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