK. This was a cool room, and there is a cooling system on the roof. I would think that the main walls are all brick outer, insulating inside a frame, and heavy board on the inside. Where we’re now standing, we’ll copy the wall construction to leave a single wide door, with a labyrinth entry to minimise external noise. This will be a rest room, with toilets that will be piped into the factory next door. As you can see the roof is presently flat for the middle section, where I guess the cooling ducts come in. There are no power outlets that I’ve seen. If we move forward, we come to the recording and post-production area. The outside is forty feet wide, and we just need to keep enough space for the studio itself. I guess that it’s about a hundred feet long.”

He turned off the recorder and pulled a big tape measure out of his bag. They measured the space, with the internal width actually thirty-seven feet and the length a hundred and ten. He noted the sizes in a notebook and then held the tape up to the wall to record the minimum height, which turned out to be just over thirteen feet. At the other end, Xavier opened the other roller door. Willow explained that this would be the access point for the equipment and any building supplies.

“The outer door will be changed to a more secure design before you start. This wall will be a good one to test for the amount of baffling needed to ensure no sound loss. The roller door will need the same work as the one at the other end. We have a contact with a specialist builder for that, leaving a double door with a sliding soundproofing door when everything is in. We will be only using the outer room for storage, the lane at the back isn’t big enough for parking, so everything will have to be unloaded inside the building.”

“How much do you have in the budget?”

“How much do you think your part in it will cost?”

He grinned.

“I expect that it could be between six and nine hundred thousand, depending on what you want installed.”

“We’re planning on recording a group of up to twenty strong, at the very top, with it usually being around a dozen. If you’ve heard us, you’ll know the sort of stuff we play, but will be moving towards stadium rock with bigger amps. I expect that we’ll bring in some hundred, or two hundred, watt amps, but you can get all the sounds you need from fifty watts with some of the effects boxes these days. That figure is well within what we have on hand, if we wait a while to buy anywhere else.”

“You own this?”

“The whole site, with the distribution company as our tenants.”

“Anything else to show me?”

“We do have use of the upper level of the office block, if you want to use it as a design office or a clean room.”

“When are you thinking of starting?”

“As soon as the building work is finished. If you test the walls for asbestos and the amount of baffling needed, you can start your part as soon as we agree on a price. It will, of course, include the windowed wall between the studio and the rest, with a soundproof access door.”

“How big do you want the studio to be?”

“I’ll let you advise on that; you know how much space the recording and rest space usually takes up.”

“We could possibly put the post-production on a mezzanine floor to save space. Same thing with your rest area, a place for your file storage upstairs is always handy.”

“Sounds good. Xavier was the sound man on our DVD, with Frank as one of the cameramen. If you share contact numbers, they are both more with the details than I am. Can you please keep the location within your company. It’s not going to be a studio for hire, just a hidey hole for us and some friends.”

They shut the end roller and walked back to the entry point, with the man taking pictures on his phone. Back outside, Willow collected the vests, and they all went to see Mervyn to give them back and have a look upstairs. There were some handshakes, and then they went back home.

Frank was a chatterbox on the way back, keen to help. Xavier told him that he could help when they looked at the mixing board and the recording units. They decided that, although the old tapes had a better sound, it was mainly because of the ‘noise’ that was generated, and that it was possible to add that noise digitally if needed.

When they dropped Willow off, she offered to pay for the fuel and told not to even think of it. She went into her home with a feeling that something had been achieved. She sent a group email, reporting on what had occurred that afternoon. She worked for a while on the emailed songs and then got herself ready to go to the club.

The sing-along was just the three of them, with Willow letting Jacob have a big share of the show, which pleased him. After he had left, with his parents, Gina was sitting beside her.

“Something different tonight, friend. You seem withdrawn.”

“I’m having a small problem, Gina. It’s that I’m starting to think that Jacob is the man in my life, and that he should be the leader.”

“So, what’s the problem. He’s the top dog except when we’re on stage with the band. You’re the one with the good ideas, the quick thinker who steers the ship. You’re the one who writes most of our songs.”

“With the move to stadium rock, that will change. What did you think of Viv’s idea around the Magic Flute?”

“One word – quirky, but we can work on it. It does tell a story, but the original lyrics don’t resolve it. Also, it will need to be sung by more lead singers than we usually use.”

“What if we work it like a choral piece? It doesn’t have to be one song. We could break it up into the different stories and get several songs out of it, a bit like telling a story. That way, we could expand each character. If we do that, it could end up as a complete concept album.”

“That might work. We can talk to Viv at school about that. She might go for the idea. How did you feel about what you did this afternoon?”

“It was positive. Xavier acted as if it was going to be his kingdom and Frank was bouncing around like a puppy. We were taken seriously. I looked at the company’s website and they do very good work, probably more luxurious than we were thinking, but it’s all created to suit the site. We took measurements, and the interior walls are eighteen inches thick. That’s some serious insulation, even if you take off the width of the brick. Mervyn’s happy about the situation, and that’s going to be helpful in future.”

“Getting the lease dropped by twenty percent would make anyone happy. Have you thought about what you’re doing with all that extra money this month?”

“We paid off the mortgage on the house. It makes me feel better grounded. What about you?”

“I’ve drawn most of it and started an interest-bearing account. You know, one where you put money in and get a bonus but lose the bonus if you take some out. I’m thinking about a nice house of my own in the future. With Brent as a boyfriend, I’m starting to consider life beyond school. After our birthday party, it was if a switch turned on my thoughts about growing up. Maybe that’s what is happening to you.”

“I can honestly say that I had never had thoughts about what I was going to be doing as a woman before. Besides playing music. The thing is that now there are things that need organising in the real world and I’m beginning to enjoy that side of it.”

“When you organise, my friend, everyone benefits. Please don’t stop.”

Sunday was Gina’s turn in the church. Willow sat with her parents and listened to the voices. There was a new one, that was quite good, that she hadn’t heard before. When she looked around, she noted that it came from the producer that had been with Clive at the school. After the Reverend had left the building, she followed him out.

“Excuse me sir, but you’re the producer with Abbey Road, aren’t you?”

“I am. Willow. I came along to hear for myself the organ that launched a pop group, to hear someone else playing.”

“That’s Gina Summer, she’ll be out soon when the bells finish. I believe we’ll be seeing you on the weekend.”

“You will. I’ve spoken to your teachers, and we’ve decided to record you playing the ‘Seven Variations’, the Grieg Piano Concerto, and the ‘Danse Macabre’. Then the Rodrigo guitar concerto and the ‘Bolero’. It will be the Blue Coat Orchestra playing classical favourites. That’s what I love doing. The week after, I’m scheduled to record some big rock group that I’ve never heard of. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to that.”

“Here comes Gina, you may remember her on the piano playing the Grieg. Gina, you remember our anonymous Abbey Road producer. He’s just told me that he’s not looking forward to recording The Other Side in a couple of weeks.”

“I’m sorry that I haven’t introduced myself, I’m so used to being in the background. I’m Harold Withers. How did you know the name of the band? I’ve been told that they haven’t had anything on the market.”

Gina laughed.

“It’s good to meet you outside of school, Mister Withers. I’m Gina Summer and this is Willow Rose. We’re the original members of Summer Rose, which you may have heard of. The band that you’ll be recording is The Other Side of Summer Rose. Which is the two of us, six other members of the school orchestra, and three others from the school.”

“I had no idea. I have the DVD for the ‘Journey’ album at home. My daughter is a fan.”

“Would you like to see where it was filmed? It’s just across the road, where everyone else are going. You’ll get a free hot drink, if nothing else.”

They took him into the club. Jacob was there with Racheal and Rick. Gina took over the introductions.

“Friends, this is Harold Withers, who will be the producer at Abbey Road next weekend. Mister Withers, this is Jacob Epstein, who will be the soloist on guitar with the Rodrigo. The lady is his sister, Racheal, and the guy is Rick Saxon, who, in another life, is Rick Sacks with the Hikers.”

“My word! This is amazing. That’s two-thirds of this new Coventry Sound. What else do you have to surprise me with?”

“Come on through to the back.”

They led him to the back room.

“This is where that ‘Journey’ album and DVD was recorded. We’ve never been into a studio to re-record it. It was all done on a limited budget with a portable digital unit.”

“I can see it. That’s the stage in the video. How on earth did you get the sound so good?”

“Our sound and camera guys are old hands from recording school concerts, and Willow paid for the best equipment to do the job. The sound man has a Platinum Record for his work.”

Harold got them to stand with him by the stage for a selfie.

“My daughter will tear her hair out when I show her this. At the school, you were all gifted musicians. I never realised how gifted some of you are. It will be interesting to have you in the studio. I’m told that you’ll be recording two entire albums in a day. That’s unheard of! I know some bands who would spend a month doing one, let alone two.”

Willow grinned.

“The day we recorded ‘Journey’, we also recorded one of the albums that we’re re-recording. I’ll pop home and get you a copy. You can show it to your daughter as a hint of where we’re moving.”

He got a drink and looked at the Gold Record behind the bar, while she popped home and got one of the DVDs and a pendant on a chain. When she got back, she gave them to him.

“Look, Mister Withers, we’re all looking forward to recording in your studio. If you treat the orchestra as reasonable adults, we’ll be able to nail the lot in a day. I believe that we’re leaving here very early on the Saturday, and have a night in a hotel, with another session Sunday. If we have time to spare, there are others that we’ve worked on for our concerts in the Cathedral, so we might be able to lay down a couple more before we come home.”

She was sitting with the others when the Reverend came in, followed by Jim, from G-Force. They came over to the table.

“I think you all know Jim. He came along to hear the service today and has volunteered to play the organ at odd times. I know that you girls will be busy some Sundays. I showed him the organ. Can you pop back into the church and show him where things are?”

“Welcome to the League of Stoneleigh Organists, Jim. We’ll both be in London for the next two weekends recording, so we’d better show you the tricks. Church organ is very contained, so no embellishments are allowed. Come with us for a few minutes. We’ll be back soon.”

They took him back to the church and up to sit at the organ. The music for that day was still on the stand.

“Did the Reverend describe what the procedure was?”

“He did. The only thing I haven’t done is play.”

“Right! First thing is to have something that you can play at the start and at the finish. You would have heard us play Bach at the school assemblies. It just needs to be something that you can fade out without it being noticeable. When the Reverend leaves and you’re playing him out, there will be the electronic bells. You can stop playing when the church is empty, but if some are hanging around, we generally stop with the bells. You’ll find it easy after you’ve heard them a couple of times.”

“OK, It sounds good. What about the hymns?”

“We come in on a Friday evening or a Saturday to see what’s on the board. We both usually play the full set all the way through. The Reverend will often put the music up here for you. Now, during summer, you’ll be with us on tour, so we may have to find another organist.”

“A tour! I haven’t been told about that one.”

“Write your email on the notepad, there, and I’ll send you the information. It’s still early days. Now, this is how Old Betsy’s gets turned on.”

They coached him through the procedure, and he played one of that days hymns to get the feel of the instrument.

“This is really different. You feel as if you’re part of a living beast. I love it!”

“If you like it so much, you’re welcome to the next two weekends. We’ll be in London with the orchestra and then with the band.”

Back at the club, they stayed for lunch and the talk was happy and wondering about good things to come. Rick had been contacted about the likely tour, so was able to fill Jim in on what little he knew. Harold stayed and talked about the studio set-up where they would be on the weekend and was able to give them some pointers on what to do, or not to do, inside a studio. When he left, he was more of a friend, and not someone to be afraid of.

Back at home, Willow emailed Jim with Jill’s message and a note that the Gees may have not yet been contacted. She wrote out the existing lyrics of Vivienne’s song and split the verses into four sections, then seeing what she could do to expand the story for each section. She thought hard about what the resolution was, as it had been left up in the air. If the one who professed to be a loser ended up on top, there had to be a satisfactory reason. In the opera, the clown wins the hand of the fair maiden.

She saved her notes in a word document and composed an email to Vivienne. She said that she had been thinking about the song suggestion and the attachment was her notes. She said that it would make a great concept album if it was expanded to about ten songs, in whatever form decided on, whether original Summer Rose or the Other Side. She noted that great works come from humble beginnings and if Vivienne needed others to help her work on it, she need only ask.

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 14

At Monday lunch, the first person that Willow saw was Vivienne, who came over and hugged her.

“Thank you so much for your comments and ideas, Willow. You’re right, as usual. I’d been scared at putting myself forward and kept the song simple. I see why you thought it unresolved. I’ll work on it between now and the practise at the club. I’m honoured that you think it worthy of an album.”

“But it is, Vivienne. Most concept albums have a simple premise and describe the journey from one place to another. Your story just has a lot more points of view, so the song that you sent could be the penultimate track, with the previous ones setting the five individual scenes, if you include the fair maiden. The final track could be the lovers finding that they are just that. All you need to do is to think that you’re each character and write a song to fit. The first track could be the setting of the trials, with the maiden as the prize. It could be set in any era, not the magical royal one from Mozart, but something up to date, like having a love child of Elon Musk being the one on the auction block.”

The next to talk to her was Geoff and Zara, who still hadn’t been officially advised that they would be on the tour. Willow wondered if Peter was having to negotiate with the school because of the important exams. Miss Russell sent the orchestra a note to say that the Tuesday session would be a bit longer, as they were going to play everything that they had mastered in case it was required when they were at Abbey Road.

When they were going home, Sebastian was told about that arrangement. That evening, Willow did some exercises on her clarinet and made sure that it was ready to be taken in the morning.

On Tuesday, on the way to school, Gina told Willow that she was going with her mother to visit Madame Francesca on Wednesday evening, so wouldn’t be at the choir practise. At lunch, they confirmed that all the band, and Xavier, were going to be at the club on Thursday, and that their parents were happy to just sit and watch the music being created. The orchestra session was as long as expected, with them doing everything they had learned except the Beethoven ‘Choral’ and the ‘Organ Symphony’. Willow was asked to practise the ‘Seven Variations’ at home, as well as the ‘Toccata and Fugue’ she had played at the first Cathedral Concert. Before they were sent home, Miss Russell came in.

“Boys and girls, there is a slight change of plans for the weekend. Because of the number of items you will be recording, we will be arriving at the studio first thing after breakfast. The hotel booking has been extended to Friday and Saturday and you will be picked up at the school at seven, Friday evening. Saturday night, you’re all going to the theatre to see ‘Wicked’.”

There were cheers and a lot of chatter as the room emptied. As Willow and Gina were heading for the door, Miss Russell beckoned them over.

“I will tell you that it has been the income from your school concerts that have allowed this to happen. The money from your website sales have been a great addition to the bottom line. Thank you and the band.”

The vehicle was waiting at the door when they got out. They took Brent home first and then headed for Stoneleigh. Jacob gave Willow a kiss when he arrived at the farm, and Rick came out to the vehicle door.

“Good news. We have paid the in-laws the whole amount for the farmhouse and a sum that will cover two years of land rent while we learn how to farm. We’ll have a bit of a party soon, but I believe that you’re in London for the next two weekends so it will be after that.”

When Willow arrived home, her parents were already there. They prepared dinner and Willow went to the locker in the garage to get the recording equipment ready for Thursday evening. She checked her emails and saw that there were several replies with extra tracks of her new songs, so she worked her magic with the laptop and mixing program to come up with a composite of each one.

Wednesday was a lot quieter. Gina didn’t know what they were going to see Madame Francesca about, and Vivienne said that she was still looking at the new songs. That evening, Willow played the organ for the choir and was getting more impressed with how they were coming on. Tom’s book had been the difference, so she asked him she could have one and carried it home afterwards for future reading.

On Thursday morning, Gina had a big smile on her face.

“Found out what the secrecy was about. Mum had been taking pictures of the band, and checking labels when she could. Tomorrow evening, Frankie the Ham will be at the club with her two assistants. With Mum, they’ll be measuring all of us for stage outfits. They’ll be ready before we go on tour, four different sets, so we can always have a clean outfit. Frankie has done a deal with Peter to be paid a set amount each show we use them, as well as having our photos in her shop.”

“That’s great! I only hope that they’re a bit more modest than the ones her assistant gave us before.”

“I saw some of the designs. She’ll bring a dozen copies of the sketches to look at before they make them. She wants us to tick the ones we like, and she’ll put together the collection then.”

At lunch, there was a lot of chatter among the orchestra members about the recording session. It was all new to everyone, even the band, as they considered that the session they had done in Birmingham was a bit like playing in a soundproof loungeroom. PE saw them doing exercises and working on parallel bars to get some upper body training.

That evening, Ashley helped his daughter carry the recording equipment to the club, where she sat it on a table. When the others arrived, they pulled out all the amps, drums, and keyboards, and set up microphones and the PA. Xavier arrived with Frank, and they set up the recording equipment.

They all had a simple meal, seeing that it was a weekday, with Wendy and some of the other mothers doing the heating of the pies and cooking the chips. They had just finished when Madame Francesca arrived with her assistants and tape measures. As each band member was measured, they went through to the back room. Willow and Gina were the last, and Frankie gave them a big wad of sketches for later on. The three stayed for a while, joining the mothers and fathers to see the process happen before their eyes.

