Chapter 10

They went downstairs, knocking on Ted’s door on the way. They were seated at their table by six, and Hugh gave Carlo his credit card for all the meal costs. They were talking about general things when Hazel asked Willow a question.

“How’s the campaign going, Willow?”

“Dad’s been to the office a few times and spoken to them. We spent a morning with the guys at the head office in Whitehall and surprised them when they were showing us around Parliament. Chris Leigh spoke to us and hosted us for lunch in the Lords Dining Room.”

Hugh looked up, surprised.

“You know the Baron well enough to call him by his Christian name?”

“It’s a bit convoluted, Hugh. My great, great, grandfather was the brother of the Third Baroness, Marie. When the Third Baron died, childless, the title went to Chris’ side of the family. So, we’re almost relatives, but once removed at the time. He’s now a Lord.”

“So, why were you at Whitehall?”

“My father has been accepted as the candidate for Kenilworth, to replace the retiring member. We were given a list of party donors, and I saw that both you and Sam are on it. We were waiting until the election looks likely before canvassing those on the list.”

“What is your father’s place in your career, Willow?”

“He’s the managing director of WR Holdings, the company we set up to handle my affairs. It is the company that owns the shares in our property dealings, as well as the owner of the recording studio. He’s on the board of the Stoneleigh Club, which has been a huge place in the development of my entertaining career, as well as the careers of all of Summer Rose.”

“When we met on that coach to the studio, he said that he was working at Aston Martin as a design engineer, right.”

“He is. They have offered to allow him leave without pay to campaign. Hazel offered to handle the publicity, but I think that the electorate office will have something to say about that.”

“Look, I’d like you to set up a meeting for us. Perhaps at your house, next Saturday morning?”

“Can do. Give me a private email address and I’ll talk to him tomorrow and email you the address and time. Will that suit you?”

He took out a business card and wrote the address on the back.

“Make it for six of us. Sam will come along, and there are four others who aren’t on that list who donate through me. They would all like to meet you and your parents before things get hectic.”

“I’ll phone him tonight and alert him. Thank you, Hugh.”

They spoke no more about it, or the deal that had been put to the girls, and enjoyed the meal, with Hugh picking up the bill and getting a receipt for his business expenses. Back in the apartment, Willow phoned home and told her parents to prepare for a high-powered meeting next week, and to make sure that the wines were better than usual.

She sat with Vivienne and they both had a small glass of wine from the previously opened bottle.

“Interesting day all round, Viv.”

“It certainly was. Almost every part of it threw up something amazing. Peter will be happy with both of us earning an extra sixty thousand over summer. The big VivWillow package is risky, but you don’t know if you don’t try?”

“VivWillow. Now that’s something else. Once again, I’m number two, but WillVivienne or Rose Summer doesn’t have that easy sound.”

“Are you going to watch that DVD from the club?”

“After being there, I don’t think so. I’ll get my parents to look at it and see what happens. Our heavy rock ones made my Dad randy, and our latest ones made my Mum horny. I loaned them to Sebastian, and he was walking funny the next day.”

“That explains something. My parents watched the two of them while I was practising on the piano, and they were nowhere to be seen when I went to bed. They’re normally up late.”

“I was told that if there’s a baby boom after Christmas, we’re to blame. It would be funny if there’s a huge number of Willows and Viviennes going to school in five years.”

“Changing the subject. What did you do for your birthday?”

“The three of us went to the restaurant down the road. After the pressure of losing my grandfather and getting my grandmother settled in a home, we didn’t feel like throwing a party. Besides, we had a couple of real humdingers in the past, and sixteen is just about adult. How about you?”

“We had a party, but it was more for Mum to show off the house to all the relatives. I ended up in my room, with some cousins, talking about places I’ve been and boys I’ve met.”

“We’re a right couple of old fogies, aren’t we.”

On Sunday morning, they had breakfast with the other couples and went for a walk around the area, with Willow taking Vivienne into the Senate Library to look at books on Viv’s interest, botanical paintings. They had a late lunch at Gaucho, and then rang the other syndicate members about the offer on Small Heath.

Nancy, Bryan, and Edward were all happy to go along with what Willow and Vivienne decided. Willow had quite a talk with Gina. She ended up agreeing to the sale, as the others had agreed. The limo picked them up and Willow was home a little after six.

“Interesting weekend, love?”

“It was, Mum. The meeting at the label had more than one outcome. Number one was that we’re still doing the tour, which the label was thinking of cancelling.”

“Why on earth would they cancel the tour?”

“The top brass were worried about our reputation as lily-white innocent girls. I’ve got the DVDs of our show here, if you want to watch. It’s on two discs of more than three hours each. If my memory is right, the second one is the funniest, after a lot of the audience got drunk.”

“Anything that I should worry about?”

“Just make sure the way up to your bedroom is clear, it has a lot of the songs from those two albums, oddly appropriate in the setting.”

“Alright. What else happened?”

“The client is paying us an extra ten thousand, each week of the tour, and will be supplying security. And the label is thinking seriously about packaging this double DVD with the DVDs of both albums as a limited run special, well, special for them.”

“What about this meeting next week?”

“There will be Sam Vines and Hugh, who you met on the coach to the studio. Hugh is bringing four of his friends who, he says, donate through him. They want to sit down with us and talk about the campaign.”

“That’s serious. Anything else?”

“Hugh has offered seven point two for the Small Heath property. He’s bought Sam Vine’s business and will be using all that unused office space to set up his headquarters. All of the syndicate have verbally agreed, which will just leave us with the shopping centre between the ten of us.”

“Didn’t you pay under five for Small Heath?”

“We did. He says that the extra covers increased property values, a bonus for the convenience it gives him, and a bonus that I earned with the first presentation I did last year in my course. Which, of course, I can’t talk about. That reminds me, I need to send him the confirmation and our address. Is Dad happy with the meeting?”

“Look, I don’t know. He’s been very quiet lately. It may be the enormity of what he’s going to do. Don’t get me wrong. He’s not backing out, just getting himself into thinking like a budding politician. Did you eat in town?”

“We had a late lunch at Gaucho, so I’m not hungry. I think I’ll go and send that email and unpack.”

On Monday morning, she was having breakfast when her mother came down.

“Dad not up yet?”

“Not this morning, love, but more than once last night. That show was in two parts: you two playing music and the audience doing striptease. We didn’t get anywhere near the credits.”

After lunch, Willow and the ensemble were given lesson notes for the ones that they would miss in the afternoon, and they gathered in the theatre to set everything up for the final dress rehearsal. For Willow, the main difference was that she would have her back to the audience as she conducted. When they had set the stage, erected the backscreen, and set out the orchestra below the stage, she got them all to gather round as she sat on the edge of the stage.

“Look, you’ve all done very well with this project. This week we have three performances to paying public. In one of the audiences will be a large contingent from the ENO. Vivienne and I had a meeting with them on Saturday, in London. They will be talking to the Head about buying the intellectual property from the school and taking our show to their theatre in London. They did talk about retaining some of the cast.”

There was gasps and talk. She waved for calm.

“The lads who developed the back projection impressed them enough to want to buy the details. I won’t ask you how you got such a crisp picture on a hanging screen, but they want to use it themselves. Everyone here will be compensated. I don’t know how much, but I do know that the Head will negotiate fiercely.”

“You bet I will!”

Willow turned her head to see the Head on the stage beside her.

“I came here to wish you all luck and was lucky to be in time to hear your little speech, Willow. The ENO have called, today, requesting a serious meeting when they’re here for the performance. They did suggest that money was concerned, and I’m happy that you’ve been able to give me an advanced warning. Were you going to tell me?”

“I only know the aims, ma-am, not the details. I expected them to talk to you directly. We, as the ones putting on the performance, are not privy to the detail, except that we were told that their performance is wanted to be the one available on the market. That means that we don’t need to film ours. You already have the one done in the studio as a historical item. The only other certainty is that it will be listed as developed from the album that Summer Rose put out.”

“Are you ready to start?”

“We just need to change. Give us half an hour, please.”

“I’ll round up some audience for you while you’re doing that. Curtain up in thirty minutes, chop, chop!”

They had the rehearsal and locker rooms to change in, and when Willow led the orchestra out, there was applause from the entire school, now seated and filling the theatre. The orchestra went to their places, with smiles, and then Willow stood on the podium with her baton, as the tuning was completed, hoping that the cast had seen what was going on. They would have heard the applause.

She looked over the players and tapped her baton before raising it. Then they were into the overture. They did the show without long breaks, and, two hours later, after some laughter and giggles, the school erupted with applause as the finale thundered to an end. Willow gestured for the orchestra to stand as the cast lined up across the stage, then turned to take her own bow.

The Head went up in stage, microphone in hand.

“Teachers and students of Blue Coat School. You have just witnessed something new. This has been the very first time that the fourth-year Music Studies end of term project has been completed and shown to us. I’ve brought you all out of normal classes to witness what can be done with talent, hard work, and imagination. Also, because you all deserve to see your school at the height of success. I will be talking to the English National Opera this week, and I believe that this show will be performed, by them, in London. We have had our students perform in many places over the years, but this is the first original operetta and also the first to be taken up by a national body.”

There was applause and she waited.

“My thanks go out to all those who have put this together. The cast, the back-room technicians, the orchestra and, of course, the indomitable Willow Rose.”

There was more applause and cheering.

“There is one other reason that I got you here, and that is that the three performances are sold out, and anyone not already booked will miss out on the experience. Thank you.”

The audience started filing out, and the ensemble went off to change. The Head took Willow aside.

“A little bird has told me that your father will be running in the next election.”

“Yes. He’s been chosen to run for Kenilworth.”

“Hopefully, it will be called after you finish fifth form, but, if it’s earlier, make sure it doesn’t distract you from your studies. These things have a habit of taking over your life. At least he’s not coming from behind but has only to convince the electorate that he’s a good replacement.”

“All noted. I think it’s started to get to him about how serious it could be.”

“He’s a good man. I like him. He should do well as long as there are no drastic events. You know, the sort that the papers love.”

“We’ll try to keep it on track. Thank you for your thoughts.”

That evening, after dinner, Willow was tidying the kitchen, Wendy was checking the garden to see that the gardening service had done a good job, and Ashley was sitting with a cup of coffee in front of him.

“Dad. Can we talk?”

“About what, love?”

“About you going all quiet and moody. You’ve got us both worried about you.”

“It’s nothing bad, love, just me having some fears that I’ll disappoint everybody if I lose at the election.”

“Nobody will blame you, Dad, especially us. You have a reputation among those who know you as a good man. This meeting on Saturday is with two people who have met you and four that we don’t know, yet. Hugh said that they were all secret donors. That could only be because they are either recluses or have public positions where donating could be seen as undue influence. This will be more of a pep talk than an interrogation, I’m sure of it.”

“Do you think so?”

“I’m certain, Dad. Now, please talk to Mum about your worries. It doesn’t do you any good to be sitting around all morose. Are the guys at work giving you a hard time?”

“Yes, they all think that I’ll lose.”

“Is it that they think you’ll lose, or that they want you to lose? With your connections, you stand a better chance of replacing the sitting member than almost anyone in the area. We don’t know who will be running against you, so you’re only fighting yourself.”

“I suppose you’re right. I have been a bit of a sourpuss lately, questioning my own worth. I just have to remember that I’m a Cambridge graduate, a good design engineer, married to the most beautiful woman in the world and father to a teenage megastar who can see things that ordinary mortals miss. That DVD at the club was a bit over the top, wasn’t it?”

“That’s not over the top for them. They do that once a month. It’s just that we’ve never experienced it before and it seems strange, just like standing for election. Do it once, Dad, and you’ll be eager to get out into the hustings next time.”

“All right, I’ll pull myself together. It’s the pressure of the guys at work that’s getting to me.”

“See what’s discussed on Saturday and start planning on not having to put up with the guys from work. Remember one very important thing, Dad. You are the managing director of WR Holdings. The company has a ten percent stake in a twenty-five-million-pound shopping centre. It owns a Coventry industrial site, it owns an emerging recording studio, it has one-sixth of a large industrial site in Small Heath, which it bought for under five million and has been offered seven point two for by one of the donors who’s coming to see you on Saturday. On top of that, it’s sitting on a bank balance of around sixteen million. You don’t like going to work, well, tell work to stick it and give yourself a salary from the company.”

“But it’s your money, love, that has come from your album sales and hard work. I can’t be seen sponging off my daughter!”

“If it was a couple of thousand and you took half, that would be sponging. It’s now a big company that needs someone at the helm to keep afloat. Since Wilhelm bailed out, I’ve done nothing to expand, just hoarding the money. It needs someone who can look at things in a professional designers way to see what we can do next. Who knows, there may be something more that comes from Saturday. Please think about it.”

“When you put it that way, love, it makes sense. Nothing will be done without approval of the board if we go that way. I’ll try to be the husband and father you all know. Thank you for telling me things that I should have already known.”

Over the next few days, his attitude returned to his normal self, and he had news for them on Wednesday, at dinner, which he had taken them to the Punchbowl for.

“I had a call from the estate agent today. Someone has made an offer on the Stoneleigh house. It appears that the village has attractions for buyers. A cosy church with a strong congregation, a Village Club with a good reputation within walking distance, and a good community vibe has had several who want to live there. He told me that he has had other offers, but has held off telling us, in case we just took the first one. He thinks that we’ve reached a point where we can’t expect more, so I told him to follow through and get the sale finalised.”

“That’s lovely, darling. We paid seven-ten for it, and, thanks to Willow, own it outright. How much are they paying?”

“One point one million, my love. One point one million.”

There were squeals and hugs which brought the owner to their table to ask about the noise. When he was told that they had sold their old house, he brought out a bottle of champagne ‘on the house’ and they had a toast, with the bubbly liquid making Willow’s tongue tingle.

On Thursday, the orchestra fitted the new concerto into a group of other popular classics, and Mister Howard thanked them all for an interesting and productive term. The following week was revision, and the next, until the last day of the term, was exams.

Thursday evening, the operetta opened to a full house and was greeted with laughter and applause. In the interval, many bought the boxes of conjuring tricks and baseball caps with ‘Ego is Always Great’ on them, that Garry, Willow and Vivienne had specially made for the show. All could afford a donation to the school, and this was a fun way of doing just that.

Friday night was another success, with some of the ENO in the audience, along with Clive and Jill. There was a lot of talk and laughter afterwards, in the lunchroom, and the Head told Willow that the performance had sealed a deal that had been thrashed out during the afternoon, that had been dependant on the show proving its worth.

Saturday morning, the family were up and at breakfast early, then going for showers and dressing well for visitors. It was a nice day, and there was now a large table on the back patio, big enough to seat a dozen, with a six metre by three metre gazebo erected to give it some shade. The bifold doors to the kitchen had been pulled back so that drinks and nibbles were easily served. There was a range of good wines in the fridge, and more in the one in the garage, along with beer. Wendy had brought home a range of cakes and biscuits, as well as enough meat and veg to serve them all, should any want to stay for lunch.

