Chapter 4

Willow finished making the drinks, put the three mugs on a tray with some biscuits and took them through to the sitting room, where her parents were watching the late-night news bulletin. She had a text on her phone as she was carrying it in, so sat and read it. It was from the estate agent, telling her that they could inspect the property at two-thirty on Sunday afternoon. She replied with a confirmation.

“What was the call, love?”

“Jill. Sounding me out about what’s been going on. She wants me in London for a meeting, sometime over the next few weeks. She wonders if she can get enough interest for me to do a solo tour at smaller places. My album seems to be selling well. The text was the estate agent letting us know we can see the house on Sunday afternoon.”

She had her drink and went off to bed, laying in the dark with her furry friends and thinking hard about the operetta.

Next morning, Sebastian drove her in. She asked him what sort of car she should be getting for the studio to ferry clients around.

“Something classy, reliable, and easy to maintain. You’ll need to get it from a dealer close to the studio, in case you need something done. Good air conditioning, plenty of comfort and room, and an in-car phone. I think, from my travels, that the nearest ones to the studio are an Audi and a BMW showroom. The Mercedes and Lexus showrooms are in the city area, a little way north.”

“That’s an awful lot of information off the top of your head.”

“We drive a lot of different vehicles in this job. The only reason you’re not in something flash, right now, is because it would attract attention.”

“On Sunday, I want to make a statement. Would it be possible for you to pick me and my parents up, about two?”

“How much of a statement?”

“We’re going to look at a big house, and I want it to look like my father is the buyer. He is being groomed to run for election next time, and it’s a house that would be suitable for an MP to live in. If possible, I would also like you to look at the security aspect of it.”

“Happy to be of help, Willow. We have a nice BMW Seven Series that would do. I can get it from work and take my wife out in it. She does like it when I have a flash car over the weekend. Of course, it will cost, and I’ll take you to school in it on Monday.”

“Add it to my account, Sebastian. The place we’re looking at is over two and a half million.”

That lunchtime, Garry came and sat with them at the table.

“I spoke to the gym teacher, and they’ve given me permission to spend the PE period with you on Fridays, as long as I do other training at another time. Have you any more information?’

“Not yet, Garry. We will discuss it today, and probably the next couple of weeks, and that should give us a good idea of the final plot, the cast, and the songs we need. They may not end up as the songs off the album, seeing that we’re going to make some fundamental changes.”

“Fair enough. Are you happy with that, Vivienne?”

“Oh, yes, Garry. Just adding your character as a real person will change things. I’ve wondered if I over-populated the album, and we should drop back from five questees to four, or even three. It would allow us to explore the characters more, without adding a lot of different scenes.”

They went into the classroom, where Mister Jamieson was waiting for them.

“Are you joining us, Garry?”

“I am, sir. I have a pass from PE so that I can help out. A lot of teachers are very keen to see what we produce.”

“I know. The common room is alive with conjecture. Sit yourself down and don’t be afraid to speak up. Are we getting any more, Willow?”

“Not at the moment, sir. We’ll need to get some extra musicians but will have to have written the score before that happens.”

“What about actors?”

“Vivienne floated an idea, at lunch, about dropping a couple of characters off. If we did that, the cast would consist of just six; two girls and four boys. We have the two girls and one boy already, we just need two who fail, and the one who wins. The winner would have to be something of a talented comedian, like the one in the ‘Magic Flute’.”

“That’s pushing the show towards a farce.”

“Not that far, sir. I was thinking of more like school-age romp. The father is going to be played by Garry, as a madman. A rich madman, maybe, but he’ll be playing a bit like Gilbert and Sullivan. The daughter could be a vacuous late teen, only interested in clothes and fun. The two losing men could be made up as a bit older, act as if they both are certain that they would win, with the daughter certain to help them. The other female is, as in the album, an old flame, who believes that she has the inside track.”

“What about the winner?”

“I see him as shy, but talented. Everyone can remember that song in the ‘Flute’ about Papageno. I’m think that the winner should stammer, with almost everything he says as a double entendre, like playground humour. On the album, he gains a big following, and used magic as his claim to fame. He turns the following into money by getting real work. We could allude to his magic, with the back-screen projection of ‘him’ doing tricks.”

“Example, please.”

“OK. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bumbling. Dic, dic, dic, dic, dictionary. He could be called cu, cu, cu, cu, Cuthbert.”

There was giggling in the classroom and Mister Jamieson smiled.

“That does sound like a plan. What do others think?”

There was a bit of discussion, but nobody could come up with an alternative. Mister Jamieson went to the board and took his marker.

“All right. Time for some structure.”

He wrote ‘Act One’ on the board and looked at Willow.

