Chapter 3

Willow looked at Josh and Sydney, both blushing.

“Just in little ways, Sydney. Most wouldn’t have seen it. I hope that you’re happy.”

“Happier than I’ve been in ages, Willow.”

“I’m glad. You’re a long way from home and it’s good to have friends around you, even better when one of them is special. Now, Josh. As the man of the house, I’m giving you a special project. I want you to line-paint three or four parking bays next to the studio entrance in a brighter colour and get them sign written ‘Studio only’. Then, I want you to look into getting a company car, or two, should you have to pick someone up and bring them here. You may have to go anywhere in the country. If the studio isn’t busy in a couple of years, we can always sell them. Go luxury, please, I might be calling to pick me up from Stoneleigh.”

“So, Jaguar or what?”

“Look at Audi, BMW and Mercedes as well. We want to create an image of success.”

“You really are pushing ahead with this, aren’t you?”

“Last year, I did a one-year certificate course in business and financial management. For one of my projects, I outlined my thoughts on the studio complex as a business. If the Arts people charge enough to cover rates and utilities, the studio, if used properly, will return between one and two million a year. For me, personally, it has already paid for itself in my first month of album sales, with more to come. I can afford to take a punt, but I don’t believe that it will be a losing bet.”

Sarah sighed.

“And there’s us thinking that we were sponging off you.”

“No thoughts of that, Sarah. See how the bookings start coming in and we can talk again later. If you start to get more work, let me or the accountant know, and we can add a driver/general hand to do the cleaning and toilets. If you have any relatives who need a job, don’t be shy of putting them on. If you move in together, Sydney, you can offer the flat as incentive if you need the extra person.”

With the air cleared, Sarah drove them back to Coventry. Vivienne asked Willow if she could stop at her home for a while, to listen to her songs. When they arrived, it wasn’t where she used to live, but a good-sized detached home in a better suburb. They thanked Sarah for the trip and went in, with Willow being hugged by Viv’s mother.

She was taken to a conservatory, where a baby grand sat, with a cover on.

“I’ve been getting lessons, but it’s been hard work.”

“Everything worthwhile is hard work, Viv. You already have the wind talent, it’s a new way of using your fingers that takes time. I often wonder if I should have learned guitar, but don’t have the time for it. I thought I might have more time on my hands, this year, but that flew out of the widow on the first day of school.”

“I’ll pop upstairs and get my notebooks. I have written out the basic tunes. Let’s get this uncovered and you can warm your fingers.”

While she was away, Willow sat and played an etude. Vivienne’s mother sat in a chair and listened.

“Do you have a favourite, Mrs. Armstrong?”

“I’m Juliette, Willow, and, yes, I do. It’s that one about friends. It says so much.”

Willow played the intro and sang along while Juliette sat with her eyes closed, and Vivienne stood by the door, papers in her hand. She had been on many stages with Willow, and had thought she had heard everything, but this was a slower version of the song that was full of affection and joy.

“That was written for Gina, wasn’t it?”

“It was, Viv. I miss her, terribly, as she was almost a constant companion, living in Stoneleigh, playing keyboard in the club, and alternating on the church organ. She is improving her life in Florence and will be a piano soloist in a few years. That’s her aim in life, and Summer Rose has helped her achieve that.”

“Hopefully, we can work this year and fill some of that gap.”

“I’ll like that. Now, where’s the music?”

For the next three hours, the two of them worked on the songs, with Willow making suggestions and Vivienne making changes of her own, now she was free to listen to them objectively. Juliette brought them tea and biscuits, and Vivienne’s sisters put their heads in for a look. When they finished, the music and lyrics sheets had edits. Vivienne said that she would write them out clearly for next weekend, and arranged transport to the studio, her mother keen to see the business end of the entertainment.

Vivienne’s father drove Willow home, talking as he drove, about how much better their life has been since his daughter had been added to the band. Willow told him that everyone had an improved life, and she sat, wondering about the others in the band. Nothing had been said about new houses, but she realised that it was quite likely that they had all moved up in the world.

That evening, she sent an email to Gina, to tell her of the first week of school, and the ongoing operetta project. She also sent an email to the man who was now managing the Arts Alliance bookings for the practise area, to remind him that the building now needed to be charged for, and to start using the invoice books and the EFTPOS unit that the accountant had sent, along with the rates for different customers. She also did some research.

On Sunday, they walked over to the warm church and listened to Jim on the organ. They had lunch in the club.

“When are you going to get a new car, Mum?”

“The old Ford is still working.”