Just before ten, Vivienne arrived, with her limo service dropping her off. She had asked Willow about some practise on the weekend and had volunteered to help when told more about the meeting. At five past, three cars came up the drive and parked. Ashley and Wendy went out to greet their visitors, while the girls made sure that everything out the back was ready. The visitors were guided around the side of the house to the patio and asked if they wanted anything to drink. The girls poured glasses of wine for some, with one only wanting water and two wanting beer ‘if it’s cold’.

As they were getting the drinks, there was some talk. Vivienne glanced outside.

“Now that’s what I call a house party!”

Willow nodded.

“Sam and Hugh were expected, but I didn’t expect to see six millionaires in our back garden.”

They carried the drinks out and served the guests and then Wendy and Ashley. One of the guests smiled.

“Thank you, ladies. I have this feeling that I’ve seen you both, before, but can’t place it.”

Hugh laughed.

“Think about your teenage daughter, Jeff. I expect that you may have caught a glimpse of these girls on one of their DVDs. We’re at the home of Ashley and Wendy Rose, and the one who served you is Willow Rose. The other is Vivienne Armstrong, who has just had a top ten album with Willow playing piano for her.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, girls. I don’t follow the current music, more into the classics. My wife and I have tickets to a new operetta tonight, that Hugh has generously given us. I believe that all six of us are going, with our families.”

Willow grinned.

“I would say that I’d see you there, sir, but I spend the whole performance with my back to the audience. You will see Viv, though, as she’s the leading lady. We’ll get back inside and leave you to your discussion.”

The girls went inside and spoke quietly, watching for Wendy’s signals for more drink or food. From what they could hear, the talk was mainly about Ashley and his thoughts on a range of topics that he may be faced with during, and hopefully after, the campaign. From what Willow could tell, these men all had big businesses in the Midlands, and beyond, and were making sure that they weren’t backing a radical firebrand. Ashley would be just one of the candidates that they would back, as they were keen to see a return to a more business-orientated government. If not now, but into the future.

Later on, as the serious part had run its course, the girls were invited to sit at the table and were asked about their singing career and scholastic intentions. As the talk eased, one of the men asked the big question.

“Ashley. If the election was called on Monday, are you prepared to spend all day, every day, campaigning. Will you give up your job to do it?”

Ashley looked him in the eyes.

“Yes, sir, I will. If you had asked me this time last week, I would have hesitated, but my daughter gave me a reality check during the week, which has crystallised my thinking. I think that I could be a good member for this electorate and am willing to serve the party in whatever endeavour they think necessary.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 2

They all hugged and hi-fived. They had a project, and it had enough different facets to use all the skills that the class contained. For the rest of the afternoon, they talked about it. Vivienne went to the board and wrote up the basic album plotline and the song titles, explaining how they fitted into the story.

Some of the class volunteered to come back next week with some ideas on extra dialogue, while Willow and Vivienne said that they would think about extra songs, and how they could alter the existing ones to be more operatic.

When they had all left, Mister Jamieson sat back and smiled. This particular group had been the brightest one he had taught, even before Willow had joined it. He stood and gathered his papers and went off to let the Head know that there was something else coming their way that the school had never done before.

On the way out, Willow told Vivienne that she had organised a minibus in the morning, picking up at around ten at the Britannia to go to the studio. Vivienne wanted to come along, having not been anywhere near the studio since their orchestra session. On the drive home, Willow phoned Wilhelm to warn him that there would be a minibus at the studio in the morning.

She sat back in the car seat and sighed.

“I could get used to this comfort. The old people mover was a bit harsh.”

“You will, Willow, when you’re being driven around from party to party.”

“Not me, Sebastian. I’m no party girl. It’s over a year before I can start learning to drive, I wonder if I could get a discount from where Dad works?”

“He’s at Aston Martin. I’m sure that if you ask nicely, they’ll lend you one to promote the brand.”

“Ha! That reminded me of something that our manager spoke to Dad about, way back. He spoke about ‘Brand Willow’ as if I was a box of cornflakes.”

“It’s quite likely that somewhere, in a head office, someone is wondering if you’ll be the face of their brand.”

“I can just see that now. Eat your Acme Prunes and sit like Willow Rose.”

He pulled up outside her house.

“See you in the morning, Miss Prune.”

“See you, Sebastian.”

She went in and changed, then started preparing dinner. As she sliced and diced, she thought about how her day had lifted her out of her doldrums. She thought about the opera. The album started with her, as Tatiana, bemoaning the quest that her father had put on his website. What the stage show would need would be an opening scene with her and the father, where he lays down the law. She wondered if it should be a totally sung part.

When her parents came home, they cooked the dinner and relaxed in front of the TV. Willow was so bored; she said goodnight and went upstairs to prepare for bed. It may be a big day in the morning.

She woke, feeling better than she had felt for a while. There was a weak sun, and it hadn’t snowed for several days. She showered and made ready for the day, picking out a smart skirt suit that she had picked up in London. She had a light breakfast with her parents, and they all prepared to be picked up. They all looked good when Sebastian pulled up. Locking up, they went out, Willow with a bag with the Gold Records in.

At the Britannia, there was more than expected waiting. Willow got out to say hello to her guests. Terry Savage, her lecturer, had Hugh Kelly with him. Then there was Derek Coward, the chairman of ENO, with Norman Strong, his producer. Vivienne was standing a little way apart and Willow beckoned her over.

“Gentlemen, this is Vivienne Armstrong, she plays the flute in Summer Rose.”

They all exchanged greetings and boarded the minibus. Willow was last in and picked up the microphone as Sebastian pulled away.

“Good morning. The two that you haven’t been formally introduced to yet are my parents, Ashley and Wendy Rose. The gentlemen who have joined us are Terry Savage, the lecturer of the uni course I took last year. His companion today is Mister Hugh Kelly, who gave me those other three items, Dad. Then we have Derek Coward, the chairman of the English National Opera, with his producer, Norman Strong. Vivienne has joined us for this visit and our driver is Sebastian, my regular security to and from school.”

She waited as nods were exchanged.

“We’re going to Leicester, where the Summer Love Studio is located. I have a Gold Record, which I will be presenting to Sarah Wilkinson, as the mixing board operator on my latest album. It’s really for the team there, but they only name the operator. The other two there are Josh Hamilton and Sydney Morris. For your information, Vivienne is the other main composer in Summer Rose, having contributed most of our ‘Magic Laptop’ album.”

Norman laughed.

“Now, that’s something I would like to talk about. That was almost an opera. It was, of course, a take on the ‘Magic Flute’, set in modern times.”

Vivienne smiled.

“It was, and started life as a single song that was a bit of a mash-up of the whole story. Willow pointed out the obvious, and that was that it could be expanded into a full album. Actually, we have just started to work on expanding it into a two-hour operetta for a school project, to be put on the stage there at the end of June.”

“That’s interesting. I’d certainly like to see that.”

“If you keep an eye on our school website, Mister Strong, you’ll see when tickets are being released.”

Terry looked at Ashley.

“Mister Rose, I believe that you work at Aston Martin as a design engineer.”

“I do. I think we use the seats supplied by Mister Kelly.”

Hugh laughed.

“Let’s put all this Mister stuff away this morning. I’m Hugh and this is Terry. I’ve been a client of the University of London for some years, picking the brains of their brightest. Not many as bright as your daughter, Ashley. We do have a subsidiary that provide first class seating for expensive motor cars, among other things we do. I was at the Albert Hall, Norman, when your artists joined the Blue Coat Orchestra, led by Willow, in the ‘Messiah’. It was a superlative experience. I believe that you performed ‘Creation’ before the summer, Willow.”

“We did, Hugh. Three nights in the Coventry Cathedral, filmed for the BBC. We recorded both oratorio at our studio, the biggest group we’ve ever had to record.”

She went and sat next to Vivienne as there was general talk. Viv leaned close.

“This is a high-powered bunch today.”

“Yes. Terry is here to see the project that I used as an example during the course, Hugh is a surprise. The other two were in the school to speak to the Head, probably about another collaboration.”

When Sebastian pulled into the parking area, he stopped where the shed used to be, now marked out as ‘Coach Only’ parking. Willow went to the front.

“We’ll have a quick look at the newer bits of the site first. This used to be a distribution centre, and our tenant is now a tenant of our band property in Small Heath. If you’ll like to get out, I’ll show you around.”

When they were standing in front of the vehicle, she pointed out the offices.

“Upstairs is the nerve centre of the band property portfolio, as well as the operation of the studio, and the ground floor is the new home for the Leicester Arts Alliance. They are involved with all the schools and dramatic groups in the city. If you come over to this door, you can have a look at one of the changes that we’ve made. She opened the door and the sound of loud dance music hit their ears. They all had a look in to see a dance group practising a stage show. She shut the door, cutting off the sound.

“As you can hear, we’ve soundproofed what used to be an industrial site, along with laying a laminate floor suitable for dance or drama. Now, if you follow me, I’ll take you to the studio proper. Sebastian, if they turn up, there should be a reporter and photographer arriving soon. Can you bring them through, please.”

They followed her into the long shed, where some more cars were parked in marked spaces.

“This used to be used for pallet racks and a forklift workshop. What you see, in front of you, used to be a cold store for vegetables. The walls were eighteen inches thick with expanded foam.”

They went through the open door, and into the rest area, where Josh was talking to some people.

“Good morning, Josh, how are you this morning?”

“Extra good seeing you, Willow. These are my parents and my two sisters. I’ve just been showing them the wonder wall. I’ve made some changes; I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s where you work Josh, all good unless you have a wall of nude calendars.”

Introductions were made, and he showed Willow and Vivienne what he had done.

“I’ve been looking at the saved files in the system, and they’re fabulous. I’ve moved the awards around a bit, putting them higher and lower, so that there’s space for photos that I’ve printed off from the visual files. There’s one from every session, so far, and plenty of room for more.”

Willow called Norman over.

“Here are pictures of the school orchestra recording ‘Messiah’ and ‘Creation.’ The first had around forty players and the same number of singers.”

She spoke to Josh’s sisters, who had albums to sign, happy that two of the band were here and happy to talk. Sebastian came in with two other men.

“Willow, this is Jeff and Bernie, from the local paper. They were wondering about so many cars and so little noise.”

“Thanks, Sebastian. Gentlemen, if you all follow me, we can get to something of a surprise.”

She led them through the control room, and into the studio, where the team had set up tables and chairs and had laid out crisps and biscuits. Sarah saw them come in and came over to Willow and gave her a hug.

“Thank you for this, Willow. My folks have been getting on to me about this mysterious place where I work. I’ve a bit to talk to you about, afterwards, so don’t rush off.”

“Don’t intend to, Sarah. I’ve brought along a couple of gentlemen who wanted to have a look at the place. One pair is, I think, only for interest, but the others are the chairman and producer for the English National Opera. There are two from the local paper here, so, I’ll get to the good bit of my visit first. Can you call for quiet and for everyone to gather, I’ll get introduced around after.”

Sarah called out for everyone to gather around. The newsmen stood near Willow. When there was quiet, Willow could speak normally.

“For those of you who have never been here before. This is the Summer Love Studio, specially built in an old cold store after Summer Rose bought this site. The whole site has gone from a distribution centre to be an arts centre. What used to be the assembly building is now, at this moment, being used as a dance studio, but can be used for drama or music practise. This room has seen the recording of several hit records before Sarah, Sydney, and Josh came on board. Since then, they have recorded some groups from the Blue Coat School, and an album that I recorded here, back in November. That album was called ‘A Girl has to have Standards’ and has sold very well.”

There was some polite applause.

“So well, that I was presented with a Gold Record before Christmas. Josh, here is another one for the wall.”

She pulled it out of her bag and passed it to Josh, noting that Sydney had her hand on his arm as they looked at it.

“On that same evening, they gave me another to bring along, today.”

She pulled the other one out.

“This one has the inscription, ‘For passing five hundred thousand sales, this is awarded to the producer of ‘A Girl has to have Standards’, Sarah Wilkinson.”

There were cheers and applause. Willow presented the award to Sarah, and they stood for the photos, firstly by the newspaper, and then by a lot of family members with their phones. When it eased, Willow called for quiet.

“Although that award has Sarah’s name on it, as far as I’m concerned, it was a team effort. I expect to be coming back in a month or two with the Platinum versions to go on the wall. Now, you now know that I’m Willow, and this young lady beside me is Vivienne, who plays flute in Summer Rose. The last time we were here, together, we were part of the Blue Coat Orchestra. Now, I’m parched, are there drinks?’

There was a long period where family members got selfies with the two of them, Ashley and Wendy getting to know the team, and the newsmen getting pictures and taking notes. Willow took them out and let them look into the other shed, where the dancers were still working hard. She took them into the Arts Alliance office and introduced them to the ladies, who had met them before.

Going back into the studio, she caught up with her four guests.

“Sorry to have abandoned you, gentlemen. There is a bit more I need to show you.”

She took them to the bottom of the studio, slid the door back and opened the other one to show them the storeroom and the entry from the lane.

“You may have wondered how we got the amps and the Steinway in. I suppose we could get a car in here. The climate is controlled by a reverse-cycle unit, and you can set it to a temperature of your choice. If you need the dimensions, the studio is thirty-seven feet across, and the whole structure was a hundred and ten feet long before we made the changes. Does anyone have any questions?”

Derek laughed.

“Just the one. What do you charge?”

“We have started charging from the beginning of the month. For professional bands, it’s a thousand pounds an hour, with a minimum of five hours. If you’re looking at an extended time, say a week of eight-hour days, we can bring it back to five hundred an hour. As you can see, it’s state-of-the-art. Josh and Sydney can show you our visual system. There are twelve cameras, and you can choose an overview, and then replace it with other views as you like, so ending up with a file that’s already edited and synchronised with the audio file, allowing you to pump out CDs or DVDs within fifteen minutes of finishing the session.”

“That’s better than we have when we’re at Abbey Road. Cheaper, too.”

“So far, the main output has been Summer Rose, G-Force, and the old Hikers. Plus, my solo album. That will, I hope, be added to as we attract other bands. One thing you would have noticed, is the sound suppression. We could crank up the amps in here and you could whisper to each other in the car park.”

“Yes, that practise area was a shock when you opened the door.”

“Does it come up to the project, Terry?’

“That and more. You can earn a million a year out of this and only have the wages and outgoings. You wouldn’t have been thinking of this when you originally bought the site.”

“No. It was just a hide-away for the band, but the others have lost interest. We now have a site in Small Heath, and a shopping centre in Manchester. They will bring in a tidy wage for years to come. Have you seen what you came to see?”

“Not until we’ve been shown the audio and visual equipment, coming, Derek?”

She stood there with Terry and Hugh. Hugh had a wry smile.

“You never fail to impress, Willow. I had imagined a typical small band area when I looked at the papers Terry showed me. This is magnificent. I see that you have a blue screen, have you used it yet?”

“Not yet. It’s there if anyone wants to record something in front of it, and then add the picture to look like they’re not inside. I suppose it could be used to film an advert. All the cameras can be taken off the brackets and used manually.”

“What are we doing for lunch, Willow.”

