Chapter 14
Back at home, that evening, Willow opened her laptop to find some emails. One was from Wilhelm, showing the balance of the SL Holdings account at just over a million after Jacob had been paid out.
He also told them that Jacob would not be returning to the school, as he was currently in a rehab clinic, having spent some days in hospital after Racheal found him in his barn, having OD’d on heroin. Anita was in another ward in the same clinic. He said that the prognosis for Jacob overcoming it was good, seeing how short his time with the drug was, but there would always be a possibility that he would return to it.
One was from Jill, telling them that they had been great with the interview, and that she had been asked to take the Messiah recording into Abbey Road to see if it could have the silences clipped to be a commercial issue, and that the school would be consulted if it was good. She also told them that no tours had been planned for the Christmas break, but that there were a few requests for interviews and promotional visits that were in the pipeline.
Another was from Peter, with the statement. The tour was broken into the three different venues, with takings and costs subtracted, then each venue taking ten percent of the box office. Copenhagen netted nine million, three hundred and fifteen thousand. Paris netted eighteen million, nine hundred and forty-five thousand, and Berlin had netted two million, three hundred and fifty thousand. That was a total of thirty million, six hundred thousand to be shared between the bands, giving each one of the seventeen a payout of just over one point eight million.
With the sales, ‘Journey’, ‘Carpentry’, ‘Homegrown’, and the new ‘Greenhouse’ had sold a total of eight hundred and five thousand albums, with the DVDs selling a total of six hundred and forty thousand copies. With the merchandise sales added, Summer Rose had earned six point three eight five million. After costs, which included flights and hotels, each of the band had another five hundred and seventy thousand. Willow’s share, this month, totalled just on two million and fifteen thousand, after management commission had been taken out. She replied to Peter, asking him to transfer two million into WR Holdings.
There was another from the label. This was to all Summer Rose, as well as Xavier, Frank and Dave, inviting them to a Christmas party, on the Saturday night after term finished, at the Dorchester Hotel. Everyone would be accommodated at the hotel, along with partners or parents, and the label was picking up the bill for it all. They just needed to get there and get home. It also told them that the ‘Journey’ album, and the DVD, had both reached the dizzy heights of Double Platinum. The ‘Homegrown’ DVD had also reached Platinum, and the album was only ten thousand shy of going Double Platinum, so they were going to award that with the expectation that it would pass the mark in the next two weeks. The awards will be made at the Dorchester, and the event will be ‘black tie’. It was signed by Clive, with a postscript that said that there would be other artists from the label on hand. She printed that one to show her parents. At this rate, they would have to get some more hanging hooks for the studio.
There was another from Wilhelm, timed after he would have read the one from Peter. It asked Peter to draw a line under this month, in Jacob’s case, and to divide future income ten ways, as Jacob now had enough to be sure of his future and pay for private tuition and guitar lessons. He pointed out that he would be administering Jacob’s affairs until he turned twenty-one. Willow did a quick mental calculation and thought that Jacob probably had over five million after this dividend and the payout from the syndicate.
Her computer showed an incoming email, and she looked at it. It was from Gina, and just said ‘All that money – Wow! All those awards – Double Wow! Can we organise ourselves to stay in the apartment for a few days after the event? Mum can follow your father down.’
Willow grinned as she answered. ‘Why not. We can Uber to the event with an overnight case and gowns in bags. I’m sure the label will put on a make-up artiste, although the hotel has a spa and hairdressing salon. We can get more from Jill before the event. If you want to stay for Christmas, you can do so. You won’t get the tan you got last year. I’m looking forward to seeing Dad in a bow tie and dress suit.’
She took the email to show her parents, who needed to look up what a ‘black tie’ event entailed. She also mentioned Maisie and Gina staying at the apartment over Christmas, and they discussed the possibility of them all spending some time there, depending on what holidays Ashley and Wendy would have.
Monday morning, it was back to school and a very busy week. The friends spoke about obtaining red-carpet quality dresses, and Gina said that her mother would be researching a good place to get them. They knew that long was usual, along with jewels. Neither girl had considered expensive jewellery before, as they really hadn’t been anywhere as celebrities.
At lunch, the main topic of conversation among the two bands was the influx of money. The consensus was that they had enough, between them, for a serious property, perhaps a small shopping centre. Willow stayed quiet as she had ideas of her own. She had decided to sit on her earnings until she could get something substantial that would be interesting to own.