“I know, but if you drive me anywhere, we can put it down as a company car, as part of WR Holdings. In two years’, you can give it to me and get another new one for yourself. You and Dad are directors, so you’re eligible.”

“Can the company afford it?”

“Mum, we could buy a car for every member of this club and still have some left over. I really should look at more properties.”

“I’ll talk to your father, and we’ll think about it.”

“Another thing is that without Gina, I don’t have to live in the village anymore. I had a look at some properties on-line. There’s a nice one about eight miles west of us. It’s on the market at just over two point six. We could still be involved here, but it would be a short drive, rather than a walk.”

“How big is it?”

“Five big bedrooms, four bathrooms, an annex over a three-car garage. It would need us to have a gardener, maybe a cleaning service.”

She was grinning. Wendy laughed.

“You’re having me on!”

“Not at all, Mum. Talk about it with Dad. We could go and have a look next Sunday; I expect that the agent would be happy to show us around. I’ll probably have enough coming in from my album to pay for it next month, without touching the nest-egg.”

“You’re serious?”

“I am. It’s behind gates, and on a large area. The annex could be somewhere that Gramma can come and live with us. I’ve got the feeling that Grandpop may not last long.”

“Who told you?”

“Nobody had to tell me, Mum. He didn’t seem good when they stayed here, and when we were recording in Cambridge, he looked ashen.”

“I was keeping it from you, with all you had on your plate. He was diagnosed with liver cancer last month and isn’t likely to see the summer.”

“All the more reason for us to have a haven. I know that you enjoy your work. Perhaps you could set up an office and work from home, going in a couple of times a week. Looking after your mother is likely to take up a lot of time. For me, it just means that Sebastian has to go somewhere else to pick me up.”

“What about the organ playing?”

“I can’t see me being needed any longer. Jim’s holding down the seat and has said that he’ll work with the choir. He doesn’t have any band to play in, so’s happy with the little bit of extra interest while he studies for his higher certificate. He has enough in the bank to be set up.”

That evening, Willow plugged her laptop into the TV and showed them the property.

“It certainly is lovely, daughter, but why now?”

“I’m breaking out on my own, I have made enough off a single album to pay for it, it’s just a short drive from here, it has an annex for Gramma, it has three garages, it has four bathrooms, it’s a suitable residence for the next conservative Member of Parliament, and a descendant of the Third Baroness Leigh, once removed. Neither of you would have to give up work, straight away. Let’s face it, Dad, you’ve met two of your company’s bigger suppliers socially, on chatting terms with a Baron and a Bishop, have a pad in London if you need to be in the House, it’s almost a no-brainer. If you sell this place, you could put some of your own money in to fund a campaign. We could buy it with funds from WR Holdings, of which you’re both directors.”

“See if we can have a look next Sunday, as you’re out on Saturday. We’ll talk about it after we see it. If it’s a no, then we just stay here.”

“Got it, Dad.”

On Monday, school was close to normal, with both Vivienne and Nancy now sitting with her.

“Not with Herb, Nancy?”

“Not any longer. Both of our guys are now ex-lovers. They seem to spend a lot of the weekends in Birmingham or Manchester, I’ve smelt odd perfumes on him. What with them going on about being a different band, I’m almost ashamed to be with them, because of the lack of loyalty to the rest of us. I blame all the fan frenzy in Australia that went to their heads.”

“What about the factory you both bought?”

“He bought my half from me and has put it back on the market.”

“Has Viv told you about our school project?”

“Yes. I was wondering if I could get a small part in it.”

“If I act as the director/producer, how would one of you like to play Tatiana, and the other can play the scheming ex-girlfriend?”

“Don’t you want to be on stage?”

“I’m a musician, not an actor, and my skills seem to be more in organising. I’ll add my bit to the words and music, but I’m afraid that I’d look like a ham if I’m acting. You would have to re-arrange your Friday afternoon lessons.”

That evening, Willow emailed the property agent, asking if it was possible for a buyer to look at the property on Sunday afternoon. She had an email in from Gina, telling her about the hunky, but married, tutor that she went to, and the extra studies she was taking in Italian. There was also an email from Wilhelm, saying that he would like to step down as the property manager. Willow had wondered why he hadn’t been on site on Saturday.

She had a think and went downstairs to talk to her parents.

“I’ve had an email from Wilhelm. He wants to stop being our property manager. I think the problem with Jacob, and the upheaval with the band may have brought this on. Herb has paid Nancy for her half of the site in Coventry, which just leaves the Small Heath site and the shopping centre. I don’t think that Wilhelm is up to the shopping centre management.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I’d like to make an offer on the Coventry site, through our accountant. I’d also like to email the rest of the band with an offer for Small Heath and suggest we confirm the current management company to oversee the shopping centre.”