“There’s a fish and chip and pizza shop close by. What do you have in mind, Hugh?”

“If all the family members have left, I would like to host you and the team somewhere nice. This has been a really good experience.”

“All right. I know that Sarah wants to talk to me. Let’s shut this door and go and see if they’re ready to go home.”

When they got back to the control room area, any family members were in the rest area, taking selfies with the awards, Josh having added the two new ones to the selection. Willow asked Josh if he would like to join her and the guests for lunch after the studio was closed. Then she went back to the control room, where Sarah was explaining the mixing board to Terry and Sydney was outputting a DVD for Norman. She saw Willow.

“This is a composite of today, Willow. We had all the cameras and a few microphones on, with the system switching through them at twenty-second intervals. I think these gentlemen are impressed.”

“If you’ve done, Hugh is taking us all to lunch. Have you found a good restaurant in town?”

“Josh took me to a place for New Year’s Eve, it’s pretty swish.”

“That will be good. Hugh likes swish. If the three of you squeeze into the minibus, you can guide us there.”

They waited until all the family members had left, all smiling happily, and then Sarah went through the studio, checking that everything was secured, and that there was nobody still in the toilets. They went back to the minibus and were guided to the good restaurant, where they had a big table set up for them and all enjoyed a good lunch.

When they had finished, Sarah still hadn’t had the talk she wanted. She said that she would take them home if Viv wanted to stay as well. Willow raised her voice and told the table that she and Sarah had business to talk about, and that Sebastian would take the others home with Sarah driving her and Vivienne later. Hugh made the comment that business talk always came first if it’s your business. He thanked her and the team for the inspection and the experience.

“One of my subsidiaries needs to record adverts for TV. They are prepared to pay for a full day. The studio is as modern as it could be, you can show them the result while they wipe the sweat off. I’ll get them to contact you, Sarah, to book. All they need is a small band.”

Willow grinned.

“A four-piece electric or more classical, Hugh?”

“Electric would be good.”

“A singer or just the music?”

“Singer. Do you have anything in mind?”

“If you record on a weekend, I can get you a totally unknown, but very talented, group of twelve-year-olds. They are from the school and the main two are twins called Petunia and Ivy Vines.”

“Sam Vines’ girls?”

“Yes, do you know him.”

“I’ve been trying to buy him out for years and put the business in a purpose-built factory. Now, the beggar has moved into one in Small Heath. Wait! Is he one of your tenants?”

“I couldn’t possibly comment, Hugh.”

“Let me guess, the tenant here is now sharing the site with him.”

“My lips are sealed, Hugh.”

“If you can get them, Sarah, let them know who’s making the advert, and tell them that I’ll be here to oversee the session. Sam will be here with them, I’ll bet. That way we can have a very quiet conversation in a room that doesn’t need a ‘cone of silence’.”

Sebastian drove them all back to the studio, and the five got out, with calls of thanks and ‘see you again’. Sarah led the way up to the upper office and they all had comfort stops and Josh put a kettle on. They sat at the big table, and Willow looked at Sarah.

“What do you want to talk about, Sarah?”

“The money, Willow. With the flats, we’re being paid too much, for starters. We’re all getting some more from the school when we teach. The thing is that we’re underworked here.”

“That’s not going to last long, team. I thought that I may be underpaying you. You got the invoice and receipt books from the accountant?”

“Yes.”

“You now have the EFT unit linked to a bank account that I set up last year?”

“Yes.”

“How much work do you think we generated today? Any idea?”

“Did we?”

“I would expect that Hugh would be sending regular work here, if only as a cover for him to be on site in a soundproof room with people he wants to talk to. He is a multi-millionaire, possibly even a billionaire, so he’ll pay the thousand an hour without blinking, and he’ll pay on the day. The two from the ENO are very interested. If they do book, I expect that it would be the full week, if not longer. They put on several shows a year, working up to three years in advance. Doing a show here, with an orchestra, will test you to the full. It will mean that they can spend a week, in secret, make changes on the fly, and have an in-house supplied record of what they’ve achieved. When word gets out that there’s Gold and Platinum awards on the walls, there’ll be a queue of bands wanting to record. It’s early days, and the real work starts now. Up until now, you’ve been learning and settling in. Ask me in six months if you want less money.”

“If you’re happy, Willow. I thought that we needed to say it.”

“Look, the three of you were virtual unknowns in the recording game. You now have a Gold Record, and your picture will be in the local paper next week, no doubt with a story about the site. That, linked to my name, will have the phone ringing off the hook. This time next year, I expect that you’ll need to take down some of the old awards to make way for the new ones. Now, sometime in June, I’ll be booking a full day to record an operetta that we’ll be writing for the school. Viv, do you have anything in mind?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, Willow, I have a stack of songs that I had been writing before we went hard rock. I listened to your album and wondered if I was good enough to put a solo out. I’d need an accompanist. That Steinway looks good.”

“If they’re full of happiness, you could call it ‘Joie de Viv. If you want to work through them, we could make a booking now for a full day, my treat.”

“Could we?”

“Of course we could. Back yourself, Viv. I’ll play for you as an anonymous pianist. You can send me the basic songs by email, and I’ll add piano at home and email it back, as usual.”

“All right. Can we do next Saturday, Sarah. I’ll get my Mum to drive us and pick you up about nine, Willow.”

“Is there any particular sound, or atmosphere you want to get?”

“I liked the sound of yours. It was if you were in a smoky dive in Paris.”

“We can do smoky dives, can’t we, Sarah?”

“You bet we can. As well as singing next to rolling waves, under a flightpath, sitting on a toilet seat in a railway station. I’ve had a good read of the instruction manual. Do you want to sound as if you’re singing to penguins on an ice flow, I’m your girl. Look, you two. I feel so much better about what we’re doing. You’ve seemed to be overgenerous up to now, but I see that you have a total grasp at what the business is about.”

“All I ask is that you record Sydney reciting poetry in front of that blue screen and the add a background of your choice. We can look at it when we see you next Saturday. Are you, or the happy couple driving us home?”

Sydney snorted.

“That obvious, was it?”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

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

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

Chapter 5

Sebastian smiled.

“I live between here and Coventry, in Balsall. You can continue up the Birmingham Road to Knowle, and then through Temple Balsall to Balsall and into Coventry. Getting to Aston Martin just means getting down to where we started on the Birmingham Road and getting on the M40 to Gayden. That’s probably less than twenty miles from here.”

“Thank you for that, Sebastian. It’s not that much further than my trips now. Shall we head for home, or is there anything else we can do?”

“I know a bit about this area. Lapworth is basically a dormitory suburb, with the railway station. It’s about two hours to get to London, but the only one in the morning is about half past six. The closest pub is on the Old Warwick Road.”

“That sounds good. Take us there and we’ll stop for a drink and look at this brochure the agent gave me.”

They got into the car and were driven to Station Lane and then south, past a lot of houses, the railway station, more houses and the turned left on the Old Warwick Road. They crossed a waterway and Sebastian turned into the car park of the ‘Navigation Inn’. When they went inside, they were in an old building where the black beams on the outside wall were real. They ordered drinks and went to sit in the snug. Sebastian imparted more information.

“The water that we passed over is the Grand Canal. It runs between London and Birmingham. It’s an attractive trip with a narrowboat, and a lot of people live in them full time. There are over a hundred locks on the journey, so getting off and managing the gates would keep you fit. We did cross the canal on Rising Lane, just before we got to the house.”

Ashley was thinking hard.

“Darling. If I do run in the election, would it change us?”

“No more than having a pop star for a daughter, love. If you stay at work for a year, then we can see what happens then. You do need to talk to Malcolm and his friends, to find out how serious they are, and if living here would make any difference. Willow was right when she said that this house would suit us better if you did stand. It has a certain elegance, combined with a lot of modern improvements. If Willow stays at school to the end of fifth year, she’ll only be there until summer, next year. With that course she took, she can do a degree course without needing to go for her ‘A’ levels. She can live in London for that. We could live there if you’re in the House.”

“We’ll have to think about it a bit more. I just feel so bad about having my teenage daughter buy a house for us. It seems so odd.”

“Why odd, Dad. I’ve been lucky in that I was able to make music and make money. You bought the house at Stoneleigh as a base for our life at the time. If we’re moving on, then we need a base for the future. I’ve got the studio ticking over, with a good team in place, and the music seems to be at a crossroads. Without Gina, I’m no further away from the other band members than where we live now. Without Jacob to pick up, I’m Sebastian’s only passenger, so nothing is affected there. With those two rooms in the annex, you could set up a state-of-the-art office for each of you, with the latest computers and connections. I say, talk to Malcolm tonight, talk to both your employers tomorrow, and we can have a family conference in the week. You never know, it could be an answer that pleases everyone.”

“All right. Thank you for your help today, Sebastian. Can we get home from here?”

“This road meets the Birmingham Road, not far from the Warwick intersection.”

They finished their drinks and were driven home. When Willow got out, she told Sebastian that she would see him in the morning. In the house, the family relaxed. Later on, they walked to the club. Ashley asked Malcolm if they could have a talk, coming back to their table with the news that Rising Lane was still inside the electoral boundary which included Stoneleigh. The electorate office was in Stratford upon Avon, with the sitting member retiring at the next election. He had been told that if he was willing to stand, there would be a meeting in that office on the last Saturday of the month. The party was expecting that the current government may not last the full term, so getting a replacement candidate was paramount.

“If we move, and sell the place here, I could fund my run. It would be different, seeing that I’ve always worked for a boss.”

“There’ll be no difference, Dad. You would be working for the cabinet, or the shadow cabinet, unless you get to be PM, and then you’ll be working for the whole country.”

“That’s highly unlikely!”

“Your teenage daughter being in the charts for close to two years was unlikely, Dad. Becoming PM is merely an aspiration. You’re already on the rungs, ever since you graduated from Cambridge. Remember what I told you before, you have friends in high places already.”

When they got home, Willow put one DVD in a parcel to Gina, and addressed another parcel to her grandmother, asking Wendy if there was anything she wanted to add before they were sealed. Then she took a copy into the sitting room.

“This is what was recorded yesterday. It may not look it, but it was all done inside the studio, using a lot of tricks that Xavier hadn’t found. The songs are all Vivienne’s, and I hope that it will be in the post to Jill tomorrow.”

They got comfortable and she started the DVD. When the set finished, Wendy gave her a hug.

“That was amazing, love, that team are well worth it. Do you think the same as I do?”

“Yes Mum, Viv will be visiting the studio in a month or two to present an award to each member of the team, as long as the label promotes her properly.”

“That will be more advertising for the studio, which could mean more work.”

“It could do. That reminds me, I need to email Sarah. I’ll go to bed, so I’ll be ready for school in the morning. Goodnight.”

She put the DVD in the parcel and went up to her room to turn on her laptop. She emailed Sarah, asking her if she could source a dozen free-standing boards, six feet wide, by ten feet high, and get them painted blue on one side, the same as the blue screen. She explained that the ENO might find them handy when setting up their performance practise, and that the Blue Coat would also use them when they came in to record their operetta, as they would serve as stage wings.

When she was in bed, she thought about her two laptops. Over the next week, she would set up the silver one as her business machine, with all the property and financial details, now that the studio was getting serious. She would start from the first of the month and enter up all the movements on the bank account.

In the morning, Sebastian gave her back the DVD.

“That was unbelievable, Willow. When it’s on the market, it will be added to my collection. Enjoy the ride, we’ll be back to the normal car when I take you home.”

School was normal, except for lunch when Vivienne gave her a big hug, followed by Nancy, who had seen the DVD. Willow told them that she had seen how the vision and the background sounds had been generated, and how big the libraries of both were.

On Wednesday evening, she had a phone call from Jill.

“Willow, I have just watched you and Vivienne with a fantastic show, where did you go for that?”

“That was all in the studio, Jill. I was shown how many variations of sound and vision can be added to the session. It took Saturday morning in front of the blue screen.”

“So, if we send you a band, you can put them almost anywhere without us needing to send them out on location?”

“Yes, we can. There are literally thousands of views and sounds. You want to have them look like they’re on a beach, with vision and sound, we can do it. You want to have them looking like they’re in a warzone, it’s all there.”

“All right. When you come to see us, we’ll have a schedule for you, with names and contact details, and the dates we want them in the studio. You can give us a figure and we’ll give you a cheque. Middle of the year, we have another meeting for the second half.”

“That will be good. Just remember that we’re booked for the last full week of every month.”

“Got it. Can you get down on the last Saturday of the month?”

“Can do. I’ll get my mother to drive me down and we’ll stay at the apartment.”

On Thursday, they did some more orchestral pieces. Without a big performance to aspire to, Willow had the feeling that the players were just winging it. On Friday, they expanded on the first act, with the bones of the first song or two added. On Saturday, Willow sat at her desk with the silver laptop, creating a spreadsheet of income and expenditure for the studio and big shed. The first column was all the numbers up to the first of January, and then she had fifty-two columns for the current year. The total in the first column was a gigantic minus.

On Sunday morning, instead of church, the family had a meeting. They discussed the pros and cons of moving, with the main pros being more room. The biggest con was the distance to the club, but it was pointed out that Willow wasn’t needed there every week, now that it was getting regular patronage. Malcom had told Ashley that having a club member as the local MP would be far better for the village, even if they had moved. Having somewhere that her mother could live was a big plus for Wendy.

Both her parents had spoken to their employers. Wendy’s was happy to have her working from home, as everything she was doing was computer work, so could be completed over an internet connection, with any hard copy sent to her by courier. Ashley’s was less happy about the idea but was reasonable about him taking leave without pay to campaign, once the election had been called. Any other electorate work would have to be carried out on weekends before that. When he didn’t win, they said that he could go back to full-time. Most of his managers thought that a snowball had a better chance of surviving in hell if the current government continued without a drastic crisis.

The next week, Ashley contacted the agent and made an offer. On Friday evening, Wendy and Willow went into London. On the Saturday, Ashley drove into Stratford for his meeting.

In London, Wendy and Willow had breakfast with the other two couples and then took a taxi to the label offices, where they were ushered into a boardroom. Clive and Jill were there, along with a few others who looked like other A&R men. Willow was told that her solo album was closing in on Platinum, and that Viv’s DVD would be on the market on the Monday. She was quizzed about the studio, it’s size, it’s mixing and visual systems, and her team, with the other A&R men needing to be assured. Jill was able to verify everything that was said.

As the meeting drew to a close, Willow was asked if she had another album on the way, but her own songs this time. She told them that she had been busy but would look at it. She was given a letter, on label letterhead, booking the studio for the second full week of every month, up to June, with a request that the same week for the rest of the year be reserved, including December. With it was a cheque for a hundred thousand pounds, for the five months, given to her by Clive.

“We’re block booking the studio and will be sending acts up on a Monday morning, to stay in the local hotel. Can you arrange pick-up?”

“We now have two cars and a people mover, so can do that, as long as we’re told how many, and where from.”

“Here’s a list of the first week. A couple are solo singers, and there’s a band. The band will want to record an album, with studio vision for a DVD, and will play for the singers, who will need blue screen. You met all of them in the Dorchester over the last couple of years. If everyone’s happy before the week is finished, they can do something else or come home.”