They played ‘Hopelessly Human’ as a warmup and to get the mix right. Then they nodded to Xavier that this was to be a recording and played ‘Dummy Splitter’ for the second time. After that, it took three tries each for the other songs that they had returned the extra tracks for.

After that, Vivienne said that she now had different words for the song that she had sent through, but the tune remained the same. She explained that it was now to be part of a larger work, and that this particular song was to link the five characters towards the beginning of the set. She had written out the full lyrics, with music, and gave one each to Willow and Gina, one to Jacob and one each to Roy, Bryan, and Edward.

“The basis of the set is that a social media baron has a beautiful daughter. That’s you, Willow. Your lines are marked ‘Titania’. The media baron is fed up of men trying to woo her and announces a trial on his site. She would take the hand of the winner of a set of trials. No slaying of dragons here. The first trial is to amass five million followers on his site, and the second is to turn that into hard cash. Five take up the challenge, four men and a woman, who knows, firsthand, that Titania swings both ways.”

Willow played the basic tune on the piano setting. The core group had worked on the original tune, so they played the song, taking care to get the words in the right place. There was a bit of giggling as they worked through it, as the lyrics were a curious mix of Shakespeare and street jargon. It started with Willow singing about how terrible it was for her father to do such a thing, and then each of the entrants sang about how wonderful they were and how happy Titania would be when they are wed, or before, in a couple of cases. Three men were all man, tough and confident. The other man is diffident, and shy. The girl is as hard as nails, and was confident that Titania would submit to her, again.

With the third playing, Xavier recorded it, and there was a lot of smiling faces in the audience, as parents had seen a top band nail a new, and difficult song. After the recorded track, they played it again without the words in front of them, with a bit more freedom to improvise the music.

They stopped there, with Vivienne saying that she would be supplying further songs in the set as they got together again. The band turned everything off and put the equipment away. Xavier downloaded the recordings to his laptop.

Willow asked the parents if they were fully aware of the next two weekends. Those that were in the orchestra would be picked up at the school and driven to London, to be back at the school after five on Sunday afternoon. The band will be leaving Coventry with the security in a coach, and driven to London the following Friday, and likely to be getting back about teatime on the Sunday. They would all be picked up at home and would just need their instruments. Drums, keyboards, and amps would be in the studio. Before she had come to the club, she had read an email from Jill, so passed on the information that had been sent.

“I have been advised that Saturday evening, the band will be guests on the BBC talk show. Not to play, they will show something from our DVD, but we will all need to dress nicely. Madame Francesca, would it be possible to have a set of outfits for us by that Thursday evening? We can have another session like this to try things on.”

“Certainly, Willow. If you all pick an item from the sketches we brought, it’s easy to get one set together.”

They all took a set of sketches and ticked four styles, each, for the fashion house to put together a collection that would work on TV. Xavier took Willow aside as they collected up the cables and told her that he was going be included in with the orchestra trip, as a helper, as well as an opportunity from the school to study a professional recording studio. Willow told him that she would see if he could be added to the band trip as well.

Ashley and Wendy helped carry the recording equipment home. Her parents were quiet, after seeing how the band created music. They had heard ‘Spitter’ before, but what they had heard tonight was a lot more effective. At home, they packed the stuff in the cupboard and had a hot drink before bed. Willow packed a small case before she went to bed, putting in some casual items and a nice dress for the theatre. She also had her clarinet and a cosmetic case which would have her teeth cleaning items added tomorrow.

On Friday, there was more excitement among the orchestra, and Willow went to see the nurse at lunch for her third injection. She was asked if she had noticed any changes and could only say that she wasn’t feeling as tired as she used to be. That afternoon, they were let out a little earlier, and the security detail was outside to take them home. At home, she stripped off and had a shower, then dressed in her better underwear, vowing to go shopping for more when she could. In a soft skirt and a good blouse, with just a cardigan if it got cool, she loaded her bag in Ashley’s car, and they went off to pick up Gina and Jacob, and then went to the school.

The trip to London was boisterous, with Willow and Gina asked to sing some of their songs and the rest joining in. Seeing that eight of the Summer Rose were on the coach, it sounded pretty good. They all fitted into the one coach, just. A truck had gone ahead with the larger instruments, such as cellos and double bass’s, as well as the pair of Yamahas and the Martin guitars. Reg was following, with Miss Russell and Mister Bamborough.

At the hotel, it was too late to do anything but go to the rooms that they had been allocated. Gina, Willow, Vivienne and Nancy were in a two-room suite, and the four other band members shared a similar room further along the corridor. Jacob and Brent suggested that they swap rooms, but the other girls weren’t agreeing. Nancy said that if the other two guys had been Herb and Roy, they may have thought about it.

The next morning, they all gathered in the dining room for breakfast, then freshened up to get on the bus to head for the studio. It took about twenty minutes and Sebastian pulled into a driveway with a security guard at the double gate. The truck was already in the carpark area. They all got out with their bags and smaller instruments. They were gathered by the front door of what looked like a large house. They were told to stay quiet as the security man opened the gates again to let the coach back out, with Reg and Howard stopping the traffic to give him room.

The other instruments had already been taken out of the truck and it left with the coach. Miss Russell announced that their things would be safe in the studio overnight, and they would load up before they go home. Jill came out with a big bunch of lanyards, which she handed out by name. When she got to Willow and Gina, she smiled and told them that she was looking forward to next week, and for the band members to bring theirs the next week. After many selfies in front of the building, with the iconic name over the main door, they were led through the house, past offices and small studios, until they arrived at the main studio, where Harold Withers was waiting for them.

When they walked in, there was a short period where the door was blocked, as the first ones through it had to stop and take in the sight before them. The place was huge! It must be at least two floors high, with almost more floor space than the school hall. There were some seats in front of a rostrum, with music stands. They explored the rest of the studio as the cellos, double base’s and the Yamahas were set up. The studio already had a grand piano, an old church organ, a two-tier organ and a keyboard. Mister Withers called out for everyone to come and take their seats for the ‘Carnival of the Animals’. They were more widely spaced than usual, with a microphone each and a set of headphones for every player. It took a while for each player to play something to have the microphones adjusted and the mix set. Finally, they were ready. Mister Bamborough took to the podium, putting on his headphones. Mister Withers left the studio floor with Xavier following him. The space went quiet, and a voice came through the headphones.

“Please ensure that nobody has their mobile phone on, even set to silent, then play the first movement through so we can adjust the mix. There will be a red light come on when we’re actually recording, so no talking while it’s on”

They played the first movement and Willow could hear the sound as if she was listening to a CD, with slight variations in the mix as they moved along. At the end, the voice came back.

“Now recording, please play the entire piece. If there are any problems, we can repeat it as many times as it takes. Light coming on, now!”

Mister Bamborough raised his baton, and they were recording the ‘Carnival of The Animals’ in the main studio at Abbey Road! There was no need for a second take, and they moved around to play ‘Bolero’ with Willow taking her place with her clarinet, next to Vivienne on the flute, Alec not permitted the trip by his mother.

They then completed the trio of short pieces with ‘Danse Macabre’. They had a lunch break with small groups given a tour through the rest of the complex. Xavier came over to Willow while she was eating a sandwich and was almost beside himself.

“Behind that big window is heaven on earth. One bank of sliders is forty-eight wide, and there’s a second set. Harold told me that the second set is used when they have vocalists. I watched them as they set the mix, and I learned a lot.”

When it was time for Willow to go for a tour, her group was the eight band members plus Xavier and Reg. Jill was the guide for them. She took them through to other studios, pointing out a smaller one that they would use the following week, as well as some time in a post-production suite which almost had Xavier drooling. The tour finished at the shop, where they had a few minutes to look around before going back for the afternoon session.

That started with Jacob playing the Rodrigo concerto. To Willow, it sounded perfect through the headphones, but the operator wanted it played again. Jacob made the Martin sing and Willow’s heart swelled with pride for him.

After that there was a bit of a break while the grand piano was positioned, and Gina was tested for the mix. Gina was in her element, the months of playing the organ and entertaining made for a lively and spirited performance.

Harold Withers came over the headphones.

“You’ve all done well today. The repeat of the Rodrigo was due to a technical fault in here. We have time for Willow to record one of her pieces, so, if the rest of you want to have a wander around and check out the shop, your performers lanyard will get you discount. Headphones off, please. You can leave everything as it is.”

Most of the orchestra went off to explore, and Willow was taken to where the keyboards were. Close up, the organ looked like something out of a church. She sat at it and warmed up with some Bach as they technicians set the microphone and mix. She was asked to play the ‘Seven Variations’ when the red light came on. The others in the studio were asked to stay quiet, and the light came on. She played the first movement and then took her hands from the keyboard. The light went out and the voice in the headphones asked her what the matter was.

“It’s crap. I can get a better sound out of the Yamaha or my Nord. This organ sounds like it spent twenty years in a Wesleyan Chapel, being played by miners with big hands.”

There was silence, then Harold Withers laughed.

“I told you guys that she’s a perfectionist. Looks like Plan B is in order. Take the headphones off, Willow, we’ll continue your part of this tomorrow. We have an authentic instrument to play then. You were wrong, that one spent fifty years at a mining village.”

Willow stepped away from the organ. It wasn’t that bad, and had been looked after, but it wasn’t right. Reg came over to her.

“I knew that you wouldn’t be happy with that one. A lot of good musicians would have recorded on that without complaint, but they never had the exposure to proper pipe organs that you have. You go and see if there’s anything in the shop you like. When the coach comes back, we’ll be clearing our things. The studio is happy, the label is happy, and the school will be happy when the album comes out. Plan B is for us all to go to another venue while you do your part, and then you’ll be off home.”

Willow went off to find the others. They were, as expected, browsing in the shop. There was so much to look at. Brent had brought three Pink Floyd tee shirts for the other band members, and a lot of the orchestra had Abbey Road Tee’s. Willow bought a sign which read ‘Abbey Road Studio Two. Do not enter when red light is on’ which she thought she may glue on her bedroom door. Then there was the ‘Inside Abbey Road’ book with lots of photos. There was a Deep Purple ‘Made in Japan’ Abbey Road remix vinyl album which she got for her parents. She wondered if it may lead to having a brother or sister before she left Blue Coat. She finished off with a set of six Abbey Road mugs, just in case they made triplets.

Jill came along and started herding everyone back to the main studio. When they were all accounted for, Mister Bamborough spoke to them.

“The day has been a success and we have finished here, so collect all your bags and small instruments. The truck is coming back and will be going back to the school with all the large things tonight. We are going back to the hotel for dinner, and then we’ll be off to see ‘Wicked’. Tomorrow, after breakfast, take all your things from your rooms as we’ll be checking out when we leave. We will be going to another venue with a better organ for Willow to play, and then will return to Coventry. When we get an approximate arrival, you can call your rides to be ready to pick you up.”

They gathered all their things and took another good look around as they left. It had been a great day and an experience to cherish. Jill told Willow that she would see her in the morning, and was looking forward to the next weekend, when they would be in one of the smaller studios.

“You won’t be bringing the two Yamahas next week. Is there a particular keyboard that you want us to have for you?”

“We played Nord Stage Three’s at a do the other week and they were great. If you get a pair, I’ll pay for them if you send me the invoice, as we may have somewhere to use them in a couple of months. If you get two-tier stands, we both have Nord Electro’s that we can mount on them.’

“OK, I’ll see what I can do. Clive will meet us tomorrow, to talk about the tour. Were you happy with the schedule?”

“It looked good. Enough time to have off unless the shows are sell-outs.”

Sebastian had parked at the kerb, and they all piled on board. As they were leaving, the truck was turning up to collect the bigger things. Miss Russell was staying behind to oversee the loading.

At the hotel, they all freshened up and went to dinner. There was a lot of positive energy in the room. After dinner, they had time to get changed. In their room, the four girls helped each other get dressed. With the money they had been earning, they had all bought good outfits, and looked good when they went down to the reception.

The coach took them to the theatre, and they all had a wonderful evening seeing ‘Wicked’. Willow noticed Mister Bamborough buying a DVD of the show, as well as a very expensive book with all the script, lyrics and music in. She wondered if that would be the next musical that the school would put on. After today, she thought, nothing was impossible.

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 15

In the morning, the four girls got ready for the day, with Willow wondering what Plan B entailed. The went down for breakfast and then back to their rooms to make sure that they had everything packed, with Nancy walking through the suite to see if anything had been left.

The coach was outside, and Sebastian helped them store their cases and souvenirs in the baggage area. Willow made sure that the record was laid flat, so it didn’t buckle. When they were all seated. Mister Bamborough stood up at the front.

“Now, listen to me carefully. Today, we are going to a place where Mister Withers and the record label have negotiated that we have some time in. We have to be out of it by two, so will have lunch on the way home. You may have thought that you saw it all yesterday but be prepared to be amazed. The studio has set up a simple recording system as there is only the one instrument to record, so there’s no red light. All mobile phones off when we get there. No taking pictures inside, but there are postcards to buy.”

Sebastian drove them into the centre of London and pulled up in the carpark of the Albert Hall. Mister Bamborough stood again.

“As you can see, we’re at the Albert Hall. This is where you will be playing on the Monday evening during the Proms final week. We are trying to get a time to run through a complete practise before that time. It may be the early part of the summer holidays, or late in the term. Now, off the coach and follow me.”

They were quiet as they walked towards the imposing building. Inside, it took their breath away. Reg Edwards took Willow up to the organ, with Gina following. They were met by one of the organists that had played it often, and he described the settings that would work for the ‘Toccata’ and for the ‘Seven Variations’.

Harold Withers joined them with a set of headphones and a receiver unit.

“These will help you and hear when instructions are given. We’ve recorded here before, so the microphone settings were easy. Now, I want the ‘Toccata’ first. Are you ready, Willow?”

“No sir, I am not ready. My friend, here, is able to play that as well as I can. If we have a CD of just organ music, why not let her do this one. At least, let her play this organ to get the experience. If the recording isn’t up to scratch, then I’ll have a go.”

He looked at her, then smiled.

“All right. Gina, put the headphones on and warm your fingers. You’ll hear when we’re ready.”

He went back down, and Gina hugged Willow before putting the headphones on and started to play some Bach. The other three put ear defenders on that the organist had brought up with him and stood to one side. Reg gave Willow a grin as they waited. Gina stopped playing and looked at them, then hit the keys with some force. At that moment, Willow realised why they were wearing ear defenders where they were standing.

From her standpoint, Willow couldn’t fault Gina’s rendition and there was silence as the last notes died away. She could see Mister Bamborough down below, with a finger to his lips. The sound man, with Xavier beside him, headphones on, relaxed and there was a cheer from the assembled orchestra, seated in the first rows of the stalls. Gina took the headphones off, tears in her eyes.

“He said it was all right and it’s your turn, friend. This one is the best of the best. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play. I know that you’ll rock the house with the symphony.”

Willow took the headphones and put them on, handing her defenders to Gina. She sat at the keyboard and played Bach until a voice came through, asking if she was ready. She stopped playing and waited until they were happy with the silence.

“All right, Willow. The ‘Seven Variations’ please. I’ll tell you if I want to restart at any time. Usually, the only thing to upset a recording is an emergency vehicle going by. Ready when you are, recording on.”

She played the ‘Seven Variations’ from memory, finding all the things that made this organ the best in the world. When she finished, there was silence until she could hear cheering from below. The voice came back.

“Willow, it seems that there’s a bit of room in the timing. Do you have something less than ten minutes to fill up the CD?”

She lifted her arm with her thumb up.

“All right, we’ll get this lot quiet again and then I’ll give you the go.”

She turned to the other three next to her and gave them a wink, then turned back to the keyboard to make a couple of adjustments as she waited. Finally, the voice told her that recording was on, and she played the Saint-Saens Opus Nine, the Nuptial Benediction, stretching it out slightly. The orchestra had heard it before, in the Cathedral, but this organ seemed to spread the love over the whole space.

When the last notes died, there was more silence and then a burst of cheering. She took the headphones off and stood, to be hugged by Gina, Reg and the organist, who asked her what that piece was. Willow asked Reg how much time they had left, and he told her that there was plenty.

“Can you pop down and tell the techs that I want to do the last part of the Organ Symphony, seeing that I’m going to do it for the Proms.”

He nodded and went down to the mixing board and spoke to Harold Withers. She put the headphones on again and waited.

“Willow, we have clearance for you to play. We won’t be recording and will be gathering up our equipment while you play. Whenever you’re ready.”

She sat and played a little Bach again and made more adjustments. The other two donned the ear defenders and waited. She stopped playing, winked at Gina and the hit the notes with the same force that Gina had used. Down below, everyone stopped in their tracks as the sound rolled down towards them like a pyroclastic cloud. She played the last movement through, in the version that they would be using, hearing the orchestra singing the words.

When she finished and Jupiter’s Voice was silenced, the organist told her that she would have a standing ovation if they were ending their evening with that. Gina gave him her defenders, and the girls left the organ to join their friends and give the headphones and receiver back. The organist went to pick up the music and then realised that it was untouched, with everything he had just heard played from memory. He looked down at them being hugged by the others and knew that he had just experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event.