“What do you get out of that?”

“Mainly the knowledge that I haven’t let the tenants down. They’re still positive parts of a portfolio. It would mean that I could talk to all of them, face to face.”

“That isn’t very businesslike.”

“It’s the way I like to do business, Dad.”

“All right. You look into what you want. You wouldn’t consider it if you didn’t have the money. What’s the bottom line in the account at the moment?”

“Around sixteen and a half.”

“Even if you pay over the odds, it’s not going to break you.”

“No, Dad. Thank you, Dad.”

She went back to her computer to write her emails, using Word to get them sounding right. The reply to Wilhelm thanked him for all his work and help and asked him to take all the paperwork to the accountant in Leicester, with a resignation letter, passing the responsibility to him. That went with all of the syndicate and the accountant cc’d as recipients.

She sent one to her team, telling them of the situation, and asking Sarah to take on the job as site manager, with a raise in salary. Wilhelm had a people mover that he should leave for her use.

She sent one to her accountant, asking him to look into the likely sale of the Coventry property and to put in an anonymous offer on her behalf, should the price be reasonable.

She then sent an email to all the other syndicate members, offering to buy the Small Heath property from them for a straight out five million, now that Wilhelm wasn’t handling it any longer. She pointed out that this would be by direct payments to each member, seeing that the syndicate was currently involved with the shopping centre, and any money in that account was slated for the improvements.

On Tuesday, at lunch, Herb approached her and told her that her offer was acceptable, as he and the others didn’t want the responsibility any longer. That was four of the band ticked off. She asked him to tell the guys to reply to her email, with their accountants given the news. Vivienne and Nancy hadn’t mentioned it, but Nancy spoke up after Herb had left.

“What’s this about, Willow?”

“I can see these guys losing interest, and not bothering to keep in touch with the tenants. After Wilhelm asking to leave, I thought that I had enough behind me to take it over. With them agreeing, it just leaves you two, the other two guys, and Gina.”

“If we talk to Gina and see what she wants to do, we may be able to end up with the four of us owning the site. We’ll have to wait for Edward and Bryan to answer. They’re more level-headed. It could be that we have one-sixth, if you didn’t mind.”

“My thoughts are with the tenants. Both companies are on the cusp of greater things. Those boys have no idea of business. Would you both be on board?”

They both nodded and gave her a hug. Vivienne went off to talk to Edward and Bryan, coming back a few minutes later.

“They both say that they don’t want to sell out. If Gina is in, we can put in our shares and pay the other four out, the income between six is better than between ten.”

“Sounds good to me, girls. Tell me, Nancy, when Herb paid you for your half of Coventry, did he pay the full quarter of a million?”

“He did. He thought that he could get five-fifty for it.”

“Look, if Gina is happy to stay in, we can create a new syndicate of six. I’ll pay the boys the half a million each, and then we can sort it out afterwards with us as the shareholders. That would mean each of you putting in three hundred and thirty thousand to me and we’ll change the ownership.”

“What about the shopping centre?”

“That’s too big to mess with. We’ll have a management team in place, so we can sit back. The money’s there for the improvements. If the others want out, they can try and sell each individual share. I don’t feel a personal link with that one. It’s just business.”

Tuesday evening, she had an email from Sarah, saying that Wilhelm had left the people mover in the shed, and had given her the keys and paperwork. He had been driven away by an older lady. Willow replied that she should get it professionally sign written with the studio name and contact details, to become a travelling billboard, and for her to use it as her own after letting the authorities know about the change of garaging.

She had another from Gina, telling her that she wanted to remain as a member of the syndicate. Willow replied that the shopping centre syndicate will remain untouched, but that the four guys wanted out of Small Heath, with all the girls, Bryan and Edward, staying in. She advised that she was going to pay the others out and would ask for three hundred and thirty-three thousand later.

There was also a statement from Peter. The December sales had picked up and her share of the band was five hundred and eighty thousand, with her payment for the solo album, as she expected from getting the Gold Record, had given her another two point four. She got him to transfer two and a half million to WR Holdings. She also transferred half a million to her personal account, which took it to three quarters of a million, not having spent big amounts on herself.

On Wednesday, at lunch, she went to talk to Garry.

“How are you, Garry?”

“Better for having you speak to me.”

“How is your lesson schedule for Friday afternoons?”

“Gym and some free study, why?”

“We have to compose and present a full show with new composition by the end of next term for Music Studies. The class isn’t big, and they decided to turn the album ‘The Magic Laptop’ into an operetta. On the album, the internet baron doesn’t appear in person, only referred to. We’re looking at having him as a character in the stage presentation.”