“If past experience is anything to go by, they’ll complete what they came for. The size and atmosphere in the studio seems to allow you to do things right.”

Back at the apartment, she opened her silver laptop and entered up the dates on a calendar. Then she rang Sarah, with the sound of a band in her ear when it was picked up.

“Summer Love Studio, Sydney speaking.”

“Sydney, it’s Willow. It sounds like that you have a band in.”

The sound faded.

“That’s better. Yes, we have the Vines in here again. They’ve been working on a tune for Hugh. We did his advert last week, with him and Mister Vines spending a lot of time in the rest room, and he’s back again with another company of his. They’re very thorough, and do several takes before they’re satisfied, but do go away with smiles. What can I do for you?”

“Can you get Sarah’s booking diary, I’ve just had a meeting with my label, and they’ve given me some dates.”

“Hold on a sec.”

“Right, got it. What do you have for us?”

“My label wants to block book the second full week of every month to June, with a reservation for the same week to the end of the year. They’ve given me a cheque, which I’ll get banked into the studio account next week.”

She named the band and the two singers for February.

“Wow! That will be great, I love those guys.”

“You’ll be notified of where they’re staying, and will need transport to and from the studio, so the vehicles will get a workout. Be prepared for a lot of blue screen work. Did you get the boards?”

“Yes. We’ve had a play with them and the screen, and they give us enough space to film a full band. It’s handy the floor is blue as well; the builders must have foreseen this sort of requirement. Josh has been experimenting with the floor looking like a beach, and the background looking like waves.”

“Have you had any more bookings?”

“Monday, we have the BMW dealer bringing a car in, with a local actor to wax lyrical. They have their own backing tape already, as well as their own camera operators. Should be fun.”

“It will be about time that you got that extra help with cleaning and driving.”

“We have talked about it. I haven’t moved in with Josh, but one of Sarah’s sisters is keen, and would stay with her if you OK the move.”

“I’m happy if you all want extra help. It looks like you’re going to have a busy life.”

“And an interesting one with those singers in the place. Thanks for ringing with the news, I’ll pass it on to Sarah when she has a minute.”

“How did the ENO work out?”

“Now, that was interesting to watch. We had an orchestra of twenty, with a dozen singers. They spent three days trying out different things with the opera, and then we set up the screens across the studio, with the orchestra in front of the window, to film it as if they were on stage, using the wooden screens as wings. They were very happy by lunch on Friday and took us out for a meal. We must have used up about fifty CDs and DVDs before they had a good take. We’ll have to order in a bulk supply if this is the way things are going to be.”

“You get whatever you need, Sydney. I’ll let you get back to things. See you.”

Willow and her mother went shopping in the afternoon, looking for some good, but useful, dresses and outfits, suitable for the family of a candidate. On Sunday, they took some of their purchases back to Stoneleigh. On the way, Wendy mused.

“When we first moved up from Bristol, our house was the best one that we’d ever lived in. It was modern and spacious after the one you grew up in. Now, we’re looking at possibly moving into a home that seems like a palace. I suppose that we’ll get used to it, but I’m sure that we’ll feel as if we’re guests.”

“I like the long driveway and the grounds, Mum. I want to make sure that there are places where I can sit, during the nice weather, and think about songs. Those first ones that took us from being a cover band to one with originals were written on the bench outside the church. Nothing was said about tour dates yesterday, but they do think that I’d be in smaller venues, which suits that type of song. If I get good sales, it’s ten times better for me than last year’s income, so I only need one or two albums a year to be very well off.”

“You’re very well off now.”

“I know, but there’s a whole life ahead of me. I spoke to you about wanting to manage my time for myself. That’s still on. There’s money there for Dad if he runs for election, and that would change things for both of us if he won. You would have a country retreat and the apartment in London. Next time I spend more than a few days there, I’ll move all my things into number four.”

“Do you still plan a degree course?”

“I think so. I learned so much from the certificate course, it’s helped me as I’ve set up the studio, and to be brave with purchases. The whole site owes me about three million on paper but has now started earning. The cheque I have to bank, and the bookings that are already certain, will return over four hundred thousand this year, with salaries costing about a hundred and eighty. The way that we’ve got adverts to make, with one day each at five thousand, we could turn over another hundred thousand just working a day a week.”

“So, you would have covered your outlay inside three to four years! That’s impressive.”

When they arrived home, Ashley smiled and told them that he was the new candidate for the Kenilworth constituency and had met with several of the movers and shakers of the electorate office, as well as the retiring member. He would need to be in London on the next weekend for a meeting at Party HQ. They decided that they would go down on Friday night and return on Sunday evening. Willow gave her father the cheque, asking him to bank it in the WR Holdings account on Monday, then went up and transferred the amount from the WR account to the Summer Love Studio account.

On Monday, when her father arrived home, he told her that the offer on Rising Lane had been accepted. She transferred the deposit amount from WR Holdings to his account, so he could set the purchase into motion. On Tuesday, there was another statement from Peter. Her share of the income from band sales had dropped to just on three hundred thousand, but her income from the solo album, after all costs, came in at one point seven, with the numbers showing that it would hit Platinum in this week.

The orchestra session had something new to try out. Dianne and Barbara had written a score for the overture of the operetta, using snippets of the bits of tunes that they had been talking about. Friday, they continued to work on expanding the songs. The meetings in the park had the suiters stating that the girl had to be theirs, and that she must have a say in things. Her song was short and sweet, saying ‘the quest is the quest, and the question has been asked by my father. He is the one you must woo.’ Their answering songs both included, ‘this wooing suddenly seems like work!’

When she was leaving the class, she put her phone off silent and saw she had a text from Sarah.

‘Nxt wks band short on bass. Canuhelp?’

She called to Garry, who was walking in front of her.

“Garry, would you like to earn some money next week? We have a band and two well-known singers in the studio next week, and I’ve just had a message that the band is a bass man down. It may be all week but may be just a few days to get them out of trouble. Can you adjust your classes to take a few days off?”

“Who are the artists?”

“The band is ‘Toxic Rocks’. The singers are Lee James and Cliff Jenson. Lee did four seasons as the Phantom in the West End, and Cliff won the TV talent show a couple of years ago. I’ve met them all at the end-of-year award parties. They’re all good guys.”

He looked hard at her.

“They want me to play with that band and those singers. They’ve been in the charts for years. It would be a privilege. I’ll speak to the Head before I leave, so she can get me the class notes for what I miss. This is a chance too good to lose out on.”

She got a business card out of her bag with the studio details and Sarah’s number as producer. She handed it to him.

“Go get them, Tiger.”

He hugged and kissed her with the other class members giggling. As he raced off to speak to the Head, Vivienne laughed.

“What on earth did you say to him to get a smacker like that. He’s either very happy or else he loves you.”

“Who knows what goes on in a boy’s head, Viv. I’ve just got a text from Sarah that the band that’s in the studio next week doesn’t have a bass player. Have you heard anything about your DVD? It should be on the market this week.”

“Mum said that she heard a track off it on Wednesday, so there is a little airplay.”

As soon as she got home, Willow made sure that her overnight bag was ready, with her silver laptop in its own bag, so that she could send and receive emails through the WRHoldings account. Her parents both arrived earlier than usual, and they were off south in a short time, enough to get comfortable and change. Willow had phoned the restaurant to book a table for three at seven thirty. They were in the apartment in good time, ate dinner, and retired to rest up for the next day. They had been told that the party organisers wanted to meet all the family to see for themselves what they had to work with.

They took a taxi to the party headquarters, behind Parliament, where they were ushered into an open-plan office, where a few secretaries were on the phones to electorate offices. There was a large, enclosed office where two men waited for them, shaking Ashley’s hand and welcoming him to the nerve centre of the party.

“Good morning, Mister Rose. I’m Cyril Chalmers, and this is Matthew Huntingdon. We co-ordinate the Midlands electorate campaigns. Not a happy job with the last result, I’m afraid. I expect that you’ve been told that your quest could be an uphill battle. The retiring member is quite popular,”

“I have been made aware that a snowball in hell would have an easier life. This is my wife, Wendy, and my daughter, Willow.”

“You’re Willow Rose, the singer?”

“Yes, sir. Is that a problem?”

“Never! It’s more of an asset, if you’re happy to be seen with your father during the campaign.”

“I would help my father in any way I can, as long as he’s happy with it. I do tend to organise things, given the chance.”

“If you can organise a national fifteen percent swing, we’ll erect a statue of you.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 6

Wendy and Willow were only slightly included in the discussions. Their new home was deemed to be substantial enough without being ostentatious, perfect for small gatherings and interviews. After an hour, they all walked the short distance to the Parliament.

“We’re not sitting, at the moment, but some will be here to catch up on ministry business. Only talk to a person who talks to you.”

They looked at the Commons, and a few of the offices.

“If elected, you will share one of these with a couple of others. How much work you will be given will depend on how well you do, and how many of us there are. We’re stretched at the moment, with even members that have had short careers here, so far, getting shadow positions.”

They had moved to the House of Lords chamber, just to have a look, when they heard a voice.

“Ashley, old friend, what on earth are you and the family doing here?”

“Hello, Chris. Some of the locals want me to stand at the next election.”

“A glutton for punishment, are you? How are you, Willow? We’ve been buying your albums as they get issued, that one with you playing piano for the other girl is beautiful. How’s Cyril been treating you?”

“We’ve been well looked after, Chris. They’ve been feeding us up to prepare us for the ritual disembowelling come election night. They haven’t offered us lunch yet, though.”

Cyril looked at Chris.

“Are these friends of yours, My Lord?”

“Actually, young Chalmers, Ashley is a descendant of the Third Baroness, once removed, so doesn’t qualify for the Upper House. Willow played the organ at my daughter’s wedding, and her band was the entertainment at the reception. That was a little while before she became a superstar. How about I host them in the Lord’s Dining room and send them back to you at the Party HQ?”

“If you want to, Sir. That would be most gracious of you.”

Cyril and Matthew exchanges glances and left the Roses with Chris.

“That put a burr in his butt! He’s probably been treating you like a lamb to the slaughter, thinking that here was another crazy person wanting to be on TV. I think that he will be different when you see him later. Come along, I’ve had plenty of free meals in the club, it’s about time I treated you to one.”

On the way, Willow walked beside Chris.

“I thought that Barons didn’t qualify to sit in the Lords?”

“They don’t, but I had a nice elevation to the peerage last year. It’s not one that can be passed on, so I’m enjoying it as much as I can.”

“Do we have to call you My Lord from now, or will Sir be sufficient.”

“For you and your family, Willow, I’m always Chris. Here we are, welcome to the best trough in town.”

They went into the dining room, where the Roses were signed in. The meal was very good, and the talk was about Willow’s Australian tour, and Cassandra’s new baby. Several other peers came to their table to see who he was entertaining, and Willow was finding it difficult to remember the famous people she met, all wanting to tell her how much they liked her music.

After the meal, he led them out of the dining room and hugged the girls, shook Ashley’s hand and wished him luck. An attendant was asked to lead his guests through the labyrinth to the closest exit to the party headquarters.

When they got back to the office, the two men were much more forthcoming about the chances of winning and acted as if the chances had just improved. Ashley was given a list of contact names and numbers of donors in the area. Willow looked through it and saw both Hugh and Sam on the list. She pointed them out to Cyril.

“Do these guys donate to others? The electorate doesn’t encompass the areas where their businesses are.”

“They donate to a range of candidates in the Midlands. Do you know them?”

“We do. I met Hugh some months ago, and Sam’s daughters go to the same school as me.”

“That, with knowing his Lordship, puts your father in a different league. We’ll try to push harder with his campaign, when it kicks off. It would be good if he cultivates as many on this list as he can, before the election is called. That would show that he’s serious.”

“We’ll talk to Hugh and Sam, to see how many of the others they know, and invite them to a housewarming.”

“Sounds good to me. Will you be leading his campaign office?”

“I doubt it, I’ll be into fifth year by then, or even at Uni if it goes longer.”

“It’s hard to realise that you’re still so young. It must take a lot of inner strength to stand on a stage in front of so many people.”

“Either that, or total stupidity, Sir.”

“Look, call me Cyril. My contact details are on that sheet. If there’s anything you want to know, just call me. It will be my pleasure to help.”

“Thank you, Cyril. My father doesn’t always appreciate how good he is at dealing with others. This will bring him out of himself. It will be an interesting couple of years, even more interesting if he’s elected.”

“It will be more interesting for all of us if we get back in. The country needs a better hand on the tiller. The oddballs that we had in the Conservative Party have all dropped away. That chap, Boris, was a real pain in the butt. We’re left with a core of truly committed members, who would love to welcome more into the party room.”

When they left the office, they walked to the riverside and waited for a ferry to take them up to Embankment and the tube back to the apartment. As they were waiting, the clock chimed the hour and Willow felt it through to her bones, even more meaningful if her father was able to be working here.

Before dinner in the restaurant, she moved all her things from her bedroom to the lower one next door, with Ashley carrying the organ down from upstairs. It didn’t take very long, and she slept in a new bed that night.

Nothing much had been said after the meeting, but the dam burst at breakfast with the other two couples, when Kevin asked why they were in town. That led to a long discussion on the chances, with Hazel volunteering to help with PR. Driving home, Wendy commented on how interesting it was that so many were willing to help. Ashley was almost embarrassed.

“It’s odd. All my life I’ve worked for wages, yet I’ve been working in the club, helping people and serving drinks as a volunteer.”

“Yes, Dad. Remember that you set up the free drinks after the church service. Why don’t you talk to Malcolm about providing a free lunch to the ones in the village who are doing it tough. I’ll donate the seed money, and you can have a donation box on the counter for future funding. That will give you an interesting profile when it comes to the election.”

“Would you do that, love?”

“Of course. If it works out, we may be able to tap those on the donor list to set it up in other places. That way, you may enter the race as a ‘man of the people, for the people’. I might even write a song around that, which you could use in the TV adverts. I still have the good cameras that we used filming the shows in the club. I could get Josh to film you in various places, talking to people. We could get you into the studio, giving your spiel in front of the blue screen, and add clips of you in the background.”

“You’re starting to organise, daughter!”

“That’s what I do, Dad. That’s what I do.”

Back at home, she copied the contact list for her own use, and then made sure everything was ready for the Monday. She sat in her room and started to write a new song, one that would sound like a title song of a film, about a hero who was the ‘man of the people’. Then, she realised that it could be useful in the operetta, as the finale, with Ego starting it and the rest of the cast taking it up.

On Monday, Sebastian picked her up, as usual, and asked about the house. Willow told him that the offer had been accepted, and that her father had paid the deposit. It was likely that they would move during the month. School was as normal as usual, without Garry at lunch until Thursday. When he came in, he went over to her, lifted her from her seat and gave her a big kiss, with much jeering and hooting.

Letting her sit down, he sat.