“Curtain opens with daughter on a sofa, buffing her nails. She sings about how hard her life is and how much of a tyrant her father is. She declares that once she comes of age, she’s out of there. Father comes into room and declares that he’s put a plan into place to have her married off. He outlines his plan to have men to take up a quest to win her hand. They argue, in song, and she calls him a beast. He tells her that none of the contestants will be left empty handed, as he would give all of them a car – batteries not included.”

He wrote all of it down as the class were laughing.

“Anything else?”

“Perhaps he could introduce the competitors so we can get that out of the way.”

“All right, Act two.”

“The daughter is in the park. We could film an actual park and reverse project it onto the back screen. She meets all four of the competitors, who are waiting for her. We could sort out the order later. Then the intermission.”

“Act three?”

“The two men crash and burn; the ex-friend finds that previous knowledge does not lead to winning.”

“Act four?”

“Clown is shown building his fan base, and then gets booked for a tour. He presents that to the father, who has to declare that he won. Clown and daughter do a duet, like the Papageno one, then the full cast come on to sing a rousing finale, declaring that true love wins out, and manipulation never works.”

“What do you think, Vivienne?”

“Works for me. Close to the album but neater. I can see the final scene in my mind, but not hear it yet.”

“That’s what the next few weeks are meant to tease out. You have a basis, now. It may not be the final show, but I could see it as it was explained. Well done, Madam Director!”

There were some smiles and hi-fives.

“Anyone have anything else that they want to submit. No? Then you can spend the rest of the session discussing the song content and deciding on the names. They should be a parody, but not so close as to cause offence.”

He sat back and listened to them. Vivienne wanted the main characters to have three syllable names to make it easier to write the songs. Garry insisted that the father should be called Ego, and they could get a supply of caps that read, ‘President Ego’, or ‘Ego has always been Great’. The daughter became Tanita, the clown was a short discussion, ending up as Cu, Cu, Cu, Cuthbert, the Con, Con, Con, Conjurer.

When they walked out of the class, laughing and coming up with off-the-wall suggestions, he decided that the Head didn’t need to know what more was coming her way until they had put more meat on it. They were already about a month ahead of every other class that had been given this task.

Vivienne told Willow that she would see her in the morning and went to her ride home. Willow couldn’t help it; she was still looking around to see if Gina was there but shook her head and went to join Sebastian in a deep red BMW.

At home, she put the school uniform in for the laundry, had a shower and redressed casually. She got one of the bags that she usually sent CDs to Jill in. She addressed it to Jill at the label and put it in her bag for the next day. She started preparing dinner, allowing herself to relax as she sliced and diced.

She told her parents about the change in transport for Sunday afternoon. After dinner and tidying up, she went to her room to start thinking about songs for the operetta. She made notes and then got ready for bed.

In the morning, she had one of her better dresses on, in case she was included in the vision during the recording, and was waiting, with her bag, when Juliette arrived with Vivienne and one of her sisters in the car. Willow got in the back with Vivienne, and they went to Leicester in a light drizzle. When they arrived, she directed Juliette to drive into the long shed so they could stay dry. The door to the studio was open, so they went in to find Josh dusting the pictures and awards.

In the control room, Sarah was wiping the mixing board. Everything was ready, so Willow and Vivienne made ready in the studio. Sarah had erected the blue screen behind the piano, which was set so the full keyboard was visible to the nearest camera. There were also three cameras on tripods, plugged into jack plugs in the floor. Willow sat at the piano and Vivienne stood in front of a new microphone, with a screen that you would sing into. Josh and Sydney adjusted the cameras so that the two would be fully visible.

When they had played a sound check, the studio was left to them. To show a natural look, they didn’t use buds, so had Sarah’s voice from the speakers. When they heard her tell them it was good to go, they were in their places and Willow played the intro to the first song that they had chosen.

They worked through all the songs in the order that they had practised and ended with Willow standing and the two of them bowing to an imaginary audience, breaking into giggles when Sarah told them that it was all good.

After a trip to the toilets, they sat in the rest area with drinks and talking to Juliette. The sister had stayed in the control room to watch what was happening. She came out and sat with them as a big-screen TV came on. It was attached to the mezzanine rails, with a speaker either side.

What appeared on screen took Willow’s breath away. The two of them were shown, waiting to start playing, and it looked as if they were on a stage in a nightclub, with curtains behind them. As the first song progressed, she looked for any ‘feathering’ of their outlines as the different camera views showed close-ups. Then, she realised that there was an authentic background sound of glass clinking and muted conversation. Viv had asked for it to sound like they were performing in a smoky dive, and that’s what it looked, and sounded like.

The vision faded after the last song and Sarah came into the room, a grin on her face.

“Did we hit the brief?”