“He was a sort of Musk clone, wasn’t he. I did listen to the album a couple of times, but you guys were moving in an odd direction.”

“That’s right. We were wondering if you would like to play that part. Vivienne and Nancy will be playing Tatiana and her ex-lesbian lover. The only other main characters are the other four questers.”

“Could I do it in black, big boots and a black cap, looking and acting mad?”

“We would be upset if you didn’t.”

“I’ll double check and let you know. I should be able to join you in the last hour and a half.”

“That will be wonderful, Garry. I know that you have a gravelly voice which would be perfect for the part.”

“You’re not considering Herb and his friends?”

“They’re not the flavour of the month, Garry. More interested in a good time and loose women. The rest of us have given up on the band touring again, or even having another album.”

“That’s sad. Still, we did have fun for a while, and that’s the main thing.”

On Thursday, in the orchestra session, they started on more violin-based music, with ‘Serenade for Strings’. When Willow turned on her laptop, that evening, there was an email from Sarah. It had a forwarded email from Derek at the ENO, booking the studio for the last full week of every month, except December, for a full forty hours at five hundred an hour. They would be staying in a hotel for the week, and he expected to have around ten singers and an orchestra of fifteen for each booking, with that open to change.

Sarah also reported that Hugh Kelly had booked a full Saturday, the week after Vivienne’s session. He had asked for confirmation of the band. Willow sent her back a reply and said that she would talk to the Vines tomorrow, at school, to get them to contact Sarah.

She went down to tell her parents about the ENO bookings, seeing that it, alone, would bring in twenty percent of her projected turnover for the year. She was making a hot chocolate for them when her mobile buzzed. She saw that it was Jill.

“Good evening, Jill. What can I do for you?”

“Good evening, Willow. Can you talk?”

“I’m just making some hot chocolate for us. What do you want to talk about?”

“Firstly, Summer Rose, now that Gina has left the country.”

“You can add Herb, Roy, Victor and Brent to the leavers. Like many lads of their age, they’re testing out their pick-up lines in big city nightspots. They have been talking about forming a new four-piece band, but not directly to me. We’re in the process of reorganising our property syndicate, so, in a nutshell, I think that Summer Rose, as it was, is no more. I’m laying down an album with Vivienne this Saturday, all her songs with me on the piano.”

“That means that we can’t organise a tour, then. What about something with you solo, and Vivienne if we think the album is commercial enough.”

“It’s commercial. We ran through it last Saturday and it sounds good. It will be her first time solo, so I’ll help her send the album to you. It should be with you before the end of next week.”

“That will be good. Then we can organise something. It will be much easier to fly you around without the others. Now, how is the studio at the moment?”

“We have made the changes I wanted, now I’m the sole owner. We have a licence from the council to operate as a commercial site. The big shed now has a good floor and is soundproofed. That side is managed by the local Arts Alliance with a mixture of school usage, which is free, and drama and dance groups, which are charged by the hour. The studio now has a team of three, all full-time employees, with Sarah in charge. They have spent two months practising with the equipment and I have full confidence in them. I was advised, just tonight, that we have a regular full week booked at the end of each month except December.”

“That’s fantastic. Do I talk to you or Sarah about booking time. What would the charge be for our stars?”

“If you’re recording to issue the product, it will be a thousand an hour, with a minimum of five hours. You already know what quality we can produce, and our visuals are as good as Frank and Dave. I’ve added a baby grand, and also a big blue screen so we can film with it. We’re doing an advert in a week. With the team being there full-time, they’ve studied the manuals and can do more than before.”

“That sounds excellent. We’re having a meeting over the weekend, to plan things for the year. I might get you to come to town for a meeting in February, to talk about what you can help with. You would be happy touring smaller venues, won’t you? Your solo album is going strong, and I know you can fill an evening with your earlier albums.”

“That would be nice. Without the huge stages, I could play more nights if it’s a more relaxed show. As a matter of interest, we don’t have a big orchestral event for this year, and my main project with the school is to turn the ‘Magic Laptop’ album into a full-length operetta by the end of June.”

“If you record it in the studio, I’ll see about getting it on the market. With the extra time, you have to have the internet baron in person.”

“Already spoken to Garry, the bass player of the old G-Force. The way he visualises the character will make your nickname for the album more relevant.”

“Look, Willow. It’s been good talking to you and catching up. You’ve given me enough to work on and I’m feeling positive about what we may do this year. Enjoy your chocolate. Goodnight.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025