He went down and spoke to Harold Withers.

“Those girls just did the whole session without even touching the music I’d put out.”

“I expected that. They were in the studio yesterday and did the ‘Carnival of the Animals’ from memory on two keyboards, and Gina played the Grieg Piano Concerto from memory. I’m told that when they’re with their band, they can play four hours straight, without repeating anything.”

“What’s the band?”

“They’re Summer Rose, and we have eight members of that band in this orchestra. The only ones missing are three guitarists, although one of them recorded a sublime Rodrigo yesterday. We have them in the studio next week.”

The orchestra were shown where they would be seated when they played here, to give them an idea of the tiers of seats that they would be looking out at. Then, via a visit to the shop for postcards, they all got back in the coach to head back towards Coventry. They stopped at Luton for lunch, and all called their pick-up that they would be at the school in a few hours. Reg sat with the girls and told both of them how proud he was with their playing today, especially Gina, who he had never heard play something so powerful before, especially from memory.

“It was one of the first things Willow got me to do while I was learning the Grieg. She sat me at the organ at St. Marys and told me to listen to the music in my head. That wasn’t the most successful playing, but it was better the second time. I’ve been practising that, and others, at home on my keyboard, and playing the Cathedral has been a real help. This was, by far, the most amazing experience of my life.”

“I gather that you’ll be doing the Grieg after Jacob plays the Rodrigo. Before yesterday, I knew that the orchestra was good, but you lot blew my mind with what you recorded. When it’s released, it will get rave reviews from the critics, I’m sure, and having eight members of Summer Rose in the line-up may even get some non-classical attention.”

Vivienne grinned.

“Not as much as what we’re recording next week, sir,”

………………………………………………

Back in London, Harold Withers, Jill, Clive and the technicians were listening to the playback of the recordings. Clive took control.

“Harold, treat this one with kid gloves. No stupid enhancements, please. Jill, you have all the details to get a cover design and inner notes. Make sure that they include details of the eight members of Summer Rose for the first CD and emphasise that it’s Gina Summer and Willow Rose on the organ for the second one. Also, make a special note with ‘The Swan’, as the cellist is Zara, the singer with G-Force. I want this project to be a priority and on the market in two weeks,”

…………………………………………………..

When the coach arrived at the school, there was a fleet of cars waiting for them. There was a prolonged period of hugs and kisses as they pulled their things from the lower compartment. Maisie was there to take Jacob and Gina home, while both Wendy and Ashley were there to take Willow, via the club. When they arrived, Willow asked her father to open the back of the car so she could get something out.

She had decided that the Abbey Road Studio Two sign would be better here than on her bedroom door. In the club, she presented the paper bag to Malcolm.

“I picked this up yesterday. I thought it might look good on the door to the back room.”

He opened it up and laughed.

“Thank you, Willow. I’ll put it up during the week. Then, when I advertise events, I can say that they’re being held in Studio Two. I love it!”

He came out from behind the bar and gave her a hug.

“How did the recording go?”

“It was really good. The orchestral items were in the can on Saturday, and the producer was very happy. You should see that recording studio! It’s big enough to fit this building inside and still have enough room for a good garden. Sunday, we went to the Albert Hall to record Gina and me on the big organ. We both had a ball!”

They had a relaxing time with some drinks and then had dinner, after which Willow was starting to flag. They went home and told her parents not to peek at the shopping bag as she went up to change for bed. They sat in the kitchen with a hot drink, and she pulled out the six mugs that they could use in future. Then she pulled out the book and they looked at the pictures, with a couple showing just how vast the studio was.

“I brought back something for you two. It was sitting there, just shouting at me that it could make you both very happy.”

She pulled out the Deep Purple album and her parents started laughing.

“Thank you, sweet child. Just propped up on the vanity is going to improve my sleep.”

“I thought that might be the case, Mum.”

“We don’t have a record player, Willow.”

“Dad, they’re all the rage these days. Vinyl is back and you can pick them up at any electrical store. You might want to look in record shops to see all the old greats back on disc. I could have come home with a case full of records from the Abbey Road shop. They have quite a lot of Pink Floyd albums and tee shirts. Do they do something to you like Purple does?”

“Are you looking for a brother or sister?”

“Why do you think I brought home six mugs.”

She had a long day, and went off to bed early, leaving Ashley to ponder on what their child was thinking about when she picked up the record.

“What a lot of young women think about, darling, and quite a lot of men as well. I’m not sure that I would want another child so late in life, but it’s fun trying, isn’t it. We can prop it on the vanity and imagine that night we saw them. I think she was right about one thing, Pink Floyd might have the same effect, seeing that Kansas worked.”

Monday morning was almost back to normal. When Willow was having breakfast, she assumed, from the smiles, that the record had worked. Sebastian and Max picked her up, as usual, and Sebastian told her that if he died tomorrow, he would have a smile on his face at the memory of the two girls playing that organ.

Everyone was smiling that day. Her friends, her school chums, the teachers. Lunch was fun, with some of the orchestra having brought in their purchases from the Abbey Road shop. There were several who wanted to congratulate Gina and Willow on the session in Albert Hall. It had made the entire orchestra keen to be there when they were playing the Proms. Zara came over to tell them that the ‘Swan’ had made her think about going further with her classical career if the singing faded.

“You’ll be at the club next week, so you’ll start to realise the joy of entertaining. The money isn’t bad, either.”

“You sound like my mother, I had to work hard to stop her trying to transfer my money to her account. I’ve spoken to Peter, and we have a code word that only we know if I want to transfer money. I’m going to see an accountant on my own, to set up an interest-bearing account and keep it secret.”

“We have a syndicate account which is buying property, and I have my own company account. It takes a bit to get going and may need an adult to be a director.”

“I have an older brother who works in the real estate business. I’ll talk to him.”

Monday night, when Willow checked her laptop, there were three songs that Herb and Roy had submitted, and another that Victor had sent. Willow worked with them and sent back the tracks with her extra workings. She went to bed, early, and read the book on Abbey Road.

Tuesday morning, it was her turn to play in the chapel. Reg had a grin when he said that it was a big come down from Sunday. There was a lot of notices about the vocal auditions around the school, instead of orchestra practise. During lunch, Jim came over and told the girls how much he enjoyed playing in the church.

“I see why you two love it so much. It has a stronger voice than a keyboard, and you feel as if the music is part of you that’s emerging through your fingers.”

“We’re going to be away again next week, so the seat’s yours as long as you want it. We’ll have to find someone else during summer when we’re all away playing.”

“Yes. We had an email last night, confirming that we’re part of the tour with you and the Hikers. Just playing at the local football stadium will be massive! It will be interesting to find out where the other venues are.”

“I’ll see if Jill knows more when we see her on the weekend. Hopefully, we’ll have enough for a second album by then. Your album would be heading for Platinum by now.”

“I believe that it’s getting close. I think the Hikers album may be the same. It’s crazy to have so much money. I know that Gerry is starting to think about leaving school as soon as he can, but it would need the band to keep going, or him being invited to join another band. That’s too scary for me. I’m a good enough student to go to university, and my folks have made it clear that they want that to be in my future.”

“We’ll all have to make our own decisions. It’ll be hard for a lot of us, especially when you get pressured by others. Stick with what you want to do, Jim.”

That afternoon, the auditions were set up, with so many wanting to be listened to that they had to set up a second Yamaha in another room. Willow, Tom, and one of the school choir worked in one room, working with the line of girls, while Gina worked with Mister Bamborough and another choir member with the line of boys. Jacob was sent out to the main entrance to ask Sebastian to wait until they were finished.

When the line of boys were evaluated, Gina had girls diverted to her room. They finished the auditions after just over two hours. The two choir members had three or four notebooks full of details. They must have auditioned at least a hundred students.

On the way home, they discussed the auditions, noting how many of the girls were from the first year, and how many had good high voices. Most of the boys were classed as ‘normal’, with Gina saying that Herb, Roy, and Victor would be coming back for further testing. The next week would have some brought back to sing parts of the ‘Messiah’.

“I think that Victor may be a candidate for our tenor, and there was a fourth-year lad, built like the proverbial brick outhouse, who will be a good bass, if he can actually sing.”

“We had about twenty girls who can be part of the big choir. There are some parts of the piece where the voices get to the limit. Most of those boys can fill the centre of the choir, if needed.”

That evening, Willow checked her emails and worked on a few of the new songs. If they all worked, there was enough for the ‘Homegrown’ album. Wednesday was almost normal, except for a notice around the school that selected applicants from the auditions would be contacted for further testing, and that there would be another room set aside for any who had missed out on being auditioned. It went on to say that successful singers would be expected to join the orchestra on Tuesday evenings until the end of term, so a choir could be selected for the performance at the Proms, in the Albert Hall. For many, that was the first that they’d heard that their first step was to be a gigantic leap.

Wednesday evening was the choir practise in the club, with those wanting to be part of ‘Messiah’ being picked out. None of these would be part of the Proms concert, as that was purely a Blue Coat affair, but the ‘Messiah’ was expected to have outsiders in key positions, being almost impossible to stage without them.

Thursday evening, Willow and her parents went into the club. Ashley to unlock and look after the bar, and Wendy to start the pie heaters and get the deep fryer up to temperature. The rest of the band came in, with a parent or sibling, and they pulled everything out of the storage. Xavier and Frank arrived, so Willow went back to the house with them to bring the recording equipment. The crowd all had the light meal, and some drinks, and then went through to the back room, now designated as ‘Studio Two’.

They had an audience as they worked on the new songs, before getting them recorded. They stopped for a drink and then went back on the stage to record them. They had discussed them and had written out the order on big bits of paper, which were on music stands. Xavier nodded that recording was on and they played ‘Homegrown – the album’ for the first time.

When they finished, Rick came over and gave everyone a hug. He was full of praise for what he thought might be a Platinum album. Xavier downloaded the recording to his laptop and burned a dozen CDs with a portable CD unit. One was given to each of the band members as a memento of the event. This was to be their second album to be recorded on Saturday.

They were all looking forward to the visit to Abbey Road. This was to be a private visit, so Clive had booked them to the same hotel, and Max and Sebastian would be picking them all up on Friday evening. They would be staying Saturday night, in case another recording session was needed, and would be appearing on the talk show with the BBC.

Xavier and Frank helped carry the equipment back to the house while Gina and the others cleared the stage. Willow went back to the club to say goodnight to everyone. Some parents of the wind section were trying hard to match their schoolchild with the rock band they had just seen.

When the club had been closed up and they were back home, Willow used her CD unit to transfer the CD to her laptop. She added the file to an email to Jill, telling her that this would be the second album to be recorded, and that the cover art should be a single red rose, with sharp thorns on the stem. It was to be called ‘Homegrown – Summer Rose.’ She went to sleep easily, satisfied that they had enough for a good show.

Friday morning, she had a small case packed, with something classy for the TV show. She made her bed and laid out something to the trip, and then went to get breakfast. When they arrived at Gina’s home, she came out with some garment bags.

“These arrived yesterday evening. I have yours to pick up on the way home. We can drop Jacob’s on the way in and give the others out at school.”

Willow found Jacob’s, and when they got to the farm, she got out with it to give him. He took it into the barn and came out to give her a hug before they got into the vehicle. At lunch, she went to the nurse who gave her the injection and took a blood sample for the pathology. When she got to the lunchroom. Gina had handed out the other outfits, telling them that they were for the studio and the TV show, with Vivienne and Nancy both opening the bags to have a look. As Willow ate, her phone pinged. It was a text from Jill.

‘CD Gr8. Rose now blue, red done before. SeeU2nite.’

The Music Studies session was a lot of fun, with them finally nailing a longer version of ‘Her Day’ as an instrumental. They were told that the next lesson was the last for the year, and that they would be allowed out once they had performed for the Head, while being recorded and filmed. The vehicles were waiting for them when they walked out, and they were taken home. Sebastian said that he was picking the others up first, so was likely to be at Stoneleigh about six-thirty.

Willow got herself a sandwich, expecting that they would stop along the way for a comfort stop. She showered and dressed in the outfit she had laid out, then sat with her parents for a drink as they had dinner. There was a beep outside and she kissed her parents to go out and join the band. In the bus, she was surprised to see Xavier, Frank, and Dave, but just said ‘hello’ as she went to find the seat beside Jacob, passing another surprise in Mister Jamieson.

“I’ve volunteered to be the responsible adult, seeing that you’re all students.”

He grinned.

“Besides, Reg told me that the recording studio is an experience not to be missed!”

Sebastian had the radio on, and they sang along as their own songs were played. They stopped at Luton for a comfort visit, with everyone getting fast food from the counter. When they arrived at the hotel, Jill was waiting for them with lanyards for those who didn’t already have them. Xavier had a new one with ‘Recording Engineer’ on it, while Frank and Dave both had ‘Video Cameraman’ on theirs.

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 16

The four girls had the same room as before, so settled down easily. For Willow, it was like having a slumber party without late night movies, her second in a week. In the morning, they had breakfast in the dining room and then went to get ready. Back in the reception, the band looked as if they were about to perform. The outfits were great, fitted well, and made them stand out from the crowd. Jim Jamieson was non-plussed. He hadn’t been to their shows and had never seen Summer Rose play except for the school concerts.

The instruments had all stayed in the coach overnight, so they all boarded for the trip to Abbey Road. Jill had stayed at the hotel overnight and went with them. On the way, she got the microphone from Sebastian and stood up at the front.

“Today, we have been told that the big studio is available, due to a cancellation, so we’ll be using that. We’ve put six amps in place, so each electric instrument gets one each, which makes it easier in post-production. All of you get microphones and headphones during the sessions. During the day, there will be a backdrop set up, so that we can get photos of you, both individually and as a group. Before you leave, I’ll be handing out the running sheet for the tour. All outdoor venues are at football clubs, and the tour will be part of the Coventry City fundraising, with a portion of every profit going to charity. All three bands will be paid twenty-five thousand at each show, with you missing out the one in Coventry. We have contracted a video company to record every show, with the best bits used in the final product.”

That started some discussion which lasted until they arrived at the gate. Sebastian pulled into the carpark and stopped. Jill led the way out. They waited with their guitar cases while the coach was backed out and the gates shut.

“All right. Selfie time for those who haven’t been here before, and then all phones turned off, please. There’s a lot of electrical equipment in here that doesn’t like radio waves. The main studio is a dead zone anyway. Follow me.”

They followed her through the maze of offices and studios, until they arrived at the main studio. Mister Jamieson had been told about it, during the week, but the sheer size of the space was impossible to describe accurately. The band went to where the amps were set up, with the bags and cases left on seats. Willow and Gina went to the pair of Nord Stage Three’s. Jill followed them.

“As requested, these have been paid for from this month’s income, so have the amps. We can use them for the shows and the deliver them to a designated place after the tour. The amps are all two hundred watt but will have mics at the shows and routed through the PA as well, so they’ll be plenty loud enough. We’ve had forms at all the shops where you’re playing, with space for people to put in contact details to get reserved tickets. The interest is enough for two nights in most venues. We’ll give you some time to warm up and get ready, and then we’ll record the Kansas set first.”

Mister Jamieson and the other three boys were taken up to the main mixing room, where Xavier was greeted warmly by the technicians and the others left to gape at the complexity of the set-up. The band were all given headphones and could hear themselves as they tuned up. Willow looked across to the others and realised that they looked like professional band. Before, they had been good players, now they looked like good players as well. One by one, they were called on for a sound check of instruments and microphones.

When that was finished, Willow said to play ‘Veteran Cosmic Rocker’ which used everyone. The voice said that they were clear to go, and they played the song, feeling the air pressure from the amps behind them. When they finished, the voice told them to wait a while as they consolidated the settings, then told them that they were to play the Kansas set right through, leaving a five second spacing, or more, between tracks. When they were finished, there would be a break before they record the second album. When they were cleared to play, they were back in Kansas, and Willow could hear, through the headphones, that it was considerably better than their original recording. Up in the control room, Mister Jamieson looked down at a group of his students, who had been in class playing Gamelan less than twenty-four hours before, ripping through an album that had been in his own collection when it was released, and sounding twice as good as the original. He now knew why the other music teachers had been so enamoured with these young people with so much talent.

When the last notes faded, nearly an hour later, they waited until the voice told them to take off the headphones and take a break. The band relaxed and Jacob gave Willow a hug, while Brent gave Gina a hug. Willow looked around and Herb was hugging Nancy while Roy was hugging Vivienne. Victor, Bryan, and Edward were having man-hugs. They were all smiling, with all of them certain that they had done better than ever before with that material.

The guitarists left the guitars in stands and they all went to Jill, who had a big tray of drinks. The others came down from the control room. If Frank had been like a puppy when he saw the empty space in Leicester, he was trembling now.

“Willow, up there, Xavier told me was heaven on earth, and now I believe him. Do you plan something like that?”

“I don’t know, Frank.”