That evening, she had an email from Ted, with an application form for applying for an on-line certificate course, and a basic entry paper with questions designed by a specialist to see what sort of person you are, mixed with questions about your knowledge of business and finance. There was also a form letter, for her to give to the Head, asking for a letter of confirmation of suitability, attitude, and scholastic achievements. She put that one in her bag for tomorrow. What she did see, was that there was a deadline of December the ninth, to apply for the course that began in February, so she had just on a week to get it in.
Tuesday morning, she knocked on the Head’s door. Sitting in front of the desk, she explained that she had met the Professor who taught at the University, who had told her that she should try for an on-line certificate course, which would give her a certain entry to an undergraduate course when she was able to attend. The Head looked through the letter, and told Willow that she would write her recommendation, email it and then send the hard copy to the address by registered post. She then commented on Jacob’s downfall, asking if Willow had seen any sign of his drug taking. Willow had to own up to Jacob getting very pushy and aggressive in Paris and then in Berlin. After the tour, she really hadn’t seen much of him at all.
That afternoon, Willow was given an early finish to go to the theatre to make sure things were good. She, and Mister Bamborough, checked out all the player’s seating, the score on the music stands, and anything that they thought was needed to look at. They worked together, as equals, to ensure that tonight would be a success. Willow told him about the recording going to Abbey Road to see if it could be made a commercial issue. He told her that he had listened to his CD, and that the music was perfect, and if they clipped the silences, it would be a great feather in their cap to have it joining their other discs for public sale.
He then told her something that he had been told by the Head.
“The Head and I, with our partners, have been invited to a party on the Saturday after we break up. It’s in London, and it’s hosted by the label. I haven’t worn a black tie since I got married. I wonder what it’s all about.”
“Has the school been getting good payments for the classical CD we made in Abbey Road?”
“Yes. It has been what has allowed us to work towards setting up the post-production suit to teach advanced courses.”
“Summer Rose has been invited to that party at the Dorchester. I’ve been told that we’ve achieved some more awards for our albums. May I suggest that the orchestral recording may have passed a half a million sales, and that the school is in line for a Gold Record.”
“Do you really think so? That would be a great honour. Of course, half the album is you and Gina, so they may be buying it for that.”
“We were there as orchestra members, not fly-in celebrities, so any award is the orchestra success.”
“I suppose you’re right. The reviews that I’ve read have all been positive about the quality of the whole orchestra. It will be an interesting evening.”
They took a break and went to the lunchroom for tea with the rest of the orchestra. After that, everyone went to the lockers and changerooms to change into the black outfits. Willow had left hers there yesterday, and her violin had been there since last week. She had the usual long skirt, but had brought a better blouse, with some sparkle, so that she stood out as the leader.
It seemed to work, because, as soon as she was on the stage, she was being asked questions. Most of the questions were due to first-night nerves, so she was able to keep the questioners calm. The Cathedral choir arrived, Margaret and Sandra arrived. Margaret was particularly excited to be singing to a paying audience again. Xavier and the assistants got busy, fitting microphones and testing the PA system.
Xavier went to his station beside the stage, where the new recording equipment was powered up and ready to go. Frank and Dave flitted around the stage, with their cameras, filming the orchestra settling for the show. The doors were opened, and they could hear the audience take their seats. For Willow, this had always been that time when you know why you spent hours in practise, the calm before the musical storm. Only, this time, the piece was more of a tempest.
They tuned up, and, at the allotted time, the curtains opened with the orchestra all seated, with them getting applause, which grew as they stood and the conductor led Willow to her seat as leader, before mounting the rostrum and acknowledging the audience. Silence fell as he turned and raised his baton
Two and a half hours later, there was a standing ovation after the final Amen. The soloists had been magnificent, the ‘Chorus’ had everyone on their feet to end the second part, with the sopranos in the choir climbing higher and higher. Mister Bamborough pointed to various players for recognition, finally going to Willow to get her to stand with him as the whole ensemble bowed before the curtain closed.
The gathering in the lunchroom was joyful. The Head basked in praise from the city dignitaries that had attended, the orchestra were hugged and kissed, Margaret and her friends were cornered by some press who had come just to hear them sing. Harold Withers, from Abbey Road, cornered Willow and Howard Bamborough to tell them that he had tidied up the recording he had been given by shaving the breaks, and the label would be in touch about issuing it. He had a notebook and was writing down all the names of the ensemble. Willow told him that it had been produced by Xavier, so he thanked her and went off to find ‘his protégé’.
The Vines had attended, with Sam saying that he wanted his daughters to learn more of the classics, especially after seeing such a professional performance. Willow found Gina, with her parents and Maisie, and they slid out of the room. Gina and Willow went to their lockers to get their school uniforms, and Willow retrieved her violin. They all went back to Stoneleigh in the company car.