“Willow, that session that you sent me on has been fantastic. The band had seen me play on the TV show when we did ‘Smoke’, so it didn’t take long for us to get friendly. They had the music written out, so I just had to follow it for the first playing. I asked them if I could improvise, and they agreed. By late on Tuesday, we had put down an album, and they asked me if I would be free to tour when they get one organised, most likely in the summer, so I can do it after the exams. Then, we did about half an album with each of the singers. They were going to complete their albums with pre-recorded backing from a small orchestra, which is why I’m here today.”

“Congratulations, Garry, I’m proud of you. Did you find out why they were missing their bass?”

“The silly beggar was trying to ride a skateboard, at his age! He went arse up and tried to break his fall, breaking a couple of fingers and his left arm in two places. His wife and children convinced him that it was time that he retired.”

“Will you get listed on all three albums?”

“Yes, I will. It was a great experience, and a lot different to the Gees sessions. I can’t believe that I’ve spent three days playing with such a great band! They’ve been playing so long; they can make great music with their eyes shut. And those two singers are fantastic guys, we had lunch and dinner together in their hotel and they were very friendly. One of them told me about a party where they sang along with you.”

“Did you get paid?”

“I’m getting ten percent of the band album, and one percent of the two singers albums, from their income. Being already with the label, and on Peter’s books, it was all plain sailing.”

In the orchestra session, that day, Vivienne and Dianne had a new overture for them to try out, much to Howard Bamborough’s amusement. They had written out the score for a total of twenty instruments. It was catchy, and it had snippets of all the tunes that they had already played with.

Friday, they worked on more of the operetta, working out the sequence of Act Two, where the girl meets the men in the park. They envisioned it with the girl sitting on a bench, reading a book, as the others approach her, declaring their love and telling her how well she would be looked after.

Act Three would be the same setting, with the previous lover approaching her, and then her talking to Cuthbert, who was walking by, muttering to himself. That would lead to the stuttering song which would close the act.

That was the last day of the half-term. When Willow got home, she stripped and put the uniform in for cleaning, had a shower and started preparing dinner. Her father was home first.

“Got a call from the agent today. The paperwork is ready to sign. If we transfer the remainder into his trust account tonight, he’ll pop by in the morning with the keys. We’ll have to contact our insurance company to get house and contents cover. Then we can move during the week. I’ve already arranged for it as part of my holidays. I rang a removal firm to take the things we need a truck for. The tool cabinets and work benches from the shed for one, and the piano and music centre. Your instruments, desk and other things will need to go. Then there’s the washing machine and drier. I know that there’s one already there, but, if we get busy with parties, and extra set will come in handy. Almost everything else can be taken by car.”

They left the food for when Wendy got home and went into his office to transfer the required amount. Then Willow left him to email the insurer and went back to finish the food preparation. When Wendy came home, she was told of the development, and they had a family hug before the cooking began.

That evening, Willow emailed Gina to tell her the news about Garry and the house, and the possible involvement of her father in politics. Ashley went off to the club to talk to Malcolm about running a ‘meet’n’eat’ lunch a couple of days a week for the pensioners of the village. When he came home, he told Willow that something similar had been happening before COVID, with carpet bowls and card games. There had been a small fee in those days, and the equipment for the bowls was still around, somewhere.

On Saturday morning, the agent brought the keys and the paperwork, and the house on Rising Lane was theirs. They got into Wendy’s car and drove there, opening up with the keys for the first time. This time, they looked through every room, opened every cupboard, wardrobe, drawer and cabinet. The previous owners must have been gone for a few weeks, by the dust they found. They had brought their vacuum, so Wendy started with a duster while Willow vacuumed. Ashley went off to look more closely at the garages and the annex.

As they worked, they made lists. First would be another vacuum for upstairs, and yet another for the annex. There was a lot more counter space in the kitchen, and Wendy thought that there was plenty of room for extra appliances. Two hours later, they were happy with the cleanliness.

“You realise, Mum, that we could have called in professionals to do all this.”

“I’m not having others walk into a dirty house on my watch, love. That would be embarrassing.”

Ashley came back, saying that there had been a small vacuum in the annex and that he had used it.

They sat in the kitchen and looked out the big folding windows to the uncluttered back garden. Wendy sighed.

“You know. When I was single, I’d dream of living in a place like this. All light, airy, and modern. We may be living here before the end of the week, and I almost want to pinch myself to see if I’m still dreaming.”

“Give it a few weeks, Mum, and it will become our home. One we can invite others to for dinner parties and barbeques in the garden. Talking about the garden, I found a card from a gardening service in one of the kitchen drawers. We should give them a call.”

When they drove back to the village, they parked the car and walked back to the club, having worked up an appetite. It was going to be hard to not be a short walk away, but it was only twenty minutes by car.

They had a meal and listened to the band that Malcolm had booked. They mainly played covers, and Willow had to smile when they played one of her songs. They went home and went to bed, knowing that Sunday they would be moving more things.

The first to be moved was clothes, leaving enough for a couple of days. With both cars, that was completed by lunch. Next was the contents of the linen cupboard, and some of the kitchen equipment. They called it a day as everything found new homes.

On Monday, Wendy went to work with the instruction to look around for a new car. Willow and Ashley moved the musical instruments and Willows computer to put in the room she had chosen for her bedroom. It overlooked the lawned back garden and out over the fields behind the back fence. Then they went into the annex and dismantled the bed, carrying it, and the bedside tables down to the garage. The dressing table and wardrobe would have to stay until the removalists were there. In the sitting room, they moved the sofa to one wall and put the coffee table in front of it, leaving the wall-mounted TV to act as a monitor when Ashley had his desk and chair put in front of it.

The garage had power points, so they noted where the extra drier was going to go, and where the tool cupboards and work benches would be. They moved the odds and ends from the other two garages into the one.

They had looked on the computer, the night before, and had seen a restaurant along Rising Lane, so they went to the Punchbowl for a very good lunch. They were asked if they were just visiting and told the owners that they were moving into the house the other side of Station Lane. They were given loyalty cards, and, when the waitress recognised Willow, selfies were taken, and an account was opened for future meals.

In the afternoon, all the beds in the house were made, and the lounge was rearranged to make room for the music centre. When they locked up, they went north on the Birmingham Road and then turned right at Oldwich Lane West, after noting the Orange Tree pub as they passed. It wound around until they came to the Jaguar testing ground at Fen End. They took the Table Oak Lane to the A4177 to yet another Birmingham Road that took them into Kenilworth. Going past the Golf Club, and under the A16, they were back in Stoneleigh.

Wendy came home and told them that she had test driven a Range Rover HSE diesel and liked it. She had discussed extra features, and it would cost about fifty thousand pounds. Willow said that it would be nice, and that the extra room may come in handy, as long as Wendy was happy with it. If the go-ahead was given, one would be available with her specifications on Friday. Willow had to smile, as it was a long way from the small Ford that her mother had driven for over five years.

On Tuesday, they emptied the tool cupboards and transported the contents to Rising Lane, along with the electric cars, with Willow’s still unopened, storing them in the garage. The removalists arrived Wednesday, and the washer, drier, refrigerator, tool cupboards, work benches, music centre, piano, Ashley’s office desk, and a few other chairs and wanted items of furniture were on their way to the new house, with Ashley and Willow leading the truck.

The hardest thing to move was the piano, and the men were very careful with it. It looked a bit incongruous in the modern lounge, but the family would never be without it. When the tool cupboards and work benches were in the garage, Willow and her father loaded them with the contents. The drier and refrigerator were put in place in the garage, and the washer was put into the large laundry, to be connected by a plumber at a later date.

That evening, the family ate at the steakhouse, as the kitchen was now only good for light breakfasts or microwaveable meals. On Thursday, Willow and Ashley stripped the beds and put all of the linen in a laundry hamper, added the dirty clothes in another hamper, and then packed all the other things in their bedrooms and bathrooms. When it was all relocated in Rising Lane, they had effectively moved house. Wendy came home to the new address that night, and they all went to the Punchbowl for dinner.

The first night in a strange bed was different, and when Willow opened her curtains, the view across the fields took her breath away. When she looked around her new bedroom, it was much neater than the old one. Her desk was in one corner, with her office chair. Both laptops and the printer were next to the big monitor. Her bed as now larger, with a bedside table both sides, without folded cardboard under two legs. She had a walk-in robe, filled with clothes, that led to her own bathroom.

She put a gown on and went down to the kitchen, where Wendy was sitting with a mug of coffee and a smile on her face. Willow went to her and gave her a hug.

“It’s real, now, isn’t it, Mum?”

“Yes, darling, it’s real. All I have to do now is accept that it’s home, even if I do feel like I’m a guest in someone else’s house.”

They had a hearty breakfast and Wendy left for work after making sure that there was nothing in the Ford that was needed. Willow went up to her room and powered up her silver laptop to transfer the payment on the new car, with an email to the dealer confirming payment. That day, she helped her father set up his office in the annex, making sure that the computer was good, with the big TV now being the monitor. If he got bored, Ashley could now watch programs of a different type. Wendy’s office was left alone, for her to set up if she started to work from home. For the moment, she could use Ashley’s as she had been doing.

In the afternoon, they went back to the old house and carefully went through every room, to make sure that there was nothing left that was needed. It would go on the market as furnished, complete with the security cameras. Willow stood in her old room and thought about the changes that had happened since the day she first saw it. The curtains had never been replaced and the room held memories. The day she changed in front of Gina; the times she and Gina had spent writing songs; the day she had a smooching session with Jacob. It all came flooding back.

Back at Rising Lane, she sat with her laptop and looked at messages. There was one from the real estate agent, telling her that the Coventry property had an asking price of five-fifty, and he had offered five twenty-five, with quick settlement, and that it had been accepted. She replied to continue with the transaction and transferred the money to his trust account.

There was another email from the agent in Leicester, telling her that the paperwork for the Small Heath property had been finalised, and she transferred two million to his trust account, to pay out the guys. She asked him to contact the other five that were left in the syndicate, asking for their share to be paid into WR Holdings.

There was an email from the accountant for WR Holdings, warning her that there would be a considerable amount owing in company tax, with the amount of transactions that had gone through the account. He suggested that it may be as high as two million. She replied, telling him to do the books as required, and transferred the two million into his trust account, She advised him that she now was the sole owner of the Coventry and Leicester sites, with a combined value of three million, and was now one-sixth owner of Small Heath as well as one tenth owner of the shopping centre.

She sat there, her first full day in the new house, and she had sent over four million through the banks. When Wendy arrived home, in the Range Rover, they all went in it to the Punchbowl for dinner. On Saturday, they went into Birmingham in the new car to shop for food and other things, to bring the new kitchen up to being able to feed them. Ashley went into the off-licence and came out with a carton of beer, another of soft drink, and a box of a half a dozen assorted wines. They had, of course, overbought, but any that didn’t go in the kitchen went in the fridge in the garage.

On Sunday, they all worked together to catch up with the washing, keeping the two driers working hard. Wendy spoke to her mother on the phone, inviting her to visit over Easter, at the end of March. Her father was now unable to travel, so Wendy and Willow would be going to Cambridge instead, staying in a hotel.

Monday was back to normal. Wendy went to work in the HSE, Ashley went in the company car, and Willow made sure that everything was secure when Sebastian picked her up, stopping on the edge of the road to close the gates.

“Happy in the new home, Willow?”

“Very happy, Sebastian. We found a great place further along the lane to eat and went into Birmingham to shop on Saturday. Dad is now the Tory candidate to replace the sitting member, and the trip down to Stratford is pretty easy for him. Mum now drives a Range Rover HSE, and very nice it is, too.”

“It will match the house. How long before she starts looking for clothes that match the car. What colour did she get?”

“It’s called Petrolix Blue. It stands out, I can tell you.”

“How many cars do you now own, seeing that you’re too young to drive?”

“There’s Mums, the two BMs at the studio, and I seem to have inherited the people mover that Wilhelm used to drive, bought by the syndicate, but now sign written with the studio name. If Dad ends up resigning, he’ll lose the company car but would be able to get another through our company as a director. It will be a while before I get one.”

“Not that long. You’re sixteen in a few months, another year and you can drive. I can see you in a soft-top, speeding down the motorway going to your London pad and another glamorous party. I’ve seen the picture of you in the school reception.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 7

School was a haven of normalcy after the busy week. At lunch, she told the other four about the payout of the others with Small Heath. That evening, she emailed Gina with that information as well as the pictures of her new home. The family was settling into a new way of life. Ashley and Wendy were finding the better ways of getting to work, and Sebastian seemed to know a different way with every new day, something that he told her was good security.

The operetta was moving along, with it becoming clearer with each week. It had developed into the first act with a song about the loneliness of being constantly watched, the duet between father and daughter, the contestants coming on as the daughter storms off. There were the four songs from the contestants, answering questions from the father, who ends the act alone on the stage, with the first version of ‘a man of the people’ theme.

Vivienne was the leading lady, with Garry as the father. Nancy was the female friend, Bryan was Cuthbert, Edward was one of the men, with another lad from the class, Martin, as the other. There were a couple of ‘walk-ons’, a servant and a security guard. The technical group were experimenting with ways to project from behind but make it look realistic, and Dianne had a small group writing out the score as they developed it. Willow was trying to steer them all to a successful result, and also keeping the songs within the boundaries of correctness without losing the comedy.

At home, she was relaxing in the new comfort and space that she had, thinking about songs for the operetta, as well as for another solo album. She was close to finishing the show songs, with the wistful opening song, the plaintive refrain in the park, and the duet between Vivienne and Bryan with the stutters. The ‘man of the people’ had already been written and expanded for when they worked on Act Four and the finale.

On the Saturday, she had a reply from Gina, with news from Florence and pictures of her own home. She was rehearsing with the Orchestra della Tuscana to play a series of piano concerts during the summer and finding it exciting. She asked Willow if she would visit Italy for a birthday party, seeing that hers fell on the Saturday this year. Over the next week, each of the others paid their share, putting nearly one point seven back into Willow’s company bank.

She also had one from Sarah, reporting on another successful week with the ENO. The intervening weeks were now being booked, with Midlands bands and solo singers with pre-recorded backing tracks. Willow replied to book the first week of June for the workshopping of the operetta.

Now some time of living on Rising Lane, things were settling nicely. On Sunday, the big syndicate had a Zoom meeting with the shopping centre management in Manchester. Only the five from the new syndicate attended, but they made firm plans on going forward with the upgrades, spread out over two years. The management wanted to make sure that funds were available and were happy that the syndicate had fifteen million on hand. It was agreed that there would be no lifting of lease rates until after the modifications were completed.

March was almost quiet, as far as Willow was concerned. The schooling was steady, the orchestra still learned more violin-based pieces and workshopped some of the operetta tunes. The operetta worked out the second act and the songs. Then it was revision time and exam week. Willow’s statement showed that the band earnings was dropping, but her solo album was holding up, with another six hundred thousand transferred into her company account.

It was in revision week that she had an email from Jill, asking her if she could attend a meeting at the label offices during her Easter break. She replied that she and her mother had committed to be in Cambridge over the Easter weekend and that she would investigate ways to get to London after that.