Jill was listening and gathered the band to go up and inspect what had affected Frank so hard. When they looked, it was mind-boggling. Willow tried to count the mixer sliders and gave up after forty. The technician asked them which track they wanted to hear, and they agreed on ‘Dust in the Wind’. He located it and played it through big speakers. By the time it finished, Willow was held by Jacob, tears falling on his shoulder. The technician told them that he had recorded many bands, but none had recorded a full album in a single session before.

Willow dried her eyes, and they went back down. There was a photographer with a load of good cameras. The blue screen was erected, and they had pictures taken, with and without instruments, individually and as small groups. Finally, there were pictures taken the full group, and then the other three lads were gathered for pictures. Then there was a voice behind them.

“Hello, you lot. This is getting to be monotonous, thank goodness. The DVD of ‘Journey’ has made it to platinum status. The bosses couldn’t make it today, so you’ll have to make do with me and Harold to make the presentations.”

The presentations were made in front of the blue screen, with each individual getting a Platinum award, including the three technical lads. Then, Clive told them that they would be having lunch in the studio dining room, with extra time for those wanting to visit the shop. He laughed.

“I know that you could have recorded the second album this morning, but we want to leave that record to be broken at a later date.”

They left their awards with their bags, Xavier loathe to leave his, and they followed Jill to the dining room, where they had a good meal. At the shop, Willow bought a set of Pink Floyd mugs and a pair of tee shirts for her parents. They had an album of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ which she also took.

Back at the studio, she went to Harold Withers.

“Excuse me, sir, but you recorded Pink Floyd here. Do you have ‘Money’ that you can play for us. I would like to run a little experiment this afternoon.”

“I can get the tape out of the vaults, yes. What do you plan to do?”

“That band hasn’t come up in our talk before, but I would like to test this band with you playing it to us a couple of times, and then to see what we can do with it. We have been working on the next album by email, adding our ideas as we go along. We played the entire album for the first time on Thursday evening. I think that we can nail the Floyd sound. If I’m wrong, so sue me!”

He grinned.

“I’ll go and find it while you’re setting up.”

They got themselves back on track and into place. With the headphones back on, they were asked if they wanted to play a warm-up. Willow spoke.

“We’ll play a track called ‘Dummy Spitter’. It has been played at a big event a few weeks ago and the response made us think that it could be a feature single on the website. We’ll play it again within the album, but this will give you something to mess around with.”

“All right. When you’re ready, you’re clear to play.”

They played ‘Dummy Spitter’, the sound being so much better with the big amps and expert mixing. When they finished, they were told that they were clear to play the album. When they finished, they waited a few seconds before relaxing. Before they had a chance to move, Harold came over the headphones.

“I have been asked to conduct a little experiment. How many of you have heard the Pink Floyd song ‘Money’?”

All of the band put a hand up.

“This will be easy for you, then. I’m going to play you the original mix, as recorded here. I’ll play it twice, and then we’ll record you playing it for us. We won’t need the cash register sounds, just the song itself. Are you ready?”

There were laughs and a chorus of yes’s. They heard the original through the headphones. After the first playing, Willow asked Roy if he was happy to be the lead singer, and if Bryan was good with the saxophone part. They both said they were happy, and then Harold played it again. After that, they waited for clearance. When that was given, Victor started with the bass intro, followed by the rest and then Roy singing. The rest of the band sung back-up and Bryan blasted them with the saxophone part. The original was faded on the album, so, when the song neared the end, Willow moved in front of them to signal an abrupt stop.

They all grinned when they removed the headphones and took off the instruments. Harold Withers came down from above and hugged the whole band, one by one, saying that they were freaks.

“When we recorded Pink Floyd, they took two months to record the Dark Side album, less than a dozen songs. They were either high or arguing for a lot of the time. I was just a junior tech at the time, and I was in heaven just to be in the same room. Today, I’m more than proud to be here with you. What you’ve just done was magnificent. Are you sure that it wasn’t a set-up?”

Herb laughed.

“We had no idea that this was going to happen. Did Willow put you up to it?”

“She did, and it has given me some ideas for the future. We’ve recorded some bands here that have never made it to the charts, I’ll find one that you would have never heard before and run this again, the next time you’re here. This does mean that Clive can get songs written for the band that will take only hours to record. Expect to have some good writers busy once you get these albums out.”

“You say ‘next time’ as if it’s expected?”

“I certainly expect to see you back here, Willow. You have just recorded a hit rock album, which I suggest should be the lead one, with the Kansas marketed as a limited edition special. What do you think, Clive?”

“I have to agree. With that ‘Homegrown’ being so good, we could put that out on its own. Nothing wrong with Kansas, but you really aren’t a cover band anymore. Sorry if that upsets anyone.”

Willow looked at Herb.

“This was your baby, Herb. Xavier said that you referred to the original school recording as your lost opportunity. What do you want to do?”

“Look, I’m standing here in Abbey Road, having just recorded an album that a respected producer calls a hit. We did all that we could do with Kansas, and I’m sure that we’ll fit a few songs into future shows. How many would the limited edition be, Clive?”

“If we release ‘Homegrown’ and it takes off like ‘Journey’, we could wait two or three weeks to release the Kansas. Say five hundred and ten thousand copies to give it a chance of going gold. That will give you a window of opportunity to come up with another album for Christmas.”

“All right, the opportunity hasn’t been lost. Is everyone all right with that?”

The rest of the band agreed, and Jill made a note.

“Now, we need you all to stay looking so neat, because we’re taking you out to dinner before we go to the BBC TV studio. Clive and I will stay with you through that. If you’re asked about other projects, you can tell them about the orchestral album that will be released in a little over a week. It does have liner notes that highlight those of you in the orchestra, and more than half of the album has either Willow, Gina, or Jacob as the soloist. We’ll send some to the school to sell and put on their website with a link to our ordering page. A payment will be made to the school with every order that comes through that way.”

They packed up their guitars and other things, and left the studio to go to the coach, which was backed up in the driveway. Everything was packed in the spaces under the coach, and they went on a short sightseeing drive around London, then going up Regent Street to stop outside The Langham, just a walk across the road to Broadcasting House, where the interview was to be recorded.

They all got out, and Sebastian drove off to get his dinner somewhere else. They all went into the Hotel, where they were shown into the dining room. There was a big table set up for eighteen, and the adults had wine while the band all had lemonade or a cola. The meal was good, with the adults all going for an entrée and main course, while the students all went for a main course and dessert. Mindful of the need to eat more meat to lift her iron, Willow had the lamb dish, followed by the speciality Seaside Sundae, which was big enough to share with Jacob.

After the meal, they had a comfort stop and walked over the road. They were directed to the correct studio, where a couple of presenters of a music show were waiting for them. Over the course of an hour, they answered questions about their lives, the school, the way that they became a successful band, and plans for the future. Every member had their say, but Willow and Gina were the main focus. They plugged the new album, the tour, and the fact that all of them would be part of the school orchestra in the last week of the proms.

One of the presenters reached down and lifted up two DVDs.

“One of these has been on the market for a few months. It was filmed in Coventry Cathedral last year and marketed as an interesting classical performance. Since the rise of Summer Rose, it has been rebranded as ‘Coventry Classics volume one’, with new liner notes to reflect the band members that feature in that performance. You were also featured in another performance in the Cathedral recently, and that one will go on the market in a few weeks as ‘Coventry Classics volume two’. How do you feel about the two opposite sides of your music?”

Willow answered that.

“We all go to a school with a strong music stream. We could be in the orchestra, choir, folk group, rock band, or several other pastimes. If we wanted to be actors, we could be on the stage in plays. We played in the Cathedral, but, if we had gone into drama, we could have been on the stage at Stratford. Gina and I have alternated playing organ in the Cathedral for three months. The school is one where talent is nurtured and rewarded with performance opportunities. The technical guys who recorded our DVD are students, and their training is superb.”

At the end, a grand piano was pointed out and the question asked if she could play them out with ‘Her Day’, which had just been voted the most popular wedding song. Willow sat at the piano and gave a heartfelt rendition of the song.

When they were back outside, the coach was waiting for them. The band started to yawn, as it had been a long and exciting day. Clive stood up with the microphone as they were going back to the hotel.

“Thank you, on behalf of the label, with what you’ve all achieved today. Not only did you record your next hit album, but you got through that interview like professionals. With their two DVDs, and our CD, the orchestra will be saturating the market, and the launch of the new album will top that off. One thing that you weren’t told while you were in the studio, is the fact that we have a number of cameras mounted above the control room. Your performance has been recorded, and we’ll show you the product before it’s marketed. Now, get a good sleep and Jill and I will be with you at breakfast to see you off.”

When the coach pulled up at the hotel, they all left the instruments in storage and only took personal bags in, heading for their rooms and a deserved sleep. As they got ready for bed, the four girls had a hug session, then were asleep as soon as the last light was turned off.

In the morning, Willow put the dress on that she had brought for last night. She felt particularly feminine and elegant today. It may have been that she had been treated so well on Saturday, with the interview being more about the band than about her history. All the other girls had brought something nice, so they all looked good when they went down for breakfast.

Jill met them.

“My word, you four look good enough to eat! The lads have brushed up well. The outfits you all had on yesterday, were they specially made?”

“They were made by Madame Francesca of Coventry, an old schoolfriend of my mother. She also supplied the outfits we wore at the Belgrade concerts but hadn’t supplied the guy’s outfits until this weekend. We only got them on Thursday. We looked like a proper band, didn’t we?”

“You sure did! The photos are going to be very handy with the advertising. The individual ones will be used to create life-size pictures of you all, to be used in promotions. Is she doing any more for you?”

“We all have another three outfits to come. They will be ready before the tour.”

“I’m glad that you look nice, Willow. One of the managers at the BBC latched on to your comment that the two of you had been playing the organ for services in Coventry, and we have had a request for you to play the organ this morning. It will be a recording of ‘Songs of Praise’ for transmission later. They have offered a fee, but we will donate that to the charity that the tour will support. Can you play?”

“If the others are happy to go to church on a Sunday, and if both Gina and I share the playing, then I can do it.”

They had breakfast, and then went off to freshen up. They checked out of the hotel and loaded the coach with their bags. Sebastian took them to Trafalgar Square and stopped outside the St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, where a normal service had just finished. A jovial man got on the coach and addressed them.

“Thank you all for coming along. The other service has just finished, and we have time to record two programs of ‘Songs of Praise’. The cameras are being set up as we speak, and the crew have done this many times, so won’t be long. If you just follow me, I’ll take you in. The usual choir are here and fully robed. They will lead the singing, but we allow the congregation to join in.”

He led them into the church and showed the others where to sit before taking Willow and Gina to the keyboard.

“If you want to warm up, please do so. We will record two, one-hour, programs in real time, as if it’s a live performance. I’ve been told by the Bishop of Coventry how good you are, so just be yourselves. We don’t do extra make-up as it’s all friendly and homely. The music for both shows are here, decide which ones that you’re doing and wait for my call. The first tune is an intro to the program which will have the credits added later. It isn’t sung.”

The two friends looked through the music. Both had played everything before. They played paper, scissors, rock to determine who went first. Gina won, so Willow went back to the pews to join the others. An hour later, Gina was playing the last hymn and the church had been filled with singing. She stepped down from the keyboard and asked where the toilets were. Willow went up and warmed her fingers with Bach. There was a small plaque that gave the age of the organ as being installed in nineteen-ninety. For a relatively new instrument, she was impressed with its tonal qualities.

When cleared to start, she played the intro and then started on the list in front of her. An hour later, she was playing the last hymn. The choirmaster congratulated both girls and thanked them for coming. They both told him that it was good to play another organ, adding to their tally. As the band were getting back in the coach, Clive and Jill were standing together.

“You know, I went to Coventry and heard those girls in the Cathedral. It’s hard to reconcile such sweet playing with what they produced yesterday.”

“Don’t worry, Clive. I’m still trying to get my head around seeing Willow playing netball in the schools competition, which her team won, I might add.”

“Have you got the venue list with you?”

“I’ll hand it out now, before they leave for home. Are you calling an Uber?”

“Yes. I’ll drop you off at home. You’ve done well this weekend. We have the orchestra CD launch in two weeks. We might be able to get the girls and the conductor in for that. We definitely need as many of the band as we can get for their album launch. I’m thinking that we can get them to play some Kansas at the first show and have it available as being limited to the show crowd. For the ‘Homegrown’ launch, see if you can get us into Rough Trade. We could use the stage there. If you can get a keyboard set up, we might get Willow to play tracks from ‘Journey’ to get the crowd interested.”

“Will do. I’ll just go and give them the venue list before they leave. Be back in a minute.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 17

Jill went to the coach to collect her bag, taking out a dozen and a half copies of the venue list.

“These are the venues for the tour. The days noted are the first shows, and any that need adding will be the next evening. Xavier, you and your friends are included, as assistants to the sound and visuals. You’ve filmed the bands before, so you have more experience with them than anyone else. We’re setting up a launch of the orchestra CD on the first Saturday of next month, at the Les Aldrich store. We will appreciate it if the conductor and a few of the players can attend. I’ll send an email to the school. The week after that, I hope to have us launching your ‘Homegrown’ CD and DVD at Rough Trade. They have a stage, so we may be able to set up one of the keyboards to set some atmosphere before we start selling the album. I’ll email the band as usual. Have a good trip home and thank you all for coming.”

She picked up her bag and they all called out to her as she left. Sebastian tapped on the door closer and pulled out before the warden that he could see in his mirror got close. As they watched the coach move away, Clive suggested that the two of them go and get some lunch and they walked towards the Admiralty.

In the coach, everyone was looking at the venue list. All the sites were football grounds, and Jill had added the normal seating numbers, which could be added to with seating on the pitch as well. The smallest capacity was the first show in Nottingham, which had a game capacity of thirty thousand. The biggest was Liverpool, with sixty thousand. They hadn’t been booked into Wembley Stadium, but were to play at Emirates, the home ground of Arsenal.

Mister Jamieson looked at Dave’s sheet and marvelled at the numbers. He thought that the school hall was big, but the smallest venue seated at least twenty times the size, with the biggest forty times the size. After seeing the band play yesterday, he had no qualms that they could fill the places with sound, it was whether they could fill the places with customers that was another matter.

Once they were getting out of the city, Jacob stood up.

“We were talking about the fantastic birthday party that Willow and Gina put on in the club, and realised that me, Herb, Victor and Roy all have our birthdays in a two-week period. We decided on a joint party as well. Now, Rick has a contractor in this week to concrete the empty barn. It was made weatherproof when the one I’m living in was. Rick and I are going to club together to buy a giant barbeque, so I suggested that we hold the party there. I’ll organise hire of tables and chairs and see Malcolm about a few cakes shaped like guitars. It will happen on the first Friday of next month, so less than two weeks away. Are you all coming?”

There was a cheer. Vivienne called out.

“Mine is two weeks after that, the last day of the term. Anybody else around that time?”

It worked out that all of the others were in the following two weeks, while they were on tour. After discussion, they would all talk to their families, but they set a date on Viv’s birthday for a joint party. Brent joked that he would organise a big cake in the shape of a drum kit, with each drum a different cake.

All the talk about food made them hungry, so they stopped at Hemel Hempstead for lunch. Willow rang home to tell her parents that she would be home around five, so would walk to the club if they weren’t home.

She and Gina talked about the organ they had just played, and agreed the new church ones were as good as the old, if properly built. Willow said that the one in Stoneleigh Abbey must have been bought on a budget, because it was lacking in character. They agreed that the one in St. Marys needed a bit of tender loving care, possibly a rebuild. They started talking about the set that they would need with the big shows.

“If they launch the Kansas as a limited edition at the shows, we need to fit a few numbers into the set. We could open with a couple from ‘Journey’ and get louder.”

“You could call out a welcome to wherever we are and ask if we have any friends out there, then do ‘Finding a Friend’. If ‘Dummy Spitter’ takes off on the radio, we should have that as the last song.”

“We have a few weeks to sort it out, then have a session in the club to get it set. Hopefully, later on we can use Leicester and have the gear we used in Abbey Road to play with.”

“That’s ours?”

“That’s what Jill told me. I suggested that if she’s getting keyboards, she should get the Stage Three’s, and she also got the amps. I expect that we’ll see the cost in the next statement.”

At the next comfort stop, Willow asked Jacob if he could find out how the work at Leicester was going, as they hadn’t seen any quotes yet. She was the first to be let off, and Max helped her get her bags from the luggage compartment and to the front door. She thanked her friends for a wonderful weekend and watched as the coach went back to the junction.

She went into the house, putting her shopping on the kitchen table and taking her case upstairs to be sorted out. She stripped off and had a refreshing shower, then redressed with a skirt and top, suitable for the club. She picked up the Platinum Record and strolled to the club.

When she arrived, there were several of the regulars there. Her parents hugged her and so did a few of the others.

“Welcome back, love. How was the weekend?”

“A bit busy, Mum. We had all of Saturday in the studio, then had dinner close to Broadcasting House. Then we had a long interview for BBC One. Sunday morning, Gina and I recorded two shows playing the organ in St. Martins-in-the-Fields for the BBC ‘Songs of Praise’. Then we came home. We have a running sheet for the tour, now. Every venue is a soccer ground, and every show will be mainly for charity.”