Viv’s answer was to hug her, and then hug Willow.

“That is fantastic! I think that you’ve mastered blue screen work. What do you think, Willow?”

“I think that Sarah is a genius, along with the rest of the team. That was a masterclass in recording. Are you happy with that with the background noise, Viv?”

“I am over the moon with it. I said I wanted it to sound like a smoky dive and you can’t go past that. Do you think the label will issue it, just as a DVD?”

“I guarantee that they will. Keep the CD to play to yourself, but just send the DVD to Jill. I’ve got an addressed bag I usually use, so you can put it in a case, with the details, and the label will add the opening requirements and the credits at the end. If you send it by priority on Monday, I expect that it will be in the shops at the end of the month. What do you want to call it?”

“I took a liking to the ‘Joie de Viv’, but it should now be ‘Joie de Viv at Summer Love’. What did you think of it, Mum?”

“If I hadn’t seen you in there, with my own eyes, I would have sworn that it was recorded live, in a club. It’s absolutely beautiful. How much do we owe you, Willow?”

“You owe me nothing, Juliette. My studio, my gift to a friend. When you write the info sheet, make sure that you list Sarah as the producer and Sydney and Josh as the camera and post-production operators. That way, if there’s any awards, they’ll all get one. This new set-up is good, Sarah.”

“That’s all down to Josh. He’s been making that sort of difference all over the site. The Alliance ladies now have a screen in the office where they can keep an eye on what’s happening in the shed. You may not have noticed, but we have ten security cameras around the site, feeding into a computer up there on the mezzanine, with enough memory to save four days of vision. It can be monitored on our phones. After the talk last week, we’ve been spending some of your money. Josh wants to know if you want Audi or BMW, as they’re both pretty close to here.”

“I had a ride in a Seven Series BMW yesterday, and it was wonderful. If that’s what you get, ask them to email me with the invoice and I’ll buy them on my business account, which owns this site.”

Sydney put her head into the room.

“How many and what do you want?”

“I’ll have a dozen of the DVDs, as we just watched it, and a dozen CDs without the background noise, please.”

“Give us ten minutes.”

Willow said that there was something she wanted to talk to Sarah about and they went over to the office.

“I really appreciate your work in here, Sarah. You and the team are making real improvements that only being here can highlight. Now, if you create an invoice for today, at the correct rate, I’ll pay it into the account tonight. It was work for you and should add to the turnover. Are you all feeling better about things, knowing that you have future bookings?”

“We are. We’re starting to see what your vision was, and how we can make it happen. The article was in the paper this week, with a good write-up, and I’ve quoted about fifty hours of studio time to various bands since then. I think that our trouble was that we didn’t believe in ourselves until you showed us how much you believed in us. I, for one, feel a lot surer of myself.”

She turned her computer on and created the invoice, in Willow’s name as for recording a DVD for Vivienne Armstrong. Then she gave it to Willow, who checked that it had the banking details on, with an invoice number as reference. Willow put it in her bag.

“No mention of this to Viv. I’m certain she’ll be back in a few months for her follow-up album. Now, when we go back, I’ll tell the others that I’m being driven home after some business talk. I want you to show me how you managed to find the extra sounds so I can talk about them to likely customers later. I also want to have a quick look at what sort of backgrounds you can put on the blue screen. Also, if Josh is able, I’d like us to talk turkey to the car dealer before I go home. Lastly, I would like three copies of that DVD for myself to send to absent friends.”

“All doable, Willow. It’s odd, but I got the best feeling today, seeing the look on Vivienne’s face. It’s not just recording somebody; it’s allowing them to release their talent. We’re just the connection between dreams and reality. I know that she’s been on stage many times, but seeing her shine as a solo singer was a joy.”

After hugs and cheek kisses, the three Armstrong’s left the site. Sarah showed Willow the buttons that had never been explored with Xavier, which linked to a computer that could search the internet for sound, especially libraries of sound effects and background noises, and adding them to one of the sliders. Sydney showed Willow a similar set of controls which linked to more pictures than could be comprehended.

“I sat here for a day, scrolling through the offerings, and writing a list of the ones I may need to use. Given a half an hour, I can find something to suit whatever the customer wants. Not only still pictures, but film as well. You wouldn’t have noticed, but the curtains behind you were moving in a breeze. We could put a treadmill down and film someone from the knees up, looking like they’re strolling along a beach, with waves beside them, as they sing. Or, if they’re doing an advert, talking to the camera.”

“I’ve seen adverts like that. All they make me want to do is leave the room for a pee.”