When she sat down with her parents, they discussed it, and the suggestion was made that she could now afford to use a limo service so that she could be independent. She looked them up on the computer and phoned one. The result was that she was signed on as a client, given a code number to use, and sent an information package with three cards to use, one in each one of their names. The costs would be charged to her company and paid by the accountant. She booked a car to take her from the hotel in Cambridge to the apartment on the Tuesday after Easter, so that Wendy could go home on the Monday, for work on the Tuesday.

She advised Jill of this, and the meeting was set for the first of April. She planned to spend the week in London, shopping for new clothes, as she was growing suddenly. She phoned her doctor, who explained that her body was now happy with the changes, and that she was developing normally. She booked a visit on the Friday before the third term started, just to check up.

When school finished on the Thursday, Wendy and Willow drove to Cambridge that evening. They were booked into the hotel that night, with Wendy through to the Monday morning, and Willow to Tuesday. The visit was not full of joy, as her grandfather was now in hospital, but they visited him and took her grandmother out for meals. Wendy broached the idea of her coming to Rising Lane to live in the future and was given a half-hearted agreement that it ‘may be nice’.

On Monday afternoon, Wendy left to go home, and, on Tuesday morning, Willow was collected to go to London, arriving before lunch, with just her small case. She opened up her apartment and opened a window to clear the air. She had lunch in the restaurant and spoke to Ted, and then took a taxi into the city.

Her first task was to buy some bed linen that was more her style. She bought four sets of sheets and pillowcases in pastel colours. She decided that it was enough for the day and got another taxi home. She stripped the two beds and made them both up with new sheets. The old, she put into a bag for the laundry, and the spares were taken into the other apartment for storage.

She had dinner in the restaurant and spent the evening trying on the outfits in her wardrobe, setting aside those that were too small or too short. On the Wednesday, she took a taxi to the offices, walking into a meeting where Vivienne was already talking to Jill. When they were joined by Clive, they sat around the table and Clive opened the meeting.

“Girls, you’re aware that sales of Summer Rose albums are dropping off. We’ve had a tremendous run with them and there’s nothing wrong with that. Willow, your solo album has passed the Platinum Record mark, and we’ll give you that award today. Vivienne, your DVD has passed the Gold and is so close to Platinum, we’ll give you both awards before you leave. What we want to put in place is a short season, at the end of May. It will be here, in London, and will be from the Saturday to the next Saturday, in one of the better nightclubs. We’ve been putting Zara into a number of places, and she’s building a solid following. We’ll have an album with her and her band before the end of this month. She is scheduled to be in your studio next week to record it.”

Both girls smiled, happy for their friend.

“I’ve got your holiday dates, and you can get here on the Saturday to play that night, and then every night to the next Saturday. You can go home on the Sunday. We’ve been able to negotiate a reasonable deal, with you both being paid twenty thousand each, for the week. What they want is a show with you singing your songs, with just you, Willow, playing piano. You can sort out how you want to work it before then, but work on six hours on stage, between eight and two in the morning, with breaks. You’ll be fed before you start.”

“Is it a place where they’re dancing?”

“Yes, but all very intimate and slow, so your material will be perfect.”

“Sounds good, Clive.”

“That’s not all, Willow. We will be sending the two of you on tour, during your summer break, with week-long seasons in each of six cities. Paris, Monaco, Florence, Zurich, Prague and Berlin. We expect that you can give us an album, each, before that, and one of the London evenings will be tastefully filmed for a DVD to be in those markets before you play. It’s not the millions that you got for big stadium shows, but you will both get a boost from album sales, as well as showing the world that you’re both professional entertainers, and we can build on that for next year, with you out front of a band, with them on a salary.”

“We’ll both be in fifth year after that, so will have to concentrate on our studies more.”

“Taken on board. Now, I’ll get a photographer in, and we’ll give you the awards, and then we can go for lunch.”

The photographer was summoned, and the CEO gave them their awards. Willow got her Platinum, with another for Sarah. Vivienne got both the Gold and Platinum, with one of each for Sarah, as well as another pair for Josh and Sydney for the DVD. Viv also got another as the writer and composer of all the songs. While they had lunch, the awards were bubble wrapped and put into big bags for them. Outside the office, bags in hand, Willow turned to Viv as they were waiting for a taxi to stop.

“Where are you staying, Viv?”

“I’m booked into a hotel. Mum brought me down. We’re going home tomorrow.”

“I’ve got an apartment with two bedrooms. Why don’t you let your mother go home, and you stay with me a few days. I’m going shopping for clothes that fit. I’ve got a limo booked to take me home next Thursday.”

“That sounds good. If you come to the hotel, you can talk to Mum. If she’s happy, I’ll pack, and we can go to your place. It will be nice to be independent for a week.”

By dinnertime, Vivienne was settled in the upstairs bedroom and the two of the went down to the restaurant. Carlo was happy to see them, and Julie was happy to see Vivienne, having just loved their album. Viv was introduced to Ted and Kevin, Alicia and Hazel, and the conversation that evening was about her university thoughts. Willow texted Gina, to tell her that the label had booked her in a nightclub on the day of Gina’s birthday, and that she was sorry she couldn’t be in Italy but would be playing in Florence in the summer.

Over the next week, the girls went to a lot of shops. Willow got a laundry bag from Carlo and put all of her unwanted clothes in it to go for charity. Then she filled all of the empty spaces with new outfits, suitable for an up-market girl in London and other capital cities. They both bought outfits for eight nights of performing. Vivienne would be staying in the apartment while they were here, so left quite a lot of her things.

In the evenings, they worked on some songs, with Willow on the keyboard, to get ahead of the shows and albums. On the Friday, they were picked up in a limo and went to Rising Lane first, where Vivienne was shown the upright piano and invited to come around on weekends to perfect their show. Willow’s cases were unloaded, and the driver took Vivienne home.

Willow looked up the emails, noting another statement that had come in while she was in London, with another three hundred thousand going into the business account. The next day, she had the limo service drive her to the clinic and wait for her, while she was checked and had samples taken. Her doctor was very happy that the new development was happening and told her to expect it to continue for another year or so, with her ending up at a normal size for a late-teen girl. She was told that if her B12 levels remained good, she might be able to stop having the injections.

On the first Monday back at school, Viv told Willow that she had signed on with the limo company, so would be able to visit on weekends without bothering her mother. On Wednesday, Wendy texted Willow with the news that her father had died in the early hours of that morning. and to say that she was going home to pack and would be in Cambridge until after the funeral.

On Thursday, they were notified that the funeral would be the following Tuesday. Willow and her father would take the trip to Cambridge and the three would be coming back on Thursday. With, hopefully, all of her mother’s things and her grandmother. Willow and Ashley made up the spare room bed, and Willow advised the school that she had to be in Cambridge for the next week to attend her grandfather’s funeral.

On Saturday, they went into Birmingham and stocked up with the things that they knew her grandmother liked, and they drove to Cambridge on the Sunday, checking in to the hotel where Wendy had been given a suite. When Willow saw her grandmother, she was shocked at how much she had suddenly aged. She had to be held up during the funeral, and on Wednesday, declared that she had been accepted at an aged-care home in Cambridge, where some of her old friends were already living. So, in the end, they settled her into the home and helped her sort out what she wanted to keep.

They paid for a house-cleaning service to clear the house and signed with an agent to sell it, Wendy already having the authority to make the decisions. When they did go home, on the Sunday, it was in the two cars, Wendy’s with boxes of things that had been hers and that she wanted to keep. She promised her mother that she would come and see her every month.

Over the next week, Willow was given the lesson notes for the ones she had missed and got back in touch with the way the operetta was going, now well into the third act. She advised the PE teacher that she had been booked to play a nightclub over the holiday, so wasn’t available for the netball carnival. The new statement was a lot leaner, and she was only prepared to transfer another three hundred thousand, leaving under four hundred thousand with Peter.

The next weekend had Vivienne at the house all weekend, sleeping in the spare room, and working with Willow playing the piano. This was repeated for the next three weekends. The operetta had been completed, and Willow told Mister Bamborough that she had booked the studio for the first week of next month, so that they could workshop it and get a saleable DVD. He had seen enough to get the Head to permit them all to be taken to the studio on the Monday, for the day.

On Willow’s sixteenth birthday, the family went to the Punchbowl for dinner, with the only indication that it was a special meal being them dressing a little better. After the loss of her grandfather, Willow wasn’t feeling up to throwing a party. On Friday evening, she emailed Gina with a birthday wish, telling her that she would be playing in Florence, in the first week of August.

That Saturday morning, Vivienne picked Willow up in her own limo, and they went into London. They got settled into the apartment and took a taxi to the night club. When they walked in, they were greeted warmly and shown the small stage area and the baby grand that Willow was to use. She sat and played as the manager sorted out the microphones, and then they did one of the duets that they had worked on.

Vivienne was singing and was looking around the brightly lit dance space and noticed a couple of odd neon signs on the wall. When they stopped, she asked, over the PA, something that she didn’t understand.

“This club. We were told that it was usually slow and intimate dancing, but it looks more like a rage club.”

“It is, on certain nights in the month. We have live bands at times, a DJ a lot of the time, but we’ve advertised that your week was smooth and easy. They’re keen to have you play for them.”

“What sort of people are your members?”

“Gay ones. The club is a gay club where the members can feel safe. There are more girls than boys, and you two have become somewhat like icons of female empowerment with the most recent albums. They loved the Summer Rose albums, and the DJ often plays the hard rock tracks, but this week is all sweetness and love. Be prepared to be hit on, but there’ll be no aggression if you say no.”

“Our people at the label said nothing about it being a gay club.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Just a bit of a surprise. They’ve booked us to other nightclubs in Europe as a summer tour. I think that we’ll have to ask if they’re similar. Just make sure that we only get water in unopened bottles, please, just to be sure.”

“That sort of thing doesn’t happen here, or, at least, while they’re inside. Most of our members are better than that, and our membership fee ensures that.”

When they left the club, with the advice to get back at seven for a meal, and a pair of lanyards to get them in, Willow laughed.

“I think that a lot in the crowd in Berlin were gay, it was the leather outfits that didn’t look like proper biker gear.”

“How do you know that?”

“I was a tomboy and spent some time looking at motorcycle magazines.”

Back at the apartment, they rang Jill.

“Hello Jill, it’s Willow. We’ve just been to that nightclub and found out that it’s members are all gay. Did you know about that?”

“That’s news to me. Let me look up the file and I’ll ring you back.”

They were having lunch in the restaurant when she called back.

“Willow. I’ve looked at the records, and there’s no mention that it’s gay. Is that a problem?”

“I’ll let you know tomorrow. What about the ones over summer?”

“Damn! I’ve just seen that all the venues were booked by the Rainbow Alliance, so I guess that they all are. They seemed keen to get you booked.”

“We were told that we’re ‘icons of female empowerment’. I expect that their money is as good as anyone else, but it is going to give us an interesting reputation. Next thing will be an invite to the Sydney Mardi gras. That wouldn’t go down with our fan club there.”

“You’ll just have to be seen around with guys. You already have plenty of pictures out there with Jacob, and Vivienne has several with Roy. OK, so those may be over, but it would pay for you to claim that you’re straight, just between boyfriends at the moment. Otherwise, some may think that the two of you are a couple.”

That evening, dressed to impress, they took a taxi to the club, being allowed in and bypassing a short queue. They were given a light meal, with drinks from bottles opened for them. When they stepped out on the stage, they got a welcome roar from the room. They started with some of the early songs, with the Carpenters and Journey albums. ‘Finding a Friend’ got calls to repeat and they hardly had to sing it, with the dancers singing it for them. They had breaks, when they were besieged by girls wanting to talk, and worked through the Summer Rose catalogue that could be sung as a duet, and were into their solo albums after midnight, as well as some of the new ones that they had written in the last month.

When they finally finished, a taxi was called for them and they went back to the apartment.

“That was different!”

“It was, wasn’t it? When you come down to it, they were just more people wanting to be entertained. What worries me is if it’s all the same crowd every night. They’re going to be bored with the set by Monday.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see. It was a happy crowd, though, and not as ‘in your face’ as I expected. They knew a lot of the words.”

“That’s the bit that gets to me. You write a song that you hope will be catchy, and it’s a surprise when it’s so catchy that they’re singing it for you. Some of that material was a couple of years old.”

Vivienne went up to her room and they got to bed. Willow laid for a while, telling City Shaun about some of the sights she had seen that evening. There had been a few who looked totally ‘butch’, but the majority wouldn’t look out of place in any shopping centre. She wondered if some who had seen her, and Gina, shopping may have thought that they were more than friends. Even with Vivienne when they were here in the Easter break.

They slept late, but the other two couples were still having breakfast when they went down to the restaurant.

“How was last night? A bit different to a big stadium.”

“It’s a gay club, Ted, and different doesn’t begin to describe it.”

Hazel laughed.

“Don’t tell me, they’re setting you up as the next Kylie, as ‘icons of female empowerment’.”

“Got it in one, Hazel. It was all right, and everyone was very friendly. We even didn’t have to be singing, as there were a lot of times when all I had to do was play the tune and they sung.”

“Why don’t you see if they know any of your drinking songs?”

“If they look bored, we might try that.”

By the end of the next Saturday night, they had repeated the set, added other things that had worked in Stoneleigh, mined their memories for other popular songs by Kylie and others, and generally had a good time. When they ended the last set, the manager gave each of them a bulging envelope, ‘from the tip jar’ and thanked them for a wonderful masterclass of entertaining.

They had lunch in the restaurant on the Sunday, and then the limo picked them up for the trip back home. When Willow got out and retrieved her bag, Vivienne stood, and they hugged.

“Willow, my friend, that had to be one of the best weeks of my life. It was one thing to be backing the Rose, but another to be on stage as a duo with you. I’ve learned a lot before we did this, working up the set, but I learned more about who I am in close proximity to our fans, and out front and singing some of my own songs. If I was gay, I’d kiss you!”

“Please don’t. My mother would get the wrong idea if I went in with smeared lipstick. I had fun as well, and I’m looking forward to the big tour. Gina’s going to have a surprise when she comes to see us in Florence. I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Sebastian’s taking me in, and Max will be there with a coach to take us to the studio. Don’t forget the awards for Sarah and the team.”

“I won’t. It will be odd being back at school after our week. How long do we have to get the operetta sorted out?”

“I told Mister Bamborough that it may take a couple of days, and that when the others go back to school, you and I will be recording a pair of albums before we’re back.”

“At least we know that they work, It didn’t take long for all the songs from them being sung in that club.”

“Call it a ‘focus group’ Viv. They were accepted so quickly, when the albums get issued, we’ll probably get a writeup in the Pink News.”

“Now that would be an interesting addition to my mother’s scrapbook.”

“Mine too!”

Marianne Gregory, © 2025

Chapter 8

Willow carried her bag into the house.

“Good week, love?”

“Interesting, Mum. I enjoyed it, and, best of all, the crowds enjoyed it.”

“What sort of crowd, all Hooray Henrys and Snooty Susans?”