“What, no money for playing?”

“We get twenty-five thousand a show, except for one show at Coventry, and Jill is already talking about two shows at each venue. Talking about shows, how did the Gees do last night?”

“They were good. They did some of their old numbers without Zara, but she makes them better. Jim has been all right in the church as well. When are you back in London?”

“There’s a launch of the orchestra CD in a couple of weeks, then the new one of ours the week after. The Kansas will be issued before the first show, as a limited edition. It’s funny. Mister Jamieson was with us as our ‘responsible adult’ and hardly said much all the time. I think that he was a bit shocked by what we’re doing. He didn’t say anything about our earlier shows, so it’s possible he didn’t know what to expect. I see Malcolm, I have something for him.”

She went to the bar.

“Hello, Willow. How was your trip?”

“Interesting and a little surprising. I’ve brought you something for your wall, to go beside the Gold Record.”

She put the Platinum Record on the bar.

“Wow! This is what, a million sales?”

“That’s right. I doubt that we’ll sell enough to get to double platinum. It’s only right that you have this here. Maybe, in the future, Studio Two will be the hottest spot in Stoneleigh.”

“Thanks to you girls, it already is.”

“Well, you’ll have to get other bands in over the summer. The Gees, Hikers, and us will be playing big shows for a month or more. I’m afraid the church organ might be quiet for a while, as well.”

“It was quiet for over five years, so a few weeks won’t harm. I believe that the Reverend is planning the roof restoration around that time, so will use the back room to hold the service while that’s happening.”

Willow went back to her parents, and they had dinner. Ashley was needed to help out, so Wendy and Willow went home together. They changed for bed and sat in the kitchen with hot chocolate as Wendy was shown the new purchases. Wendy grinned at the Floyd tee-shirts and put the new mugs in the cupboard. When Willow pulled out the ‘Dark Side’ album, her mother took her into the sitting room, where a new addition was a music centre, with turntable, CD, cassette, and USB. It had a storage drawer, with last week’s album sitting in it.

“Put that album there, dear. We’ll test it out when you’re next away. Your father doesn’t want to give you strange ideas.”

That night, Willow hugged her two furry friends and told them about her weekend, until she went to sleep.

On Monday morning, it was back to school uniform and a bit of normality again. Jacob reported that his father had shown the builder and door specialist the site, and that he expected quotes this week. Miss Russell came to their table at lunch and gave Willow a note. It said that she, and Gina, were chosen to join Mister Bamborough and Jacob to go to London on Friday week, for the classical CD launch on the Saturday. They would be travelling in one of the people movers with the security. Friday night in the hotel, and Saturday for the launch, coming home Saturday evening. Jacob went around to all the others to tell them that the birthday party would now be on the Sunday evening, rather than the Friday.

That evening, Willow had a few emails. One was from Wilhelm, telling everyone that the quotes had been received and he had confirmed the work. Willow sent Mervyn an email, asking him if he could organise someone local to clean the cool room and dispose of all the rubbish, and to tell them that he was going to use it for storage. Invoice to be sent through the rental agent. She gave him advance notice of the builders and the door specialist. She sent it with a ‘cc’ to Wilhelm.

Another email was from Peter, telling them of extra merchandise he was putting on the website. He noted that the downloads had dropped, but that it didn’t matter as long as the CD sales continued. He also gave them advance notice, that he would be taking fifteen percent in July and August, seeing that they would be touring as a proper band. He also confirmed that each band would be paid twenty-five thousand per show and would each get a five percent cut of the profit, with each club getting ten percent, and seventy-five percent going to their charity.

Another email was from Jill, telling them that they had another venue added to the tour. They would now be playing in Manchester, after Coventry and before Liverpool. The venue was Etihad Stadium, with seating of over sixty thousand. She also said that she would be couriering a package to Willow, to hand out. It would contain their lanyards for the tour, as well as USB sticks, which will contain the video of the new album and the single version of ‘Dummy Spitter’, along with their version of ‘Money’ with the additional effects. The launch had been confirmed for the weekend after the orchestral launch, and they would be picked up by coach on the Friday evening and returned on Sunday evening. Sunday afternoon they would be taken to the Jeff Lynne and ELO concert in Hyde Park, which starts at two.

Tuesday morning, the talk was all about seeing ELO live, rather than launching their own CD. Willow played the organ for chapel, with Reg telling everyone about Willow and Gina recording two shows of ‘Songs of Praise’. He mentioned to Willow that Mister Jamieson had come into the staff room on Monday full of his weekend.

The orchestra session was a few more applicants, and those who had made the cut having to sing one of the arias, to see if they were likely tenors or basses. Otherwise, they were assembled in a bigger rehearsal studio and given the choir sheets of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’. It was thought that if they could nail that, the rest would be easy. Gina played for the auditions, and Willow played for the choir, with Tom there to listen and arrange the voices. The school and the Cathedral choirs were also on hand. By the time they went home, they thought that things had gone well. They had their tenor and bass, and only six of the choir applicants had said they weren’t coming back.

On Tuesday evening, Willow tidied her room and took her CDs downstairs to store with her parents’ ones in the new music centre. It did look like it was being used after that. She sent an email to the school, for Mister Bamborough’s attention, saying that, as the next Tuesday was the last one before revision and exams, she would like to have just the orchestra to rehearse the ‘Sinfonia’, and ‘Pifa’ movements of ‘Messiah’, as these were the only ones where there is no singing. After that, she played her violin for a while.

Wednesday, after school, she went to the club, where she played for the choir, and discussed the order of practise with Tom. Next term, they would have ten sessions for practise. They would need a full session with the tenor, another with the bass, one with the soprano and one with the alto. After that, they would need three sessions, one for each part, with the choir. After that, they could either repeat the last three before the final week, or schedule longer sessions and do the whole thing three times. After that, they were due to play it in the school on the first Tuesday in December, followed by Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Cathedral, with Friday being the one recorded for transmission on Christmas Eve and a subsequent DVD of ‘Coventry Classics’.

They would be able to practise with Margaret and Sally at the club, with just the organ. They would try and get the tenor and bass there as well, to get used to the words and phrasing. On Thursday and Friday evening, Willow played her violin, working through the various movements, so that she could lead with knowledge when they started to practise.

On Saturday, she went over to the church to find Jim there, working through the Sunday hymns. She went to find Reverend Russell and sat down with him, with the sound of the organ in the background.

“How are you, young Willow. You’ve been very busy, I hear. A little bird told me that we’ll see you two girls on ‘Songs of Praise’.”

“That’s right, sir. I’m here to ask you about your plans for the summer. I believe that you’ll be shutting the church while the roof restoration happens.”

“We will. I’ll conduct the services in Studio Two. We have enough in the bank to pay for the roof and some other things, like better kitchen facilities and heating. Last winter was a terrible battle with the cold.”

“So, it will be shut for a few weeks?”

“From early July to the end of August, if things go well. Why do you ask?”

“I was thinking of getting ‘Old Betsy’ overhauled. I can afford to donate that, but Gina may want to share in it. That instrument has been a stepping stone in our development, and I, for one, will be happy to get it up to standard. Playing others, I’ve realised that it has an authentic, if wheezy sound. If you can organise that while the church is closed, we can rejoice in the reopening with a good instrument. Please keep the donation a secret. We have enough spotlights on us already.”

“That is very generous, child. I’ll contact the Bishop and find out who does that sort of work locally, and let you know the quote before you fully commit. We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

That evening, Willow told Gina about her plans with the organ, and Gina was very happy to share the cost. There was a full house, so the girls set up two keyboards and played a couple of sets of Summer Rose songs and some general folk and drinking songs. After the previous Saturday, it was almost a rest.

Sunday, they sat in the pew with their families and sang to Jim’s playing of the hymns. It allowed them to be critical of the sound, which was starting to deteriorate. The years of being silent were now showing. Jacob wasn’t seen over the weekend, and Willow wondered if he was ill. She would find out on Monday morning.

On Monday morning, when they picked Jacob up, Gina asked him where he had been over the weekend. He was a bit snippy, but told them that he had been taken, by Racheal and Rick, to a party. He emphasised that it was a party for one of his cousins, on the Epstein tree, in Birmingham.

Willow wondered why he didn’t sit in the seat next to her but decided that things would become clear. At lunch, he went to sit with the other guys, causing Gina and Dianne to wonder if he had found another love. He was no better on the way home, just saying ‘see you tomorrow’ when he got out at the farm. That evening, Willow looked at her ‘Fractured’ song, and worked some extra sounds into it.

Tuesday, he was a bit more forthcoming, admitting that he had got drunk at the party, and didn’t remember a lot of it after that. He had the excuse that everyone was drinking, and he had tried more than a few vodka and orange drinks. He still didn’t sit with them at lunch, and the laughter coming from the boys at the other table was eerily reminiscent of the older boys table at Clifton. Because he wasn’t needed in the orchestra that afternoon, he had organised for Racheal to take him home.

With the orchestra, Willow, as the leader, explained what they were going to play that day. It was a first time for everyone, and it took an hour before they got the ‘Sinfonia’ right. Now they had the idea of the cadence, they got the ‘Pifa’ right in a half an hour. They finished the session, the last for the term, by playing both pieces, with a smile from Mister Bamborough.

When she got home, Willow changed and started preparing the dinner. As before, peeling and chopping calmed her, and allowed her to think. She decided that more had happened on the weekend. From the sound from the boy’s table, she wondered if Jacob had been taken advantage of while he was drunk. There would be plenty of girls out there who would be happy to have a boyfriend with as much money as he now had.

After dinner, she looked on her laptop and found a couple of emails. One was the statement from Peter. The sales of downloads and Carpenters albums through the website was well less than two hundred thousand, while the merchandise was up at thirty thousand. Costs, admin and security was over forty-five thousand, and the Hikers income was down to a thousand. That ship had certainly sailed.

The label was better news, with the DVD going Platinum, it had earned over two million. “Journey’ and the old ‘Carpentry’ albums had earned just on two million between them. She saw that the new equipment had cost them twenty thousand, and the session in Abbey Road was six thousand. Jill cost them five thousand and there was more expenses of twelve thousand. That left a total of well over four million between them, with her one-eleventh share ending up at just under three hundred and seventy-five thousand after the commission.

She replied to Peter to transfer two hundred thousand to her WR Holdings account. Then she looked at the other email. It was from Racheal.

‘Darling Willow. You may be worried about Jacob at the moment. He has been morose since the weekend. I took him to a party with a number of cousins and their friends. A lot of them were my age, and they all drink. My brother was introduced to spirits, and, unfortunately, had too many. When it was time to leave, he was nowhere to be seen. I looked through the house and found him on a bed, on his back, pants down and with lipstick lips on his face and chest. I have no idea if he had been taken advantage of, but from the way he’s been acting, that was entirely possible. Even if he hadn’t, the picture that I’ve received from one of my cousins does not bode well for him. It looks as if at least two of my cousin’s friends were responsible for his position. Nothing has been said, but I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Regards, Rach.’

Willow replied.

‘Contact Peter and send him the pictures and names of those at the party. He is a minor at fourteen, and being urged to drink and be taken advantage of is close to rape if the girl is legally an adult. Any requests for money or other things will be met with the utmost resistance. Tell him to never bow to extorsion. Tell him that I don’t care how he got into this position, I’m behind him all the way if he wants me there.
Love, Willow.’

She copied and pasted both emails into one that she sent to Jill, as a ‘for your eyes only’. At the moment, she wasn’t acting as a girlfriend whose boy had been playing away, but as the leader of a band on the edge of greatness. Jacob was a friend, and a good member of the band, but he wasn’t irreplaceable, like any one of them. Many bands went through a revolving door when it came to members, and Summer Rose had been lucky, so far. That didn’t stop her having a little weep as she cuddled her furry friends.

She was awake early and did some research on her laptop. When Jacob was picked up and sat down, she went and sat next to him.

“When were you going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“About what happened on the weekend. Racheal emailed me last night.”

“I was so ashamed, Willow. I don’t know what happened, all I know was from the picture that was sent.”

“You, my lad, must have been targeted. How many drinks did you have?”

“Only a few. I thought that they were only orange juice. I was all right, and then wasn’t.”

“When we get to school, we’re going to see the nurse, and she will need a urine sample. If you were given a roofie, it is possible to detect a residual in urine for up to seventy-two hours. It’s a long shot, but we have to try. If it was intentional, it wasn’t meant as a bit of fun. Either there will be blackmail messages, you know, the ‘give me money or the pictures go to the papers’, or else there may be another agenda. The main thing is that you have to stop being ashamed and start acting like the victim.”

“That’s easy to say. My sister thinks that I got blind drunk and took some girl to bed.”

“Take the test and prove her wrong. Now, tell me about the party and the girls there.”

“It was a birthday of one of my cousins, daughter of one of my father’s brothers who left home rather than take up farming. She was nineteen, and there were several of her schoolfriends there. It was all very friendly, at first. A few of them knew about me and the band, and a couple got close until I told them that I was going steady. That’s about the time I started to get the orange juice drinks.”

They arrived at the school. When they got out, Willow took Jacob’s hand.

“We’ll see you later, friend.”

She took him to the nurse’s room and went in.

“Hello, Willow. Can I help you?”

“Jacob was at a party on Saturday night and was quietly drinking orange juice, which we now think had vodka in it. Next thing he knows, he was in a bed, being shaken by his sister. He was, shall I say, dishevelled.”

“Ah! It may be too late, but we can only try. Go behind the screen and pee into this container, Jacob. It’s good that you came to me with this. Having a top student being dragged through the papers is bad for the school. As you’re a minor, whoever did this will be liable to be arrested. It’s immediately rape, even if it was a girl that did it.”

She also took a single vial of blood. When she had sealed the samples, added a code to identify the donor without giving a name, she rang the pathology lab to despatch a courier to pick them up and asked for an urgent drug test.

“That is standard practise for a school to get a test. Now, you two run along. I may have the result before you leave today.”

As they walked towards the class, Jacob took Willow’s hand.

“You’re not mad at me?”

“No, Jacob. What I am is sorry that you felt that you couldn’t confide in me. I know that you were ashamed, but they say that a problem shared is a problem halved. If they do find a residue of Rohypnol, then we go to the next step and get a private investigator to look into it. Perhaps we can cut the head off before it tries to bite you.”

“Why? It may just go away.”

“Jacob, love. You are a rich member of a band. Something like this will never just ‘go away’. We need to take the offensive and find out who did this to you, and why. If you get a blackmail note, then you copy it and print it for the police. You did nothing wrong, and saying nothing will not help you. I sent Jill a copy of Racheal’s email to me and my reply. I’m sure that the label has had this kind of problem before and know the right people to help.”

“Thank you for believing in me.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 18

They stopped for a quick kiss before going into class, with Jacob giving the teacher a note from the nurse. Towards the end of lunch, Miss Russell came in and asked the two of them to go with her to the nurse’s room. When they got there, the nurse showed them the pathology result.

“The test has shown a very slight trace of Rohypnol, consistent with it being administered over seventy-two hours before. It must have been a big dose, Jacob. Whoever did it meant business. There was no signs of an STD in either the urine or the blood. Was this with other school friends?”

“No, it was at a family party in Birmingham. It doesn’t involve the school. Can I have a copy of the results, please. I want to show my sister that I wasn’t just drunk. I don’t think that she would consider that something like this would happen at a family birthday party. Can we have another copy for our label? They may be bringing in an investigator.”

On the way home, Willow got out with Jacob.

“I’ll only be a minute or two.”

She went into the farmhouse with Jacob, coming out a few minutes later.

Back in the vehicle, Gina could hold back no longer.

“All right! What’s going on? First, we have ice-cold Jacob and now he’s thawed out. Is it because of this party he went to?’

“It is. He was given Rohypnol and photographed semi-naked on a bed. He doesn’t remember a thing. It’s possible that he had sex but who knows? We got his blood and pee tested this morning by the school nurse and there was a big enough dose to still show in the testing. I’ve just been with him to convince Racheal that he didn’t get drunk and have it away with one of the guests.”

“That would raise a storm if it hit the papers.”

“That’s why I took charge, to get him out of his funk and see if we could get some proof.”

Max had been listening and turned in his seat.

“Willow, in the last couple of months, you’ve grown to be more like the band leader. What you’ve done is exactly what you should have done. Now, tell me that you’ve advised Jill about this.”

“I did, and I expect that a case like this isn’t new. I’m going to scan the report and send it to her tonight. I’ve asked Racheal to write down the names of all those at the party, and to be prepared to pass it on to an investigator. There hasn’t been a blackmail note, yet, but I wonder if blackmail is the reason. The people who did this are too easily identified.”

“Have you thought that it may have been to trap him into marriage?”

“How would that work?”

“If the girl is already pregnant, proof that she had sex with Jacob may allow her to force him to marry her. By the time the baby’s born, and he does the maths, he’s already hooked.”

“That would mean that there are more pictures of him, with her straddling him. That would mean that she’s identifiable.”

“Exactly.”

They dropped Gina off and then Willow was outside her house. Sebastian turned to her.