Wednesday should have been anticlimactic, but the big event was the next day. The classes were getting towards revision time, so were easy enough to relax in. Lunch was a lot of hugs and congratulations from the other students who had experienced last night, many of the more faithful ones declaring that it was like being in church. That evening, Willow prepared her outfit for the performance in the Cathedral, opting for a different look, a long dress with three-quarter sleeves and black sequins around the neckline. She also polished her violin and treated the bow. Then, she sat quietly at her desk and filled in all the forms and the questionnaire. Scanning and emailing them to the university, before sealing them in an envelope and taking it down to her mother to post on Thursday, priority mail.
On Thursday morning, she had her garment bag, shoulder bag, and violin case when she got into the vehicle.
“Big show, tonight, Willow.”
“It is, Max. We did get it right on Tuesday, so we should be able to do well tonight. We’ll be filmed and recorded for this one, so you may get to see it on TV at Christmas.”
They picked Gina up, with her own garment bag. At the school, they hung them in their lockers and went to the classes. Lunch was full of expectations with the upcoming performance, with this particular opus creating a lot more interest among the students. Howard Bamborough went around the room, picking out all the orchestra members, saying kind words. None kinder than when he told every one of them that they had Friday off school, as the performance was paramount, but to be at the Cathedral by six on Friday night.
When he got to Willow, he told her to be at the school entrance after lunch, with her violin and outfit, as she would be joining him as leader, to supervise the setting up in the Cathedral. At the end of the lunch break, Gina gave her a hug.
“See you in church, friend leader.”
As the others headed for classrooms, Willow went to her locker to collect her things. When she got to the entry, the truck passed by, heading for the Cathedral. She didn’t have to wait long before she was joined by Miss Russell. Then Mister Bamborough pulled up in his car and they got in. At the Cathedral, there were already cars and vans with BBC-OB logos, and lines of cables were snaking towards the entrance.
Willow put her things in the Chapter House, noting two long tables with chairs, and then they worked to set out all the chairs and music stands. Tom was already there, with Sally, to set out the choir seats and put out the song books. Along with the BBC technicians, they made order out of the chaos. The orchestra were set out so that the conductor could see every one of them, the larger instruments were in place, the microphones for the soloists and choir were placed in position and tested. The cameras and boom microphones for the recording were set in place and checked.
When the rest of the orchestra and the school choir arrived in two coaches, they all sat down in the Chapter House for a light tea. Then they all took turns behind screens to get changed, with the girls lining up for the mirrors in the toilet. The soloists arrived, and they were followed by the Cathedral Choir.
The performance was to start at seven-thirty, the audience started to arrive, and the tension built. The Bishop came into the Chapter House and led everyone in a prayer and blessed the ensemble before going out to take his seat. Finally, it came to the moment when the show was about to commence.
The door to the Chapter House was opened, and the assembled choirs walked out in single file to take their places. The rest of the orchestra were led out by Willow, to take their own places. There was applause as they settled. Willow stood and oversaw the tuning, then sat down, only for the whole ensemble to rise as the soloists came out to take their places, with Margaret in her wheelchair getting some cries of encouragement. Then Howard Bamborough, resplendent in tails, came out and stood beside the rostrum to applause. He went up to his place, tapped his baton for quiet, and then raised it to commence the performance.
They had a short break after the first part, with drinks and comfort stops, then repeated the entrance for the second part. When they arrived at the Hallelujah Chorus, the audience were all on their feet, and Willow could see some singing, although she couldn’t hear them from the sound of the orchestra and the power of the choir.
For the third part, the entrance differed slightly, with the extra players walking on with them. Brent had been waiting for his time in the spotlight, and Nancy was ready with her trumpet. Willow realised just how many of the band were on stage tonight. With her and Gina, there were these two, Edward on French Horn, Herb, Roy, and Victor in the choir. The only ones missing were Vivienne and Bryan, and that was only because the piece didn’t have flute or saxophone in it.
The final, triumphant, movement was full of joy and power, and there was almost a collective indrawing of breath from the audience as the final Amen faded, before rapturous applause. The orchestra were allowed to leave early, while the adults stayed for an after-show chat. Willow picked up her bags, leaving her violin case with all the others, and went back to the school in the coach, where Maisie was there to take the two of them home.
She slept late on Friday and spent the day thinking about her developing plans for the future, as well as tinkering with ideas for another album. In the afternoon, she had an email from Ted, to tell her that the administrators had read her application, telling him that they were impressed with the knowledge of someone so young, and that the Head’s letter had sealed the deal. She would be getting a letter of confirmation, along with a parcel of her course notes and the schedule of submissions for marking. The course would be mainly Zoom lectures in the evenings, two a week, on Tuesday and Thursday nights, with them available as a download afterwards, should she be unable to be present.