“Not really. Most were in their teens or twenties, and as bent as a paper clip. It was a gay club, but a lot of fun. We found out that we’re ‘icons of female empowerment’ in that crowd, and we spent every night in a cloud of different perfumes. And that was just on the guys!”

“Well, you would have fitted in well, knowing your own story.”

“If that did come out, it would give me a degree of authenticity, wouldn’t it?”

“Did they film you?”

“They did. It will make interesting viewing, as they chose ‘Tart’s Tuesday’. It will go down well with the venues for summer, as they were all booked by the same group.”

“So, you’ll be spending summer touring the gay bars of Europe. Gina will find it a bit different when you’re in Florence.”

“I’ll have to put a note in with the new album when I send it to her. We’ll be recording both of our albums when we’ve finished with the operetta this week.”

That evening, she hung her black dress to drop out, and tidied up all her notes and scores for the operetta. Then she sat and wrote the list of new songs, in the order that would be good on the album. She sat and thought long and hard about the title. It should be accepted by the gay community, but not decried by everyone else. She thought back on the odd names that had been given to albums over the past and decided on ‘Tourniquet’. Most people would just have a laugh and wonder what restricting the blood flow had to do with the songs, but she had the idea that where they would be playing, it would already be called ‘Turning gay’.

On Monday morning, she had the bag with the awards she had received almost two months before, along with the dress and her normal bag. At the school, it was a hive of activity, with Max in a coach, and the truck being loaded with the rostrum, timpani’s, one cello and one double bass. The rest of the orchestra had been pared down to six violins, three violas, and a wind and brass section. They had ended up with the twenty that would fit nicely in front of the theatre stage.

Vivienne and Nancy arrived with their own security, as did Bryan and Edward. Garry was already there. Mister Bamborough and Mister Jamieson were joining them today, both keen to see how the final result turned out. The cast were all in school uniform, with their chosen stage outfits in garment bags.

The convoy left the school, bound for Leicester. Garry rode with Bryan and Edward; Mister Jamieson rode with Vivienne and Nancy, while Mister Bamborough rode with Willow.

“Interesting day, today, Willow?”

“It will be, Sir. It may take a while to get it into shape, as we haven’t workshopped the stage movements fully, and it will take a while to set up the backdrop material. The guys have assured me that they have it right and have been out filming on location on weekends. I told them that we could use the blue screen today, but they rejected that as it wouldn’t give them the feedback that they needed to recreate the effect in the theatre.”

“This project has certainly utilised a lot more of the school equipment than any other show, even the drama students are keen to see what you come up with.”

At the studio, the chairs for the orchestra were put out in front of the big window, with the rostrum facing towards the back of the studio. Further along, the big wooden screens had been placed, three to a side, and overlapping. The projection material was hung from a line between two camera mounts and the technical group set up behind it.

It was close to ten before they were ready. As things were being set out, the players, the cast, and Willow took turns in the toilets to change. Sarah, Sydney, and Josh were busy setting out microphones for the orchestra, and clipping radio mics on the cast as they changed. Willow was given one as well.

When they were all ready, Willow called for everyone to gather round. She had her bag of awards, and Vivienne stood beside her with her own bag.

“Before we get working, there is something that has been delayed due to other things. Vivienne and I had a meeting with the label, back in April, at which we were given awards. I’m afraid, Josh, that you’ll need to find some space on the wall. I have, here, a Platinum Record for ‘A Girl has to have Standards’, which needs to be hung. I also have another, for Sarah and the team for the production of the same album.”

There was applause and some happy hugging. Then Vivienne spoke.

“At that meeting, I was also given some awards. These were for ‘Joie de Viv’ DVD. There are both Gold and Platinum Records, as well as another set for this magnificent team of Sarah, Sydney, and Josh. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and I especially thank Willow for her piano playing.”

There was more applause and hugging, and then Willow called for quiet again.

“Today, we are going to work on the operetta. What I want to do is have all the cast with ear buds, so that I can give instruction as we go. Sarah will set the mixing board so that I can hear the mix, and also talk us through it. There should be one of the projection team with buds as well. It won’t be on the recorded mix, and I hope that we can do the final show without needing them, with everybody taking their cues from the music.”

Sarah set it up so that all those with buds could hear both the mix and Willow, with the same coming out of the speaker in the control room. The teachers and the drivers all settled down to look and listen.

Willow started by asking all of the cast, in turn, if they could hear, and then the projection leader. Then she said that the overture was about to start, tapped a new baton, and led the orchestra into the overture. As it neared the end, she told Vivienne to be ready. Vivienne was sitting on a seat in front of the screen, which was showing the inside of a swanky room.

As the overture ended, Willow stated that the curtain was opening and for Viv to be examining her nails, and to wait for the violin. She gave it ten seconds and then started the violins, with a sweet melody. She counted down from five for Viv to sing, and then they were into the first act. All of those in the control room were amazed at how plaintive, yet beautiful, the song was.

As it was ending, she cued Garry for his entrance, with him striding on stage from the wings, with ‘There you are, my daughter!’ and then telling her about how great he was for her, and how he had thought of a way to ensure that she had a life with all the things she wished for. It introduced the ‘I’m a man of the people’ when he outlined the quest he had put in place, and then they had a duet where she called him a controlling beast, and he told her that all he was doing was caring for her. When he calls in the candidates, she rushes from the stage.

He then sings the questions to the four, with each of them professing their love for his daughter. The two males with bombastic claims that she would love them, eventually, and the female claiming that they already had a love. The last candidate declared that he would ‘t,t,t treat her w,w,w, well.’ They thanked Ego, telling him that he truly was ‘a man of the people’.

They took a break and discussed changes, and then continued with the second act. This opened with Vivienne on the seat once more. On the stage, the first would be a light sofa, and the second would be a garden seat. The musical intro was playing as Willow called that the curtain was opening and to start the song. Once again, it was a sweet, but plaintive song about only being free of restraint when she was in the park. Willow was impressed with the background vision, with it being a real film, rather than a backdrop.

There was the song from one of the men, as he stood beside her. She told him, in song, that she was being watched, and that if he sat next to her, he would be set upon by hidden security. He professes that he would look after her as his trophy wife, and she sings that, ‘it’s not me you should woo, kind sir, it’s my father that set the quest. If you don’t adhere to his rules, then others would surely be best’.

They had decided that the second man should approach after the first leaves the stage, approaching her in a similar fashion and getting a similar reply. When she gets up and leaves the stage, the first man comes back and the two men have a duet about it all being too hard, and the wooing sounded more like work.

They took another break and pondered on the outcome, so far, while Josh went to pick up lunch from the fish shop and pizza store. The tables had been set up in the rest area, and it was a case of helping oneself. When they had finished, they went back to work on the third act, which opens, once more with the scene in the park. In this one, there is no opening song, with Cuthbert strolling on and muttering to himself. He sees the daughter and stops.

“Wha, wha, wha, what are you do, do, doing here?”

“Wait, wait, waiting for you, young man. A young man who has no chance of winning. How can you create all those followers and all that money?”

“I do ma, ma, magic, my lo, lo love. I do it in mi, mi, mi, mime.”

“In mi, mi, mi, mime?”

“Yes. I’m Cu, Cu, Cu, Cuthbert the mi, mi, mi, miming con, con, con, Conjurer.”

“Cu, Cu, Cu, Cu, Cuthbert.’

“The mi, mi, mi, miming.”

“Con, con, con, con, conjurer!”

He stands with his back to the audience and acts as if he was doing coin tricks, while, behind them, on the screen, a picture appears of a white-face magician in tails, performing the tricks. It took some work for Willow to lead the orchestra in playing the music in sync with the tricks. When he turns and walks off stage, Vivienne is still sitting, with a big smile on her face, when Nancy comes on.

“Are you smiling for me, my love, just for me, my love.”

They sing a duet about the time that they were younger and experimenting, before her father had the time to be home a lot. The last song, with Vivienne alone again, is about all these suiters yet only one who was kind and interesting, and seemed to like her, for herself, and not for her money. As that ended, Willow called the curtains closed and time for a break.

Act four had the backdrop as another fancy room, with several chairs. The two men come in and continue the duet about it being more work than wooing, joined by Nancy who joins in, with them wondering what the price of failure was, seeing that Ego was known for his craziness. Cuthbert comes on stage and sits down, and Ego and his daughter enter from the opposite side of the stage. Ego sings a song about how great he is, and how great his quest was, and how he, as a ‘man of the people’ would be giving all contestants something to remember him by. He then asks each one, in turn, how they had fared.

The two men declare that their efforts on Tic Toc had brought no success, with one declaring that the cat was not a good actor, and the other agreeing that it was hard to make a duck do tricks. Nancy’s character admitted that she had only entered the quest in the certainty that the shared love would overcome all.

Cuthbert declared that his ‘ma, ma, ma, magic po, po, po, po, podcast was vi, vi, vi, vi, viral,’ and that he had been ‘ar, ar, ar, ar, asked to appear in Ve, Ve, Ve, Vegas. He praised his ma, ma, ma, ma, magic la, la, la, laptop. The others all sing praises for the magic laptop.

Ego takes his daughter’s hand and leads her to Cuthbert and declares that he has won her in marriage. He then reprises the ‘man of the people’ song, telling them that all will be given a car from his factory, ‘batteries not included’ and they all sing that Ego is surely the man of the people, repeating that line to a rousing finale, with the timpani giving the final drum roll.

After that, they worked on small parts that they had discussed, trying out new movements and timings. When it was time to go back to Coventry, Sarah gave the teachers a DVD of the raw footage and sound, with another for Willow. Everything was left as it was for the next day, when they intended to run through it as a complete show, with the changes they had made.

The cast all changed back to school uniform, leaving their stage outfits on a rack that Josh brought in from the back. Willow and Sydney collected all the buds and wiped them. The truck drivers were told to come back the next afternoon, and the orchestra got on the coach to go back to the school.

In the car, Howard Bamborough had a laugh.

“You know what the Head is going to say, don’t you?”

“What’s that girl done this time?”

“No. How many full houses will this fill in our theatre. I can see her wanting to have at least three nights as a season.”

“We might get it right by the third show.”

“You’ll have it right tomorrow. Jim and I have discussed this class as you’ve moved through the years. It has been the one with the different ways at looking at things. I know that you and Vivienne had no say in what was going to be tried, but, between you, you’ve created something entirely new and wonderful. I’m certain that there are at least three songs there that would become firm favourites, should it ever get onto another stage.”

“Thank you, sir. It took a lot of thought to get them, made easier by Viv being such a good singer.”

“I believe that you’re recording albums after this. Do you mind if I sit in on that? You can take all of Wednesday, it you like.”

“Thank you, sir. That’s appreciated. We have a deadline to come out with the two albums in time for summer, We’ll be spending the whole holiday in Europe, with a week each in six cities, doing shows in clubs. Not exactly the huge stadiums we did last year, but a lot more work at about six hours a night.”

“How do you manage that?”

“We did eight nights in a club in London, last week, and we did manage to fill the time quite well. It was a lot of fun, actually.”

“Is there a recording?”

“Well, yes, there is, but I doubt that it would ever be put on the market.”

“Oh! Something went wrong?”

“Not wrong, sir. It’s just another shift in focus. It was a gay club, as are all the clubs in Europe. Viv and I have become icons. They said that we were ‘icons of feminine empowerment’. The gigs were all booked by the Rainbow Alliance and accepted before anyone twigged.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Their money is as good as anyone else. That has never done any harm to a few other singers, none as young as you, I admit.”

“It has made us both think about our next recording. We trialled a lot of the songs during the week, and they went well, so I’m hopeful that the new albums should sell.”

“If they half as good as the ones you got the awards for, you should both do well out of them.”

“It’s not the money, sir. It’s what am I going to do with the rest of my life? I seem to be jumping from one thing to the other. I own the trademark of Summer Rose, but the band will never play again. I built a good friendship with Gina, but she’s now in Florence, rehearsing for a summer season with an orchestra. As soon as I get something positive, everything changes.”

“I can tell you, right here and now, young lady, that whatever you end up doing, it will be because of everything that has gone before it. I listened to you, today, calling the shots with that show, and you pulled it together. I know that you had worked with the orchestra, and I know that you had input into the songs and the story, but you allowed others to shine. Take my advice. When you get a final cut of the show, tomorrow, send a copy to the ENO, and another to your label. I’m sure that when you present it at the school, there will be a lot of people in the audience who are there to see this new star of musical theatre.”

At the school, he got out of the car and told her that she would see him in the morning for another session. On the way back to Rising Lane, Sebastian spoke.

“I didn’t know what to expect today. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. There were at least three songs that reminded me of the best songs of other shows. That first song that Vivienne sung was like a stab to the heart, a bit like that killer song in Cats. There are people who will pay good money to put that on in the West End.”

“It’s just a school project, Sebastian.”

“So was the Blue Coat Dance Band, and that took you to that Berlin show, which is destined to be one of the all-time greats. So was that Carpenters set that put you on a record career. As Howard said, whatever you do is leading you to greatness, and I’m proud to have watched it unfold.”

“Are you going to write a book about it? Xavier said that he was going to do one with all the pictures he had taken. He said it was going to be called, ‘The Summer Rose Story, from The Sap Inside’.”

“I’ll call mine, ‘Driving Miss Willow’.”

He pulled up outside the house.

“See you tomorrow, Miss Rose.”

“I’ll be here, Hoke.”

That evening, she showed her parents the raw footage from the day and explained how it all evolved. Ashley waited until the end of it before he spoke.

“Is that the ‘man of the people’ song that you wrote for my campaign?”

“No, Dad. That’s the ‘man of the people’ song that your opponents are likely to use for themselves, and if they ask, I’ll give them permission. By the time that the election is called, hopefully, the show could have been seen by others, who will equate that song with pure ego and the desire to dominate. I’ll be writing you another short song, ‘man for the people’, which will be aimed at picturing you as a man who helps people. The lunches in the club will help.”

“Has anyone ever..”

“Yes, Dad, many times.”

Next morning, they were at the studio around nine, and, with no set-up needed, did the entire operetta in the morning, with just a few changes needed. In the afternoon, they did it without the buds, and with the full set of cameras and mics. Sydney told Willow that the vision looked good, with her conducting style drawing comment from the teachers, now she could concentrate on it.

Willow congratulated everyone on a job well done, and Howard Bamborough congratulated Sarah and the team on the effort they had put in, not just this week, but also in their teaching at the school, with the technical group getting handshakes from the teachers. Willow was given six copies of the DVD, with the teachers getting another six, and the cast and orchestra getting one each, with one left over for the techs. The rostrum and instruments were collected up and the truck went back to the school with them.

That evening, she looked at the latest recording, and then packaged one for Jill, with a note telling her that this was a school project and not for issuing. She also sent one to the ENO, to the attention of Norman Strong, with a note to check the school website for the date of the performance.

The next day she went directly to the studio. Mister Bamborough was already there when she arrived. With the team, they pulled the piano from behind the mock stage and pulled it towards the big window. They were stacking chairs when Vivienne arrived, With the space now set, and the microphones in place, the two of them changed into one of the outfits that they had worn in the club, the week before, and helped each other look good.