“We did some courses when we took on this job. I think that your take on the situation was the best way you could have taken it. This does mean that we’ll have to report that an ‘incident’ has occurred, and that closer protection may be needed. I’ve been told that we will take the four of you to London on Friday evening. Like the other times, we’ll pick up Mister Bamborough first and then come south. I expect that Jill may have someone for you to talk to while you’re there.”

Willow went inside, saw a parcel on the kitchen table and went up to her room. She changed and then composed an email to Jill, telling her about the news and adding the scan of the pathology report. She went downstairs to peel and dice with her mother. When the preparation was done, she opened the parcel.

“What do you have there, dear, presents?”

“These are the lanyards for the tour. They are ‘Access All Areas’ and each one has a USB drive for the band members. I’m told that it has a track that we played as a fun experiment, a version of one of our songs enhanced to be a single for the web site, and a DVD of our new album, filmed at Abbey Road.”

“We can play that tonight.”

After they had tidied up the dinner things, the family changed for bed and sat on the couch in front of the TV. Willow plugged the USB into the side of the TV and sat with the controller. The first item was ‘Money’, with vision from the cameras mounted in the studio. Ashley was reminded of some of the footage of the Beatles when they recorded. Willow was blown away with how good it was.

The second item was when they played ‘Dummy Spitter’. Again, the vision was like a professional video, with the cameras obviously controlled, as there were close-ups of them. She could hear enhancements in the audio. A touch of reverb, a smidgin of echo. It sounded like something playable on radio but didn’t overpower the band’s sound.

The third item was the album. It had all the opening logos, credits, and copyright warnings. There was half a minute of them talking before the take, with the title ‘Homegrown Summer Rose’, and then the album, performed in its entirety. Ashley took the controller and turned the sound up as the first track opened, and cuddled Wendy as the vision continued. It was obviously a single take, and the sound and vision as good as anything they had seen. When the last song ended, the credits ran with the band having a group hug, and then there was a short section where each of them were pictured on stills taken during the playing, giving their names, with a quiet audio of ‘Dummy Spitter’ in the background. It had been shortened so that the screen went blank with the last notes.

“What did you think of that?”

“Can you leave the USB in the music centre while you’re off on tour. We would like to look at it in private.”

“That good?”

“That was several times more powerful than I thought it would be. It puts the Kansas show that you recorded to shame.”

Just then, the logos came up on the screen again. This time, the vision was similar, but the title was ‘This isn’t Kansas. It’s the Other Side of Summer Rose – a limited-edition DVD’ over Wendy’s drawing of her album cover. This one started with the blast of the opening track. Willow now realised why they had asked for five seconds between tracks, as the show was a single take. The whole album had been worked on, with the subtle enhancements. She had thought that they sounded better with the big amps, but this was something else again. The end was similar, with stills of them all, only this time, the best pictures of the award presentations, with ‘Dust in the Wind’ as the background music. Then, there was a group picture, with a listing of the tour venues where they could be seen that summer.

When she went to unplug the USB, Ashley reached out for it as he stood. She gave it to him, and he held her close, telling her that he loved her and her talent.

Willow went into the kitchen where the package was and pulled out the other lanyards. She laid them out on the table and checked them off. There was one each for the rest of the band, three for Xavier and his assistants, all with a second ID on a lanyard. That left one each for the Head, Mister Bamborough, Miss Russell, Reg Edwards, and Mister Jamieson, all with a second ID for their partner. There was also a similar pair for all four of the security detail, as well as two blank sets with a note that said that this was for the extra security for the wind section. At the bottom of the bag was one each for her parents. Every lanyard had a USB stick.

She took the last two back into the sitting room, where her parents were cuddling.

“You can give me back that USB, Dad. You both have your own lanyards for the tour, along with your very own sticks. You can now go to any of the shows you want.”

That got her more hugs from both of them. She went back into the kitchen and sorted out the lanyards into three sets. One for the band and techs, one for the teachers, and one for their drivers. Each set went into plastic bags from a kitchen drawer and was put into her shoulder bag for the next day. That night, she was asleep before her mother gave a cry of happiness.

In the morning, she gave Sebastian the bag for the security.

“These are your IDs for the tour, with a USB showing what we recorded at Abbey Road. There’s an extra pair for those who will be taking the rest of the band.”

“Yes, we were only told about that this week. From Monday, you all will get picked up. The three vehicles won’t stand out too much when we take you to the venues. I was told that the other bands will also have a similar set-up. You, and G-Force, will have transport until the end of the school year. Zara will be taken home with Herb and his friends if she has to stay for your orchestra practise. We will also be taking the orchestra to the Proms sessions.”

“That takes a load off my mind, for a start.”

When Gina got on, Willow gave her the lanyard.

“Have a look at the USB tonight, friend. It’s difficult to believe that it was us.”

The same happened when Jacob got on, now a much happier person.

“Rick got a package delivered at the farm yesterday, with a bunch for the Hikers.”

At the school, Willow excused herself and went to the Head’s office. When she was told to go in, the Head gave her a smile.

“I heard about the problem with Jacob. I hope it all works out.”

“I’m sure it will, ma-am. I have this for you to pass on to the teachers. These are lanyards for each of the names on them and a partner, they will get you into every show that we’ll be playing over the holiday. The Coventry City show has been expanded. There is a listing of the venues at the end of the last item on the USB stick.”

The Head looked at the names.

“This is very generous. The second one is only marked as ‘partner’, so I can take each of my children to one. My youngest has been on at me about meeting you all once she found out that you’re all students.”

“Well, she will be able to come backstage with that lanyard.”

Willow went to join her friends for the first class. During lunch, she went around giving the others out to the band and the techs, telling them to take good care of them and not lose them. When she gave Xavier, Frank and Dave theirs, she asked them if they had operated the cameras in the studio while the band was playing. Xavier said that they had helped a small team that was recording the vision.

“When you see the two albums, have a look at the credits for camera work. You did very well, I was impressed. The teachers also have a USB to look at, so you may be spoken to next week.”

She went over to talk to Geoff and Zara. Geoff told her that he had received the package of lanyards yesterday, and that they had their big statement earlier in the week. She went back to her table and sat next to Gina and Dianne. She pulled her own USB out of her bag and passed it to Dianne.

“This is mine, Dianne, and I want it back next week. Have a look at it and show it to the others in the orchestra, if you see them over the weekend. Gina and I are being picked up on Friday to go to London for the launch of the classic CD we recorded. I expect that we’ll have a box of them to bring into the school on Monday. It will just be the two of us, Jacob, and Mister Bamborough, as I was told that the venue is quite small.”

That evening. the family had dinner and then went to the club. Ashley opened up and pottered around behind the bar, mainly moving things to put the new award up. Wendy and Willow got one of the keyboards out, along with the small amp that they had used in the front bar. When the choir came in, they worked through some quite complicated items with Tom. After the session, they sat with drinks and Willow explained how she expected the rehearsals for the Messiah would go.

“We have a few weeks before the end of the term to work with Sally and Margaret with the solo items. Some have the choir behind them, so the rest of you will get some practise. The orchestra has started working on its side of things but will not gather again until the start of the new term, unless we get a chance to rehearse our concert at the Albert Hall. Gina and I will be spending the first few weeks of summer on tour, so won’t be available. That means that you can have a little holiday. I think that you’ve all done magnificently, far better than I could have brought you. I have to thank Tom for helping out.”

Thursday afternoon, in PE, she played two games of netball. One against the usual second years, and the other in her team, against the third years that had played at the tournament. They were told that this was the last PE of the term, as the next weeks to the end of term were set aside for revision and exam time. She showered at the gym and redressed in the uniform to join the others for the trip home.

That evening, she had another email from Wilhelm, with a forwarded email from the studio builders. There were pictures of the likely set-up and a plan of the whole site, showing the positions of the doors, the positions of the control desks and post-production desks. They had even laid out the rest area with the toilets under a mezzanine which was designated as storage. The studio area had markers for power outlets and air conditioning vents, which would be in different places than the cooling vents, with them closed off. There was a note to say that they had drilled into the wall and found the expected hardboard and expanded foam rather than fibre insolation. They had also tested the sound loss and had calculated the amount of soundproofing needed to keep the sound in. Their quote was just over six hundred and fifty thousand, with a build time of four weeks.

She looked at the pictures and the desk specifications. It would be about half the size of Abbey Road, with twenty-four mix sliders, digital recording as well as back-up reel to reel with twenty-four tracks. She counted the power outlets and headphone jacks, finding that they had enough for thirty amps with thirty guitarists. There was a power board with switch fuses on the wall in the back area. There was a note to say that power to the studio and the air conditioning would be routed from a separate board next to the factory one with a separate billing. She replied that she was happy with the quote and transferred the monthly hundred thousand to the Summer Love account.

There was another email from Jill, thanking her for all the information about Jacob. She said that she had spoken to Racheal and had received a list of the partygoers from her. She also said that there would be an investigator from a firm they have used at the CD launch on Saturday, to speak to Jacob and record his version of the event. As a footnote, she noted that the BBC had been in touch, and had asked if they could relaunch the two DVDs alongside theirs, which she thought was a good idea, because it was likely that there would be a film crew recording the event.

Before she went to bed, she put together an overnight case, something that was almost becoming second nature, and went downstairs to let her parents know that she would get dropped off at home, then go to the club for dinner and the sing-along.

On Friday morning, Jacob confirmed that his father would see the studio builders and the builders early in the week to co-ordinate the project and work to the same plan, once planning permission had been granted. At lunch, Xavier was excited with what he had seen of the studio and was keen to try it out. Willow told him that she hadn’t seen any microphones or stands in the quote and asked him if he could look into that side of it. Also, being part of the sound, if he could look into the supply of headphones. Dianne told Willow that she had watched the shows on the USB and was organising a party with the others in the orchestra to show it to them over the weekend.

That afternoon, Xavier, Dave and Frank set up the recording equipment in the rehearsal room. The Music class were taken there and saw all the Gamelan instruments. They sorted out what they were playing and arranged themselves in similar sounding groups. Xavier set up a number of microphones through a mixer box and they had a sound check. The Head and Miss Russell came in and sat by the door. Mister Jamieson dropped his hand, and the class were playing. They had worked out an intro which sounded like waves, and then the tune for ‘Her Day’ was introduced, with those with the bells leading the way and the other beat continuing in the background.

When they finished, and Xavier announced that recording was off, the Head stood and congratulated them.

“What part did you play in organising the tune, Willow?”

Dianne spoke up.

“We decided on the tune, ma-am. All Willow had to do was sing it so we could get the notes.”

“Well. I must say that it was a very credible performance and unlike any others that I’ve heard from this part of the curriculum before. Well done.”

She left the room with Miss Russell, and Mister Jamieson also congratulated them.

They were at the door and waiting when the vehicles arrived. On the way back to Stoneleigh, the three discussed the weekend. None of them were sure of what a CD launch would be like. When they got to the farm, Gina advised Jacob to pack a blue shirt and black trousers in case they were needed to look like they did in the BBC vision. The girls would add their blue dresses as well as something more casual.

Willow was dressed in a skirt and top, with a garment bag with two dresses and her small roller case when the vehicle arrived. She locked up as Max put her things in the back, and then joined the others. Jacob was sitting with Mister Bamborough, so Willow got in next to Gina. As they were heading south, Mister Bamborough turned to speak to the girls.

“I looked at the USB on my computer last night. It was a complete surprise to see something so good, and something so professionally produced. The vision reminded me of some of the old archive footage of when the Beatles were there, but the music was, I have to say, exciting. When you do the big shows, you’re going to have a whole lot of new fans.”

“Have you decided which shows you’re coming to, sir?”

“As many as I can. I have a quite large family, so will have a different one with me every time. I expect to be spending a lot in merchandise over the few weeks. The other teachers will be there as well, so we may organise a minibus. Then, after that, we have just the one night in the Albert Hall. I believe that you’re coming this way again next week, to launch the album.”

“We are. It’s not the same record store, and we’re not sure if the Kansas album will be mentioned. We’re all going to see ELO in Hyde Park on the Sunday, before we come home again.”

Sebastian laughed.

“I went to see them back in the day. They had this big flying saucer thing that opened up. It was wild. I looked at your two albums last night as well. They are as good as anything I’ve ever seen. A lot of those shows use clips from various live shows and fade from one to another, but you did both sets as single takes. That was really impressive. The old Floyd number was great!”

Jacob chuckled.

“That was an experiment. Willow wanted to test us out, so the producer played us the original tape of that session, then repeated it before we played it ourselves. Some of what we played wasn’t true to the original, but I think we got the bulk of it right. They did make some changes to it for the recording. We didn’t have the cash register sound when we did it, and they added effects to it, as well as the Kansas set. If we play live, I don’t think it will notice, but the additions do make the songs sound better.”

They talked as they went to London. The three older men spoke about concerts and shows that they had been to in the past. Max had seen the Rolling Stones several times, and Mister Bamborough surprised by having seen Oasis more times than a normal person should have. Sebastian turned out to be a keen Who fan and bemoaned the fact that he had never seen them with Keith Moon on the drums.

They pulled up at the hotel and checked in. The two girls were in a twin room, while the guys had a single each. The dining room was still serving, so they sat and ate dinner before going up to their rooms. As the girls were cleansing and changing for bed, Gina stopped and sat on her bed.

“Is it just me or is Mister Bamborough being extra nice to us. We’re just second years, but he’s talking to us as if we’re adults.”

“I think that he’s treating us like adults because we act like adults, friend. We’ve achieved more, this year, than many do in a lifetime. We’ll be going back as third year students, so will be halfway through the system. It will be interesting to see if we stay with the orchestra or get bumped up to replace the leavers in the senior one. These combined projects have thrown the whole school system into chaos. Next year, without the Messiah hanging over our heads, will be a whole new adventure.”

Next morning, nothing had been said about wearing the school blue, so the three of them just looked good in casual wear. The teacher had opted for slacks and a sports coat. After breakfast, the vehicle pulled up outside. They checked out, signing the account for the label to pay, and they were taken to the record store, finding a small crowd outside.

Inside, it was difficult to get through the mass of bodies, but Max had seen the problem and went in front of them, with his commanding voice asking for space. They arrived near the back of the store, where there was some space and a dais. Clive was there and welcomed them to the launch. Max said he would see them later and went back out to the vehicle.

Clive was acting emcee, and welcomed all the classical music buffs, and the media, to the event. He outlined the content of the double CD. Looking at the cameras as he did so.

“Today, we have Mister Howard Bamborough, the music teacher in the Blue Coat School in Coventry, as well as the conductor for the orchestra. Then we have Mister Jacob Epstein, the soloist in the fabulous Rodrigo concerto. These two young ladies almost need no introduction. We have Miss Gina Summer and Miss Willow Rose. They are the founding members of the successful band, Summer Rose. Gina is the soloist in the Grieg Piano Concerto, as well as playing the organ on disc two. Willow played the ‘Seven Variations’ on the second album. These three are just fourteen and are prodigious talents. They will be happy to answer questions, asked in an orderly manner, and sign copies of our album ‘Popular Classics by the Blue Coat School’. Before that, we need to get the other formalities out of the way.”

A man stepped forward from beside one of the cameras, and Clive continued.

“May I present a representative of the BBC, who is sharing this great day with us.”

The man stepped up to the microphone.

“Last year, we filmed a concert in the Coventry Cathedral. It featured the Beethoven ‘Choral’. It was broadcast on Christmas Eve. We originally released it as the Beethoven Ninth and other classics, and it has sold quite a few copies. When we realised that some of the players were these two young ladies, we withdrew it from the market and have repackaged it. Today, we launch the new look DVD, now called ‘Coventry Classics, volume One’. With a proper appreciation of the wonderful orchestra. Earlier, this year, we also recorded another concert in the Cathedral with this orchestra. It featured the Saint-Seans Organ Symphony with Willow Rose playing the organ. We have pre-production copies of that DVD, which will be ‘Coventry Classics, volume Two’. That will be in the shops in two weeks. Both concerts were conducted by Mister Bamborough, here. I repeat what my friend just said. The guests will answer questions and sign your purchases. Thank you.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 19

After the announcements, the four of them sat at a table with marker pens. At their right was the store manager to ensure that all products being signed had a correct sales receipt. The line moved slowly, with them learning to answer the questions with enough information but not so much as to slow down the line. They sat and signed and talked until lunch, when the manager asked that the guests be given some time to get refreshments.

They were taken to the store out the back, with a table set up with sandwiches and nibbles. The four took turns in the store toilet, washed their hands and stood while grazing on the food. The manager thanked them for attending and being so friendly to the customers. It wasn’t long before they were back at the table, signing and talking until about three when the line had petered out. The camera crew took that opportunity to film an interview with them, the man from the BBC asking the questions, mentioning the upcoming Messiah and the likely broadcast next Christmas season.

When the store closed, Clive took Jacob out of the store, followed by a middle-aged lady. The others had a look at the shop products, with Willow buying a copy of a Chopin set of etudes that she wanted to learn. They were given the left-over CDs and DVDs to take back to the school for sale through the website. Howard Bamborough laughed when they were given the box.