Willow waited while the three DVDs were produced, and the team locked up. Josh drove them to the restaurant for lunch. After that, they stopped at the BMW dealer and looked at cars. Once the manager had been assured that Willow was who she said she was, it all went smoothly. They chose two Series Five Long-wheel-base sedans as the easiest to use, and Willow used her company card to place a deposit on them, with the remainder to be paid by bank transfer on delivery. They left Josh’s car at the dealership, and he drove her home in a loan car, with the other two in the back.

The team had a drink at her home, and then they all went to the Saturday evening at the club, a very new experience for them. Willow pulled out the PA and a keyboard, and, after the meal, sang for a couple of hours. She sang some of the old, some of her new, and even some of Vivienne’s songs. By the time the team drove away, they had been welcomed by the village and knew that there was a safe place for them. Wendy had watched her daughter sing and knew that she was back to normal.

On Sunday, Willow paid for the recording session, and they went over to the church to listen to Jim playing. Willow thought that he was really becoming a first-class church organist. After lunch in the club, they went home to wait for Sebastian to pick them up.

When they went out to get in the car, Wendy declared that it was a beautiful ride, but over the top. Ashley was ushered into the front, with the girls in the spacious rear seat. Willow explained that it was to create an image of a future MP and his family, and that Sebastian will give them a security assessment when they head back home. She told him the address, which he put into the GPS, and they were off.

It wasn’t that far, as the crow flies, but needed a short run down the A46 to pick up the Birmingham Road outside Warwick and turning left in Chadwick End, making the driving distance just on twelve miles. It would be a straightforward ride for her father going to work.

When they arrived at the house, the agent was waiting for them and Willow could see the smile on his face as Sebastian pulled up, and then got out to open the back door for Wendy. Ashley got out and opened the other side for Willow to get out, closing the door with a rich-sounding thunk.

“Good afternoon, Mister and Mrs. Rose. Welcome to this delightful property.”

He waxed lyrical as Willow stood with Sebastian. The grounds were described, the friendly village gushed over, and then he led the way to the house. On the face of it, the façade was just a larger Georgian home, but it had been drastically renovated at the back. To Willow, it was great, as it had the extra bedrooms and bathrooms, meaning she could have one of each to herself. If her grandmother did come to live, she would be able to stay in the house.

Willow and Sebastian stayed by the car as her parents were shown the annex over the garages which the agent said could be used as a self-contained office. Sebastian leaned against the car.

“What do you think of the house, Willow?”

“I like it. Hopefully there’s an easier way to get to Coventry other than via Warwick, but it’s nice. What about the security?”

“Not a problem. You could install electric gates with a button in the cars and a control pad in the house with intercom to a speaker. Security cameras are a must but easy enough to install. What do you think of the car?”

“It’s great, although a bit large for the studio use.”

“The Five LWB is smaller but no less luxurious.”

“I know, the dealer in Leicester loaned us one yesterday, after we bought two of them.”

He looked hard at her and then started laughing.

“You made up your mind after the ride home on Friday?”

“Pretty much, although the dealer isn’t far from the studio. It was either that or Audi. We had just laid down an album for Viv, who was the flutist in the band. I played the piano to her singing, and the team produced the most magnificent DVD. I felt good so thought it was time.”

She pulled a copy out of her bag.

“Have a look, tonight, and give it back to me in the morning. I’m keen to get a second opinion.”

He took it and slid it into the door pocket.

“Will do. My wife was wondering about the others in the band after your solo album.”

“We’re in the process of dismantling the old band, and the future will tell what’s in store. I can see me, Viv, and Nancy doing something together, with Bryan and Edward, but the electric part are off doing their own thing. We’ve done the big stadium rock and made a lot of money. Now would be a good time to do something more adult. Good heavens, I’m sixteen this year, and it’s time I grew up!”

They were still laughing when the others emerged from the annex. The agent shook hands with Ashley and went back to his car, while her parents joined them.

“What a wonderful house, even better than the pictures. We told him that we would discuss it with our bank manager and let him know. You two look happy.”

“We were just talking about Willow growing up, Mrs. Rose. I’m almost scared to see that happen, considering what she’s like now.”

“Exactly, Sebastian. Have you any thoughts on the property?”

“Nothing bad, just extra security at the gate and monitored cameras. Nothing drastic or unsightly. How was the annex?”

“Really good. Enough rooms for us to have separate offices, with a kitchen and bathroom. The internet is, we were told, a very high-speed connection. The vendor will leave the place with all the furnishings, which will save us the cost of removals. If we pull our own personal things from Stoneleigh, we could be moved in inside a week. What’s your thoughts, Willow.”

“I like it. It would be a lovely environment to write songs in. My only concern is the trip to Coventry and to Dad’s work, for as long as he goes there. There has to be an election in the next two years, and he may need to take leave to campaign, unless he retires now and starts getting out and about early.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025