Later on, she dressed for the performance, and Maisie picked her up. She was going tonight, and Willow’s parents were going on Saturday, so would take the two girls in. Friday night was a repeat of Thursday, with even louder applause at the end. Maisie took the two of them home, full of praise for the wonderful evening. She also told Willow that she would pick her up on Saturday morning, to go into Birmingham to a shop where the two of them could choose evening gowns for the Dorchester.
On Saturday morning, Wendy joined them, and they had a wonderful time buying very expensive, but beautiful gowns. When they had finally made their choices, they needed the perfect shoes to go with them, then the perfect jewels that matched the dresses. In every shop, they were treated like royalty and spent a small fortune. Willow and Gina used their company credit cards to pay for their, and their mother’s outfits.
In the afternoon, Willow wore a skirt and top for the performance, and the four of them had a meal in the steakhouse before going to the Cathedral. Today was different, as the OB vans had left, taking all their equipment with them, and the playing area was much easier to navigate. Gina and Willow went to the Chapter House as the rest of the ensemble arrived. The audience were better dressed, with many of the city dignitaries and local celebrities present. The Head was there, with her family, as well as several of the teachers.
By now, the ensemble were old hands at this, and there were no fears about the performance. As they entered, there was even some standing ovation, before they had played a note. Tonight was the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication, and they didn’t disappoint. As the final Amen faded, there was a standing ovation and they took several bows, with one of the Cathedral staff coming out with bunches of flowers for Margaret, Sally, and Willow. With the stage close to the level of the audience, tonight had them mingle, with the Head hugging everyone she could find.
It was a good hour before Willow could put her violin in its case and collect her bag. Gina joined her and they found Ashley and Wendy talking to Sam Vines and Mervyn, then taking their leave and going out to the car, where the truck was waiting to clear the Cathedral for the Sunday services. On the way home, the girls relaxed. After this, it was just revision time, the exams, and then the party in London. They had reached the end of the first term of their third year, and all was good.
On Sunday, it was Gina playing in the church, and they all went to the club afterwards. Reverend Russell had been at the school and the Saturday performances and raved on at how good they were, with Saturday even better. They had a quiet lunch, and then left for home. Willow sorted out her wardrobe to make space for her good dress to hang without creasing, then sat at her keyboard, working up tunes for some lyrics in her head. The album concept was a continuation of the story of ‘Journey’, after the wedding, with a lot of partying and some drug use. She didn’t have any titles, yet, but saved what she had done under a ‘Project next year’ file.
On Monday, she got an email from Jill, with just her and Gina on the receipt line. It told them that they would be flying to Sydney, Australia, on the twenty-seventh of December, with a couple of days there recording a TV show. The TV station will be broadcasting a two-hour show on New Year’s Eve, with the Berlin show taking up ninety minutes, and them talking about it and the formation of Summer Rose for the rest of the time.
They would be part of the local show before the big fireworks display on the Sydney Harbour, then flying home on the first of January. The outward flight would leave in the evening of the twenty-seventh, with a day in Dubai, and an overnight to Sydney. The flight back would be in the opposite direction, leaving in the late afternoon of the first. One companion was allowed, and the flights would be in first class.
She printed that one off and took it down for her parents to read. Ashley told Wendy that she would be the best one to go and look after her daughter, as Maisie would probably be with Gina.
Gina was really excited about the trip on Tuesday morning. At lunch, they went to talk to Jim, getting him to play the organ in the church after the school broke up, with them in London the next weekend and beyond. At lunch, Willow rang Jill to confirm that she was good for the flight, with Wendy and Maisie travelling with them. Jill told her that they would have their own hairdresser/dresser/make-up artist travelling with them so that they would look good, even after fourteen hours in a plane.
Willow also told Jill that the two of them would be staying at the apartments for the party, with them just bringing overnight bags to the Dorchester. She was told that the dresser was staying at the hotel to prepare them for the event.
That evening, Willow told her parents that Maisie would follow them down to London, on the Friday after school finished, and then they could stay in the apartments until the four of them took an Uber to the airport for the flight. Ashley could stay on or come home. If he came home, Maisie would drive them home when they returned.
Revision continued through the week, and Ashley went into Birmingham on Saturday, to get himself kitted out for a black-tie party. That evening, they all met at the club for dinner, and the two girls thought that they would be playing for a sing-along. However, when they saw the stage, there was a big TV set up, with the PA amp plugged into it.
Marianne Gregory © 2025