“I doubt that these will even reach the school office. I can see most of them being bought by the teachers or the others in the orchestra. I’m sure that we will be able to order more or have links to the label and the BBC on the site. We do get a small fee for every time those sites are accessed through our website, whether anything is bought or not.”

The girls took one of each for themselves, and a set for Jacob. The vehicle arrived and Clive came back with Jacob and the lady, who gave Jacob a hug and the girls a smile as she left. Clive thanked them for coming and was pleasantly surprised at how few discs were left. They all got into the vehicle, giving Jacob his set of discs. Clive put his head in and wished them a good trip home, and that the launch next week may not be so civil and orderly as this one.

They made good time home, and Willow was dropped off at home with her case and bag. She said that she would see the others later and went in as the vehicle went up the road. Wendy was home.

“How did it go, darling?”

“It was good. I almost got cramp from signing so many times. I have a copy of our latest CD, and one each of the BBC films of our last two Coventry concerts. I believe that the school will be paid a cut of every CD, and a percentage of the BBC sales. I’m having a shower, then we can head to the club for the sing-along.”

Later, they walked, arm in arm, to the club. Gina and Maisie arrived, followed by Jacob with Racheal. Brent came in with his mother a few minutes later. They had an early dinner as patrons came in and went through to Studio Two. When the four friends went through, the drum kit was out, the two keyboards were up, along with three of the amps and the PA. What was different was a big TV screen that was on a frame at the back of the stage. They made sure that everything was good and started playing the tunes and songs that helped the food go down. They played some Carpenters and some ‘Journey’ and then took a break.

Malcolm went up on stage as they left, turning the TV on.

“Ladies and gentlemen. You are about to see something very special. These four talented musicians are part of the Summer Rose band, as you know. A couple of weeks ago, they were in the main studio at Abbey Road, recording their new album. Tonight, we’re giving them a rest and showing you two single tracks and two album DVDs that they recorded. Hit it, Ashley.”

He stepped down from the stage as the screen lit up, showing the band in the studio. A lot of the diners sang along with ‘Money’, and then sat, enthralled as the rest of the music continued. The four of them sat with their families as the two live concerts played through. This was Summer Rose that most had never heard before. There was applause when the last credits of the Kansas finished. Willow got up and went up on the stage.

“Ladies and Gentlemen. You have just seen two albums. The ‘Homegrown’ one will be launched in London next weekend. The Kansas set will be on sale from then until sold out. We expect that most will sell at our concerts, which begin in two weeks from tonight, at the Nottingham Forest football ground. As you could see from the list at the end of that DVD, we’re at Derby midweek, Leicester the following weekend. We get a week at home and then play at the Coventry City ground the following weekend, Manchester City mid-week, Liverpool on the weekend, Leeds mid-week, Sheffield the next weekend. We then go south for shows in Southampton mid-week and wind up the tour at the Arsenal ground the following weekend. The shows will have G-Force, who many have seen here, and Rick Sacks and the Hikers. Both bands have already received Gold Records for their new albums. It will be a good show, and every performance will have a huge amount donated to a charity in each city. I hope to see you there.”

Malcolm told them that he would put the equipment away. Racheal had a few words with Willow, thanking her for taking the party thing to the likely solution. Willow said goodnight to her and her friends, telling them that she would see them Sunday evening at the birthday party, and walked home with her mother.

On Sunday morning, they joined the other villagers in the church and listened to Jim playing. Willow and Gina spoke to him afterwards.

“How are you enjoying playing the hymns, Jim?”

“It’s good. I like it playing the intro and outro set, it’s soothing.”

“We feel the same. Playing rock music is exciting, but doodling Bach can settle the nerves. Are you looking forward to the shows?”

“Hell, yes! We’ve been getting together in the evenings, writing more that Zara can sing. She makes us sound better. Are you going to the party tonight?”

“We are. It will be interesting to see what they’ve done with the barns. I believe that you’re playing a dinner dance next week?”

“We are. I know that the Belgrade shows were a big thing then, but these upcoming shows are going to be make or break. A couple of the guys want to drop out and chase the money, and the rest of us want to finish our education. Zara and Geoff just want to get married and have kids, although her mother has other ideas.”

They went into the club, but Willow didn’t stay long. She and Wendy had lunch at home and enjoyed some bonding time, catching up on each other’s activities, considering that Willow had been away so much lately.

They started getting ready for the birthday party about four and were close to ready when Ashley got home. They had a light tea, knowing that tonight would be mainly cake and barbeque. They took Wendy’s car up to the farm, parking alongside others.

They followed the noise to the other barn, to find that the party was in full swing. Willow found Jacob, gave him a kiss and a birthday card.

“Thank you, my love. No gift?”

“What do you get a man who has everything? Besides, you have me by your side, what more do you want? In reality, I haven’t had time to go to a shop in weeks.”

“That’s all right, just joking. Come and dance, we have a DJ tonight. Rick is ritually burning good meat out back, so there should be charred protein ready later.”

They danced and ate, danced some more and talked to friends. Around nine, Willow told him that she needed some fresh air, and they went outside. It was still light, and they walked away from the barn.

“You still haven’t shown me your living quarters.”

Jacob looked around. Seeing nobody watching, he took her to the front of the modified barn, and opened the door to let them in. He turned on a light switch and the room was bathed in a soft orange light.

“There are no windows, so I leave this on during the night, so I don’t bump into things if I need to move around.”

“I like it. It has a seductive atmosphere to it.”

“Do you feel seduced?”

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him more passionately than ever before.

“You know. When I heard that you may have lost your virginity and never remembered a thing, I was sad for you. I wondered what I could do to make it better, and I could only think of one thing. Can you guess what that one thing could be, my love?”

He grinned and led her into another room, where a big bed waited for them. She had a zip-fronted dress, so it only took a moment before it was on the floor, followed in double quick time by his trousers. Willow knelt and pulled his underpants down, releasing his stiffening member. She gave it a kiss and a lick and stood up again as he peeled her panties down. With her on her back, on the bed, he pulled her bra straps aside to nuzzle her breasts and then she guided him to where she wanted him to be.

All the times that she had dilated was nothing compared to what she felt now. When he entered her, she was glad that she had lubed before coming out. They made love with no sign that it was the first time for both of them, reaching the peak of ecstasy together. When they had calmed down, they kissed gently.

“Happy birthday, darling Jacob. That’s something we can both remember. I’d better use your toilet and we should get back to the party before they send out a search party.”

They cleaned up and redressed, then went back to the party, in time to join the queue for more sausages and chops. There were four cakes, all shaped like guitars, and all different flavours. They guzzled with the rest of the crowd, sang ‘Happy Birthday’ four times, and then the DJ started playing slow songs. As they danced, just swaying to the music, Jacob whispered in her ear.

“I love you, Willow Rose. I had a crush on you in school, well before that New Years Eve. When we kissed, I thought I had gone to heaven, but it was just the lower level. Tonight, has been heaven.”

“I love you, Jacob Epstein. I’ve grown to love you over the last six months. Tonight, you made me a complete woman, your woman. There is only one problem that I can see.”

“What’s that, my love?”

“Just that it may be a while before we can make love again. This has been wonderful, but I don’t think that you could have a birthday party every week.”

“We’ll just have to remember tonight until then.”

‘Oh, I will, my love, I will.”

When the party wound up, they kissed before Willow left with her parents. On the short drive home, she could see her mother glancing at her in the rear-vision mirror. At home, she hugged her parents and went upstairs to cleanse and use the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and then sat on the toilet to use a squeeze bottle to wash her vagina, as instructed by the doctor. She really should report that she had full sensitivity down there, just to make her doctor happy.

In the morning, she was having an early breakfast when her mother asked her if she had a good time at the party.

“I had a lovely time, Mum. I must have hogged Jacob, but it was a good chance to be together for the evening, seeing that we can’t go on dates.”

“Is he a good kisser?”

“You know a girl doesn’t kiss and tell, Mum.”

“There was a period that I didn’t see you.”

“We went outside for a private cuddle and talked about the future.”

“When you came back, you looked like a girl who had been given a present, rather than a future. Take it carefully, my darling, you’re still only young, even if you are so adult.”

“I will, Mum. Thank you for being so understanding. I feel much more certain that we have a future together. The tour will be the thing that will show us if we can withstand a lot of tension.”

“That tour worries me. I just hope that the crowds turn up. It seems such a big gamble. It’s all been good so far but attracting so many people seems impossible.”

“I know, Mum. All we can do is do enough that those who are there have a good time. It’s the organisers who are taking the gamble. They’re the ones with the experience and access to the buying trends. ‘Homegrown’ will be on the market for a week before we’re on stage. Sales will show us if it’s all worth it.”

On Monday, they started the revision week. There was a pile of DVDs in the lunchroom for sale. They were all Volume One from the BBC. Dianne gave Willow the USB.

“That just blew our minds, Willow. It was hard to think that there was this fabulous band and they’re all school friends.”

Willow turned to Gina.

“I’ve just had a thought, friend.”

“Just the one?”

“I have a partner lanyard, and so do you. Both our actual partners are in the band, so I wondered if we could set up an arrangement where we each take one of the orchestra with us to a concert. We’re at ten places, so can take twenty of them. If we get a second show anywhere, we can take more. What do you think?”

“I’ll have my Mum at the Coventry show, but otherwise, why waste good tickets. Dianne, can you put together a roster. You’ll need to be picked up by mid-morning to get on the vehicle with us. They’re seven seaters, so we’ll be all right if Jacob doesn’t bring anyone.”

Jacob leaned over.

“Racheal is going with Rick, so there’s nobody I’ll be taking. I suppose that I could have asked my cousins, but that’s not possible now.”

“We could always ask Sebastian to get a minibus, then we can take more. We can ask him this afternoon and get back to you tomorrow. It will be nice to have some extra friendly faces with us.”

On the way home, they asked Sebastian about the plan, and he laughed.

“Already ahead of you there. The company has acquired three twenty-seaters for us to use. We’re taking partners too, some of our fellow workers and office staff have been spoken to. We’ll have plenty of room for an extra three on our bus. If I have an address in Coventry to pick up, we can do that on the way to the northern venues.”

Tuesday, Gina played in the chapel. Reg thanked the girls for the passes. At lunch, they told Dianne about the bigger bus, and that their driver was prepared to pick up at a site in Coventry. Willow went over to the other band members and told them about what they were planning, and that there would be minibuses used. By Wednesday afternoon, the pick-up venue had been decided as the car park of the Cathedral, as it was central, and parents could park there into the early hours. Willow told her parents about the plan, and they decided that they would make up a party as well. One show they would pick up two from Wendy’s work, the next show two from Ashley’s work would come to the house to join them.

Wednesday evening, the choir worked with Sally with the seven Soprano airs, plus one duet with Margaret. It would make things much easier when they had the full orchestra. By Thursday, they had a full list of partners for all the northern shows, with another list if there were second shows. Dianne had asked around the second year, her sister had canvassed the third year, and Zara had spoken to the fourth years to go with members of G-Force.

Friday was the last day of revision and seemed to drag. The band was getting excited about the launch on the weekend. Willow was getting worried that the next week would be an anticlimax. She checked her laptop when she got home and saw that Wilhelm had sent a spreadsheet of Summer Love accounts. With last month’s input, and this month’s input, they had over a million and a quarter in the account, with expected outlays for the building renovation expected to be somewhat close to a million. There had been some outlays, mainly the work needed on both properties to bring them up to modern standards.

Jill had sent an email to tell them that the Coventry show was now starting to fill a second night. That was a welcome shock, seeing that the first show was three weeks away. There was a second email from Jill to Jacob, with Willow cc’ed. It told them that the investigator had been to Birmingham and, given the likely girl and her address, had spoken to pharmacists in the local area with a picture, confirming that the girl had bought a pregnancy test kit some six weeks earlier, and a month before the party. The investigator had also spoken to the school, who had to report the administration of a date rape drug to the local police station.

The local police hadn’t done anything yet, as no official complaint had been made. They did give her the details of the station closest to where the girl lived, and the investigator had spoken to their Chief Superintendent. That station was going to arrest the girl on suspicion of extorsion and seize her phone to check if there were any pictures, and if any of them had been sent somewhere else. If nothing else, it would frighten her off and tell her parents that their daughter was pregnant. The raid was this weekend, so there should be some news next week.

Willow had her roller case ready, with enough for two nights away and an afternoon in Hyde Park. She had packed the outfit that she had worn in the video. When the coach arrived, she allowed Max to store her case and climbed on board to join a very boisterous group. She went and sat next to Jacob, noting that Brent had his arm around Gina a couple of seats in front. On the way, they sang some of their own songs, sometimes with different words, and were very happy. They were happier when Sebastian turned the radio up to hear ‘Dummy Spitter’ loud and clear, with the announcer telling the world that this was the first single of a much rockier ‘Summer Rose’ and from an album to be launched at the Rough Trade record store the next day. The all had a cheer.

At the hotel, they were treated like royalty, having now stayed there for a few times. They took their cases to the rooms and then went down to the dining room for a late dinner. Gina and Willow were sharing again and hung their outfits and cleansed for bed. They laid in bed, with the light out, and talked quietly. Gina said that she was seriously thinking about having sex with Brent, so Willow just told her to make sure he had a condom to use.

“You’re not shocked?”

“Why should I be, friend? Girls and boys are having sex at a much younger age these days. As long as you take precautions, and don’t flaunt it, I see no harm in it.”

The next morning, they discovered that Brent and Jacob were sharing a room. Willow looked at Gina and winked. Gina blushed, and then smiled. After they had eaten, Jill joined them and told them that there was already a queue at Rough Trade, so they would start a bit earlier. They went to freshen up and the boarded the coach, with Jill showing Sebastian the way.

When they arrived at the shop in Dray Walk, there was quite a crowd, as well as two police cars, the four policemen standing by the door. Sebastian pulled up with the coach door and the shop door directly opposite. Jill got out and spoke to the policemen. Max got out to guard the coach door. The police sergeant called out.

“Now, listen up. The band will leave the coach and enter the store. Give them a few minutes and the store will open for you. We’ll be here for a while to make sure that you’re orderly. Hear that – orderly! I’ve been told that the band is staying until there’s none of you left, or the CDs have all gone.”

There was some laughter and then the shop door opened, and Jill beckoned for them to leave the coach. There was noise as each of them left the coach, with their names being called to look to the camera, with a few calls from girls saying that they loved the guys, and a couple of guys telling the girls that they were adored.

Max had a huge grin on his face as he helped them to step down to the pavement. When they were all inside, he got back into the coach and sat in front. Sebastian looked at him.

“Why the big smile, Max.”

“Well, there were pictures taken of every member of the band as they were getting out. Guess what? Every picture will have me holding their hands! Unless I get airbrushed out, that is.”

Laughing, Sebastian gave the policeman a wave, and backed up to leave the way he had come, to spend a lazy day in London, on full pay. Not for the first time, he whispered ‘I love this job’. The policeman made sure he had enough room to manoeuvre and waved them off.

Inside the store, the band were taken through to the back, where there was a small stage with a microphone and a keyboard. Clive was there already.

“Good morning. The keyboard is there to give some ambience, unless someone wants to play it. We have a table either side, one will have five of the band and the other six. Sort yourselves out as who sits where. Once you’ve done that, we have these life-size pictures to go behind you, so that everyone knows which one they’re speaking to, although, from what I just heard, that’s not a problem.”

They conferred, and Gina sat in the middle of the five seats, with Brent beside her, and Roy, Edward and Nancy. Willow and Jacob sat in the middle of the other table, Herb and Victor beside her side, and Bryan and Vivienne beside Jacob.

When Willow had a chance to look around, she saw that the access to the tables was from a single aisle, where a shop assistant stood with a register and a three big piles of disc cases. The exit was from the other end of the tables, with another assistant standing to make sure nobody tried to come in that way.

The first people in the line were the four policemen, with a set of discs each. When they had all been signed, the four put their booty behind their stab-vests and went to the door to make sure the entry of the customers was orderly, as ordered. Clive watched and laughed.

“This is going down much better than I expected. It’s human nature, but once that lot outside have formed a line, anyone else will just join it. Pens at the ready, here comes the first customers.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 20

It was a constant stream of customers for the next two hours. Many had brought all three items and wanted all three signed. It did give the band time to answer questions while they were signing. They all signed with only their birth name, to allow enough space for all eleven on the plastic case. After the first few had bypassed the two at the end of her table, Willow got up and got Vivienne to sit in her seat. Being one of those that everyone wanted the signature of, she created a slowing of the line so that everyone had product presented to them.

What did slow them down was the number of ‘Coventry Carpentry’ and ‘Journey’ cases that were presented for signatures. At the end of two hours, Clive stood at the head of the line and called out that the band was going to take a short break. That allowed them to ease their flat bottoms and get a drink and comfort stop. Willow was out first and went up on the stage to play a few songs from the first album until the others were back. As the line restarted, she went back to her seat at the end, with some generous applause in her ears. They sat and signed for another two hours, with Clive calling for a thirty-minute break.

There was a table set up in the storeroom, set out with sandwiches and finger food, plus water and cola in bottles. This time, Gina came back with her and played the keyboard while Willow sang songs from ‘Journey’ until everyone was seated again. The mood in the store never got rowdy, and all the customers realised that they would get their product signed, and entertained while they stood in line. Willow noted that some, who had only bought the CD, rejoined the line with one, or both, DVDs.

They had another break at half-past two, and yet another at half-past four. At five-thirty, Clive spoke to the manager, and they went to the door. The manager called out to the line, still outside, that he would open the shop early on Sunday morning if the people wanted to come back, but the band had signed for over eight hours and needed a break. He handed out business cards, with Clive writing numbers on them as they walked up the line.

“These will get you in on Sunday morning, starting from nine. No numbered card, no entry. Thank you for coming and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

Coming back in, the main door was closed and only opened to let a customer out. The line dwindled until there were no more customers in the shop. The manager came and shook hands with the band.

“Thank you for today. You’re the best band to launch here, by far. I’ll open at nine and I think that we’ll see the rest leaving with their purchases by eleven, when it’s our normal Sunday opening. Then, it’s lunch on me. I think that this may have been the best Saturday for a very long time.”

The coach arrived and turned around at the corner. The line had dispersed, and the band left the shop, all with their own set of discs. Willow had to smile, as the cover of the Kansas set was the one her mother had drawn, a long time ago, while the cover of ‘Homegrown’ was a single blue rose, on a thorny stem.

They didn’t go far for a meal. Sebastian turned onto Hanbury Street, crossed Commercial Street and parked where Jill had put out orange cones on Lamb Street. They all left the coach, which Sebastian locked after putting a ‘Parking allowed by Spitalfields’ sign in the front window, and they were led to the Brother Marcus Restaurant, where they had a long table and were served seven share plates with a range of different foods. They all had their fill, with those underage on soft drinks. Willow, Jacob, Gina and Brent had quiet conversation which left all four smiling.

Back at the hotel, they all had group hugs and said goodnight. Sometime later, Gina, in her nightie and gown, and carrying a towel that she had brought in her case, walked to the other room and knocked on the door. Jacob opened it, gave her a hug, and went to where she had left her door ajar. He walked in, closed the door, and looked at Willow on the bed, looking beautiful in a black nightie. As he went to her, his dressing gown landed on the floor.

Two hours later, there was a knock on the door and Jacob, now redressed, opened it to let Gina in. She gave him a hug and a surprising kiss, said thank you as he left. Willow, still on the bed and well satisfied, spoke quietly.

“A good result, friend?”

Gina held the bloodstained towel up and grinned.

“The best thing to happen to me since dinner, friend. Odd feeling at first, and then it was as if I had shooting stars behind my eyes and a volcano erupting in my groin. I’m a woman!”

Willow stood and they hugged, then Gina put the towel in a plastic bag for disposal tomorrow. They hugged again and Gina went into the bathroom to clean up. Then, they shared her bed, cuddling together, both women and friends for life.

In the morning, they checked out of the hotel and the coach took them to Dray Walk. They got out after Sebastian had turned it around. There weren’t many there and they were allowed to enter the shop unmolested. Seeing it was Sunday, Willow turned on the keyboard and doodled Bach while everyone else got themselves settled and the line was allowed in. More arrived with the numbered cards and the signing continued unabated until nearly eleven. The tables were cleared away and the life-sized pictures gathered up.

Jill rang Sebastian to pick them up in an hour and a half and to park on Brick Lane, next to the entrance to Dray Walk. The manager made sure his staff were good for the normal trading and then led them the few yards to Café Thousand and One, where they had a leisurely time to relax and eat. Most of them went for one of the all-day breakfasts. When the coach arrived, they all got in and it took them to Hyde Park. They were dropped off at the north-east corner and walked to the big, grassed area where the show was. Jill pulled a load of lanyards out of her bag and gave one to each of them, with their name on the pass. They went through a special gate which led to a VIP viewing area. The stage was strangely normal, no flying saucers or other props, just the usual amps and instruments.

They settled in comfy seats to wait for the show to start, with waitresses bringing out soft drinks for the band and wine for Jill and Clive. The band came out and the crowd roared, the Jeff Lynne walked on the stage, and they started with ‘Can’t Get it Out of My Head’, followed by ‘Livin’ Thing’. As the show progressed, Willow realised that it may have been a nice, but expensive gesture by the label, but was also a practical lesson in working a big crowd.

When they had finished their set, Jeff Lynne said that this had been their last ever big show. He then told that crowd that they had, in the audience, a band that would be playing their first ever big show in two weeks and asked Summer Rose to stand and give the crowd a wave. Willow didn’t expect the roar as they waved. The band, on the stage, went into their encore number.

While the audience was grooving to the sound, Clive and Jill quietly took the band out to the waiting coach before the gates were opened at the end of the show. The coach went a little way north and stopped to let Clive and Jill out in Maida Vale, then Sebastian found the start of the M1 heading north.

On the way, the band discussed what they had just seen, and how they could fit it into their own act. They realised that, up to now, they had been performing for friends and locals from Coventry. In two weeks, they would be in front of thousands of total strangers. The turn-out at the signing was indicative of support, but the roar that they got in Hyde Park was a sure sign that a lot of fans were out there.

They planned a meeting, after school, in the usual orchestra room on Tuesday to hash out a playlist and likely ways that they could interact with the audience. Sebastian told them that they would be picked up later and that the other drivers would be told.

When they arrived at Willow’s home, there were a lot of hugs and a nice kiss from Jacob. She wished everyone luck in exam week and got out to collect her case from Max, who also gave her a hug before he got back in the coach. The house was empty when she went in, so she took her case up to her room, hung the unworn items and put the soiled ones in her hamper, including the black nightie, which she held to her nose and smelt the residue of sex.

She had a quick shower and put on a simple shift, then picked up her bag and walked to the club. Her parents were there, with Maisie, so she sat with them and related some her weekend. Eventually, Gina walked in having showered and changed as well. They had dinner and talked. Maisie looked at the two of them.

“There’s something different with you two tonight. You aren’t the young girls who left on Friday.”

Willow was first to speak.

“On Saturday and Sunday, we both grew up. I think the rest of the band did as well. We sat and signed albums and DVDs for over ten hours in the two days, meeting strangers who were keen to spend their money and talk to us. We signed the two earlier albums, the new one, the DVDs, and I even had to sign a couple of the BBC DVDs. Then on Sunday, we sat in Hyde Park and watched a lesson in entertaining the crowd by interacting with them. It brought it home to us how big next weekend will be, and how hard we’re going to have to work. Yes, we’re different; we’re more aware of what we’re letting ourselves in for and the responsibility we have to the paying customers. Jill told me that our shows are seventy pounds a ticket. If we fill the smallest stadium, that’s two million a show. Liverpool will be four million a show. There are homeless and disadvantaged people out there who will get a huge boost if we do our job. Yes, Maisie, we’re different.”

A little later, in the toilets, Gina put her hand on Willow’s arm as they were checking their lipstick.

“Thanks for that, back there. I was frozen, wondering if I smelt of sex, even though I’d showered. I was almost about to let the world know that I’d lost my virginity. Once again, Wonderful Willow saves the day.”

“Call me that again and I’ll glue the keys on your keyboard.”

They laughed and hugged and then went back to the table.

Monday was the first day of exams. They sat for one and had time to relax before the next, then had lunch. Everyone was being serious, as this was the week which sealed their futures. There was a table with the double album of the orchestra, with a notice that it was now available for order through the website or could be purchased at reception.

Jacob told them that he, Herb, Roy, and Victor were being taken to the music store in Birmingham, from school, to get extra guitars. Doing big shows can be hard on them, so they needed spares. That afternoon, when they left, they had Brent in the vehicle with them to take him home first.

When she arrived home, there was a big parcel from Madame Francesca on the doorstep. It was her other three outfits for the shows. Monday evening, Willow looked at their songs and tried to visualise their show in her mind. They needed a little bit of the ‘Journey’ album but could skip the Carpenters. All of ‘Homegrown’ was a must, with ‘Spitter’ as the encore. There had to be some Kansas to promote the DVD, and she thought that the last four tracks from ‘Dust in the Wind’ on would be good. In fact, she thought that they would be best as the last four songs.

There was an email from Wilhelm, saying that the architect had drawn up plans that both the builder and the studio people were happy with, and that they had been sent to the council, with a note to say that the studio was designed as a personal space, and not a commercial venture, because of the lack of parking.

There was an email from Jill, telling them that the label had been happy with the launch, and that advertising for the shows was bringing a lot of interest. Most of the first shows were close to fully booked, and the second shows had been announced. Because of this, there would be two stages and pitch coverings, with the first venue taken to the third, and so on.

There was a second one from Jill, as an attachment from one to Jacob. It said that the police had visited the girl who had set up the pictures at the party, and had looked at her phone, finding the pictures had been sent from another phone, which turned out to be one of her friends. The other girl was apprehended on Saturday afternoon and her phone confiscated. The only transmission of the pictures had been to the first girl and to Jacob’s cousin. A search of the three houses discovered the Rohypnol at the cousin’s house, and her brother had been arrested on suspicion of three reported rapes that had not been solved, with his DNA being taken so see if there was a match with the evidence. The only other person to see the picture had been Racheal. The pictures had been deleted, the three girls cautioned, with the pregnant girl taken to the hospital, under guard, and given an ultrasound, which showed a close to two-month foetus. Jill noted that the parents were angrier about the baby than the attempted extorsion.

Tuesday morning, Jacob told them that each of the guitarists had chosen three extra guitars, which would be transported to the first venue and taken, with their normal instruments, to each of the others. The day was the same as exam days before it, and probably similar to all future ones. After school, the band gathered in the rehearsal room and it didn’t take long to agree on the song order, some announcements to include the crowd, and Willow didn’t have to pull the bit of paper that she had which was almost exactly what they had just decided.

She, like all the others, had a quiet evening looking at the material for the next day. Wednesday was a carbon copy, and then, as it was choir evening, it was over to the club. They worked on the seven items that Margaret and the chorus had, being happy with what had been achieved. Willow wished them all a good break and that the next session would be the last week of August.

Thursday, it was exams again, and they told the security that Friday would be an early day, with just an exam or two in the morning, so they would have lunch and be out to go home after that. The only other thing was to pick up her remaining B-twelve ampoules. That’s how it played out, and they were on their way home in the afternoon. They all hugged and said that they would meet again at the party.

When she went into her home, she went upstairs to shower, putting all of her school uniform in the hamper. Some would be washed, others would need dry cleaning, but she couldn’t have cared less about that at the moment. Tonight, the birthday party was in the function room of one of the Coventry hotels. Wendy had been able to get a nice card for each of the celebrants. Willow sat at the kitchen table and wrote in them, then relaxed, listening to the radio with her eyes shut, hearing the band being played five times before her mother arrived home.

While they waited for Ashley to get home, they got themselves pretty. Willow had a head start, so turned on her laptop while she waited for her mother. There were a couple of emails.

One was from Wilhelm, to tell them that planning permission would be granted, with the paperwork coming next week. The other was from Jill to all the band, with more details. The shows will start at seven-thirty, with G-Force opening. At eight-thirty, the Hikers will take over. With Summer Rose playing from nine-thirty to the end. There would be no breaks, as it was usual for stadium shows to have people wandering around, with the facilities and vendors all in the surrounding concourse. There will be a second show in Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester. Coventry will have a show on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Other venues looking good for second shows. Willow printed that email to give to Dianne and Barbara the next day, as they were the first of the ‘partners’. It looked as if they would be able to take a lot more of their friends to experience the show, from the inside.

The family went to the party, with the adults all off to one side while the teenagers danced to the DJ and grazed on the table of goodies. For all of them, it was a celebration of birthdays, of the last day of the school year, the end of the exams and the beginning of the glorious holidays. For the band, it was their last break before the work started next day. Most of the band members left earlier than others, mindful of a need to be ready for the show,

On Saturday morning, Willow woke with a feeling of optimism. They knew what they had to do, and already were playing better than when they were at the Belgrade. The show, tonight, was booked out, and, as far as she knew, Sunday was filling. Today, they would discover what had been set up, and see, for the first time, the stage they would be on.

She showered and made sure that everything was right as she dressed for the day. She had a shift dress for travelling and her outfit for playing was in a garment bag. At breakfast, her parents were quietly supportive and told her that they would be there to see the show. Mid-morning, the minibus arrived, and she kissed her parents and went out to get in. Max helped her up and then got in and closed the door.

“Big day, today, Willow. This is the one that you’ve worked so hard for.”

“It is, Max. Thank you two for being such good protectors and friends. Things could have been much worse without your professional service.”

She said hello to the partners, who had both met her before, and they travelled north, picking up Gina and Jacob. His trusty guitar was stored in the locker. When he got in, he told them that it would be shipped to the other venues with the gear, so he was stuck with his Fender at home. They picked up Xavier, Frank, and Dave, with their parent partners, and then stopped at the Cathedral to collect Dianne and Barbara, plus the Junior leader, Abbie. Then they were off to Nottingham. It was just under an hour and a half later when they arrived in a secured car park at the City Stadium, where there were already lines of fans waiting to get in.

They were escorted to the VIP dining room, where they had lunch with the other bands and their partners, then, they all went to look at the stage. It was set up at one end of the ground, with a sea of seats in front, and the seating behind roped off. This allowed them to be able to leave from under the stands and walk into a large marquee behind the stage.

The marquee was their dressing and relaxing room, with drinks and snacks. The bands all had their stage outfits with them, so were shown their screened off, reserved sections and hung them on racks. Then they climbed the stairs to the stage.

The stairs came up to a space behind a wall of amps. As they passed them, Willow noted that six were marked as SR, and the three others were marked HIKERS. Jill was waiting for them.

“The amps are for general use. They’re all the same. Come and look at the view from up here.”

She led them around the speaker wall and the sight took their breath away. Stretching out before them was a vista of seats, with a low tent close to the centre spot.

“What we have is this stage, which is slightly sloping. The drum kit and the keyboards are on raised platforms, so that everyone can see you. Guitar players, you will need to make sure that you stand towards the front so that you can be seen by the first twenty rows. Your effects boxes are clearly marked with your names and all the cables are routed around to the amps and plugged in. That allows us to have a clear stage. The tent is the audio and visual control centre. Xavier, that’s where you and your friends will be. You have a full mixing board for sound, and there are banks of screens to see the vision from all the cameras. It’s the job of the visual technicians to make sure that the pictures on the big screens fit the music. There are two big screens on each side of the stage, pointing slightly to the side, so people in the closest stands get the full view. There are also screens and speakers around the concourse so that nobody misses out.”

She pointed out the camera positions in the stands, with one each side of the tent.

“Dave and Frank, you will assist a pair of experienced directors. They will be in radio contact with all the cameramen. Xavier, it will just be you and a professional sound man. You will be in contact with whatever band is on stage. You will have a screen to one side, with scrolling messages from the security and ground owners, so that if there’s an emergency, you can alert the band. We will have a number of ambulances and paramedics, and the club clinic will be manned. There are always some who want to faint at a show like this.”

Willow took in the sight, noting that there was a blanked off area behind the low tent so that nobody had their view restricted. Jacob was holding her hand, and Brent had his arm over Gina’s shoulders. The most affected seemed to be their partners for the day. Dianna was literally shaking with excitement, and Barbara was having a problem keeping her mouth from dropping open. Jill continued.

“Partners, there is another exit from the dressing rooms. It goes under the stage and the first ten rows are reserved. There is a rope between you and the paying customers, and it will be monitored by security. If you want to wander the concourse and get keepsakes, there is a way there from where we came out of the stand behind us. Make sure that you have your lanyards in view. Later in the day, there will be someone back there to help other VIPs with directions. All VIPs have to come through the marquee to get to their seats. There are toilets back there for your use.”

Rick called out.

“What are the numbers, Jill?”

“With the stands behind us sealed off, and the pitch seating added, you’re looking at forty thousand tonight, and tomorrow night is already at thirty-eight thousand, so may be full by the time that you take to the stage. We’ll let you have a wander around, but we need sound checks starting at five. There will be a light meal in the dining room at six.”

They went back down and then through the passage to the seating area, looking back at the towering stage, with the four big screens, the staggering number of PA speakers, and the lighting along the upper cross-piece. Jill saw them looking up.

“The lights will only have a marginal effect until it gets darker, so Summer Rose will be the band to benefit most. There are pyrotechnics, so don’t get frightened if you see flames.”

Back into the stands, they found the exit to the concourse and did a full walk of the perimeter, finding food outlets setting up, merchandise vendors for each of the bands, a few stands with amps and instruments on, and a lot of stands with stocks of the band’s albums and DVDs, manned by staff from the label. Clive was overseeing the preparations.

“Hi, there, you lovely people. This is one of the biggest operations we’ve had since before COVID, and it’s great to be here. If Jill hasn’t mentioned it yet, all of your partners get a free product from us, and our merchandise vendors. It will lower your income, slightly, but it will be a drop in the ocean from what this tour has become.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025