The blue screen was set up behind them and Willow sat at the piano and warmed up her fingers.

“Just so you know, Sarah. We are going to record two albums. Mine is called ‘Tourniquet’ and is a collaboration with Vivienne. We tried a lot of these songs in a gay club last week, and it will have us singing solo and duets.”

Vivienne stepped to her microphone.

“My album will be called ‘Viv-a The Difference’ and will be much the same. On Willow’s, she gets about seventy percent solo, and on mine, I get about the same.”

In the control room, there were smiles, with Howard Bamborough wondering how the label would treat these albums.

They recorded twelve tracks of jazzy pop and took a break. Willow gave Sydney a dozen covers, six for the CD, and six for the DVD. They were the willow tree again, with the album name. On the back listing, seven of the songs were listed as written by Armstrong/Rose and five by Rose.

When they had recorded a similar album for Vivienne, her covers had the old cartoon of a boy and a girl with their panties pulled open and looking into each other’s crotch. The songs were a similar mix of Armstrong/Rose and Armstrong. On both DVDs, the scene behind them was of the back of the stage at the nightclub, taken by Vivienne one night in a break, with the signs lit up.

They ate pizza while the team produced the discs. Mister Bamborough questioned the choice of material and packaging.

“It’s all about perception, sir. As I told you, we played for a very successful week in a gay club and are playing all summer in more across Europe. The label wanted two albums to go on the market before then, and these are the two albums that we’re delivering. Yes, they’re different from what we’ve done before, but they are us trying to be adult. The songs are all about love and laughter, so won’t make a fuss when they’re played on the radio. Our target market will understand, though.”

“What do your parents say?”

“Our parents are just happy that we’re a success. What we’ve done, so far, has improved our family’s lives. We’re sixteen, and in some countries, we would have been married off by now. The songs are all about enjoying life as a teenage girl in a free world. These will be forgotten in a year or so, but there is, waiting in the wings, a six-hour video of us doing what we just did, live in that club. We don’t know what’s planned for that, but it would be a real money-maker. These will divert some of the buyers cash to us. Now, sir, the studio is paid for until close of business Friday. I know it’s a short notice, but is there anything that you want to use it for until then?”

“I could get the junior orchestra in to record what they’ve learned. Thank you for that.”

“We’ll be in school, as usual, in the morning. I think that it’s been a successful few days.”

The girls changed back into the casual clothes that they had arrived in, collected their discs, four of their own and two of the other’s, and left with their drivers. Howard Bamborough arranged with Sarah about having the orchestra arrive in the morning and persuaded her to give him a copy of each of the DVDs for his own collection. He rang the school to organise the truck for the morning, and to get Mister Jamieson to tell the junior orchestra that they were spending two days in the studio. He drove back to Coventry with a smile on his face.

Marianne Gregory © 2025

Chapter 9

On the way home, Willow got Sebastian to stop at a post office, where she bought a post pack big enough for three discs, and the stamps needed for a package of three and another of one. When she was home, she sealed the one to the ENO, and filled the package to Jill. Properly stamped, she left them on the hall table for her mother to put in a post box in the morning.

Then, she sat in front of the big screen TV and watched both DVDs critically, trying to pick the songs that may get airplay. She decided that they weren’t a bad collection of songs, most were good enough for even the most middle-ground radio, and more likely to appeal to those who bought the earlier albums. The DVDs looked as if they were shot on location, with the added club-like background sounds, and she wondered if they may end up as music for dinner parties, or even intimate evenings with a favourite person.

Then, she went to her bedroom to work on the promised anthem for her father, something that needed a lot more thought. When her parents came home, she had the dinner close to being ready to cook. They had the meal and she said that she would tidy up and that there were two, new, DVDs by the machine if they wanted to watch them. She cleaned up in the kitchen and went to get a shower, dressing in her nightie and gown. When she went down to say goodnight, the DVDs were left out of the cases and her parents were nowhere to be seen.

She turned her laptop on to check for emails. The only one was the statement from Peter and she transferred another quarter of a million into the company account. It appeared that without the constant back and forth within the band, and the loss of Wilhelm, her email traffic was now at a minimum. In the morning, she was getting breakfast when he mother came down.

“Those albums, love. They work in a different way to the hard rock ones. As we watched, all I wanted was to get your father into bed. The words made me very horny.”

“Could it have been the neon sign behind us that read ‘Sex’?”

“Whatever. What we do know is that if there’s a population jump around Christmas, we’ll know who to blame. I expect that you’ll be going to school today.”

“Yes, Mum. Orchestra this afternoon, so I’ll be late. I don’t know what we’ll be doing on Friday afternoon, seeing that we got the project to the point of performance.”

Sebastian picked her up and they went towards Coventry.

“Those songs and those album covers, Willow. They’re a bit different.”

“Do you think that it’s a problem?”

“Not to me, but you’re not likely to sell any in America, with the way they are now,”

“If I went to America, they’d probably kidnap me and send me to Gitmo. I was reading an article in the doctor’s waiting room, and it was talking about all the words and phrases you can’t use any more. There’s an old song, from the sixties, called ‘Too Young’, and it’s been banned. The reason is that the opening line is, ‘They tried to tell us we’re too young’. And the word ‘they’ can be the preferred address of a non-binary person, and they no longer exist.”

“That’s a bit silly.”

“Yeah! I don’t need that kind of silly. If I get good sales here and in Europe, I’ll be happy. Look, here’s copies of the two DVDs. Humour me with a little experiment and watch them with your wife tonight. I’ll have them back with your report tomorrow.”

That day, she got the lesson notes that she had missed, and the lunch was interesting. Garry sat with her and told her that the whole experience of the operetta had been fantastic and had allowed him to have fun while singing. That afternoon, Mister Bamborough set the orchestra a task. He wanted them to take the score of the operetta and rework it as a thirty-minute piece for future playing. With the skills in the room, they had it written out and played before they finished. It encompassed the whole orchestra, with those who hadn’t been part of the twenty adding their own music.

For Willow and Vivienne, it was almost a vindication of their own skills in writing the original album. As they were leaving, Vivienne told Willow that she had sent her album and DVD to Jill. They both wondered what the label would do with them.

On Friday morning, Sebastian gave Willow the two DVDs.

“If there’s a population boom after Christmas, we’ll know who to blame.”

“That’s what my mother said. Was it good for you, too?”

“Don’t ask.”

That afternoon, Mister Jamieson told them that the modules that had been dropped to allow them time for their project, would now be able to be worked on. They would be working on discussing the song ‘Africa’ for a couple of weeks, and then a film score. They would have the stage for the last Monday of the month, to run through the operetta, with the performances on the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the beginning of June.

Willow spent the weekend working on the campaign song for Ashley, except for time at the club on both evenings. She learned that the mid-week lunch socials were becoming popular, and that her father had funded these from his own money.

On Monday, at lunchtime, she was told about the fantastic two days that the junior orchestra had enjoyed in the studio. For many, it had been their first time there, and Petunia gave her a letter of thanks from her father, who had attended both days to see his children in another light. At the bottom of the typed letter was a hand-written note. ‘Big things happening, speak to you in a few weeks.’

Over the next couple of weeks, things were fairly normal. Vivienne invited Willow to her house to run through some additions to the long set, and they were confident that they would hold their own when they toured. On the week before the operetta performance, both girls had texts from Jill. ‘Meeting Saturday at eleven in office, imperative you attend.’ They both texted back that they would be there. Vivienne said that she would have her limo service, seeing that Willow was supplying the accommodation.

Friday evening, they were on their way to London, with overnight bags in the back. They were dropped off at the restaurant and told the driver to be there to take them home at four on Sunday afternoon. They went up to the apartment and settled in for the night, sitting in the downstairs sitting room for a while and talking. For Willow, Vivienne was replacing Gina as a sounding board for ideas, as well as now part of a writing duo.

In the morning, they had breakfast in the restaurant and then freshened up before getting a taxi to the label’s offices. When they arrived, they waited in the reception until Jill came out to greet them.

“Thank you for coming. We have a lot to discuss, so come up to the boardroom as there are others here to talk to you.”

When they walked into the boardroom, they were ushered to seats, flanked by the CEO and CFO. Opposite were Jill and Clive, and they also said hello to Derek and Norman, from the ENO. There were two others present, who were introduced as Helmut and his wife, Delta, from the Rainbow Alliance. The CEO led the discussion.

“We are here to discuss a future tour, and the implications of a film that was shot at the nightclub, here, in London. When that has been decided, we will talk about a certain operetta which we have seen. Now, the first thing is that you girls were booked, by the Rainbow Alliance, to play that week in London, followed by six weeks touring six nightclubs in European cities. We accepted the booking and notified your manager of the times that you would be away. He replied that he had noted the booking and queried the somewhat low figure offered for your performances.”

“That was what was offered and accepted.”

“That’s not the issue, Helmut. What we didn’t pick up on was that these venues are all gay clubs, which we thought may be a problem to your reputations. When you were so successful in London, it changed the dynamic. Helmut has now informed us that the two of you are established gay icons. This could be a problem for you in the future. What do you think, Willow?”

“It was an audience, sir, like any other, who danced and sung to our songs. In fact, I think that they knew our songs better than we do. We felt safe, we were well fed, and we had fun. We also tried out several of the songs on the albums we sent in.”

“You don’t feel ashamed at being called a gay icon?”

“Not at all. The pink pound is as good as any other, and I hope that we’ll get a good reception over summer. We have both worked on extra material for it. You’re not cancelling, are you?”

“It has been considered.”

“We enjoy entertaining people. When people have turned up, wanting to be entertained, then it’s even better. I expect that flights and accommodation are supplied while we’re away, so it will be like the summer holidays that we’ve had for two years. Probably a lot less stressful. Give it another year, and let the press see us with guys, and it will all blow over.”

“Vivienne, what do you think?”

“I’m with Willow. It’s just a gig like any other. I doubt that we’ll see anything more outlandish as the Tart’s Tuesday.”

“All right. It goes ahead. Now, that video that was shot on that Tuesday. I’ve seen it and I have to praise the two of you for continuing your set with all that flesh around you.”

“Nothing we haven’t seen when we shower.”

“Yes, that may be, but we were wondering about what it’s going to look like if it’s on general release.”

“We were told that it’s for use in the other clubs.”

“That’s what we thought, but copies have turned up on the internet as bootlegs.”

“Then why not issue it as an adult level music video. It isn’t us flashing the skin, so we can’t be held accountable.”

Clive spoke up.

“Quite right, Willow. We could package it with your new albums as a special buy. Two studio albums and six hours of live performance. We could charge a premium and see how it flies. If we undercut the bootleg price for an official issue, it may stop that trade.”

“It is a first-class video; it should have been for what it cost us.”

“I’m not criticising the quality, Helmut, just trying to find a way to protect these girls and make money.”

“I’m prepared to supply security for the girls while they’re with us. We stand to make a lot of money with their performances. Their week, here in London, broke all the records for the club. If it’s needed to swing the deal, we’ll pay them an extra ten thousand a week, each. We have already needed to change venues at one city to cater for those wanting to be there. Every person who comes along has to become a member of the club first, before they pay the extra for a special event.”

“All right, if we’re in agreement, the tour goes on. Now, another thing about the video, Helmut. Who thought of the title?”

“That was my wife, Delta. It is what the members call these two songbirds. I’ve had a look at the writing credits on the two albums, and it’s quite likely what the scribes will call their collaboration.”

Delta handed Willow a copy of the video. Willow couldn’t help but laugh as she passed it to Vivienne.

“VivWillow in Heaven! That’s almost as left field as some of my thoughts.”

“You find it amusing?”

“It’s classic, Delta. It captures our working together with writing and performing. When Gina and I started playing, we used our surnames. This is just a variation. What do you think, Viv?”

“It’s certainly a step up from Armstrong/Rose. It’s catchy. We could even put out merchandise with it. Have you gone down that road, Helmut? By the blush, I bet that you’re way ahead of us.”

He laughed.

“You’re right. Do you object?”

Willow grinned.

“As long as we get some of everything for our friends, why should we object. It looks as if we’ll be VivWillow on tour, this summer. Jill, you may have to put on extra staff to handle the VivWillow fan mail. You can tell Peter, I’m not game enough.”

There was a general shaking of hands, a few hugs, and Helmut and Delta left. Norman laughed.

“Now, you two, there’s another video that we have to talk about, almost as drastic as the other one, if my imagination is to be believed. How many of these are there?”

“About four dozen. All the cast , the teachers, and the tech group who did the rear projection.”

“No thoughts of issuing them, say, through the school website?”

“Nothing said. If anything, it’s likely to be filmed and recorded when we perform it. We’re having a full-dress rehearsal on Monday, with the theatre left set up for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening, which are filling well, I believe.”

“We’ll be there in force to see it. The thing is, you have come up with a commercial product, worthy of a bigger audience. We would like to make an offer for the rights to perform it next year. We have spoken to this office about our video being the official one. We may want some of the cast to remain and are prepared to pay those who developed that rear projection for the rights to use it in our theatre. In some performances it’ll be far cheaper than building sets.”

Clive leaned forward.

“The other thing is that there are at least three songs on this video that are worthy of general release, perhaps on a CD of the soundtrack. A couple that you sang, Vivienne, are on par with that one from Frozen. They deserve a proper studio recording with a fuller orchestra.”

Willow looked at him.

“The operetta was a school project. The school has a stake in whatever is decided. Most of the lyrics were based on Vivienne’s original work for our Summer Rose album, with a lot of changes. The music was mainly written by members of the orchestra, especially those in our Music Studies class, who were given the project to do.”

“I spoke to your Mister Bamborough the other day. He told me that it was you that pulled it all together, even to the point of directing the stage activity while conducting. He said that the performance on the disc was the first one where nobody was wearing buds, so that they could hear your direction. That was quite an impressive bit of work.”

“So, what are you all proposing?”

“The ENO want it for their own, mainly to tour around schools and institutions where it can be shown to a lot of children. They also want to see how long it runs on their London stage. They are willing to pay the school for the intellectual property, and the rights to the projection technology. There will also be compensation for those involved in the development, which, I’m told, is about three dozen. You two will get residuals for the use of the music and lyrics, as well as Summer Rose being listed as the originators of the show. If there’s a DVD and CD, all of the cast and development team will share two pounds for every sale, with the school getting a small amount.”

“So, you’ll need the contact details for all those involved.”

“Howard Bamborough has already provided that. What is curious is that half the cast were members of Summer Rose, and one is now the bass player in one of the best bands around. You guys never fail to surprise. Are you happy with what I’ve said?”

Willow and Vivienne looked at each other and grinned.

“I think we’re with you on this, gentlemen. All you need to finish the job is to get the paperwork in order.”

They were given lunch and driven back to the apartment by Jill.

“Are you both really all right with this morning?”

“A lot of it was already running, Jill, we just had to make sure we’re still included in discussions. The clubs are what they are, and they’re a safe haven for a lot of people in a harsh world. If they like us, who are we to complain. We could see that it was only the stiff-necked morals of the upper management that was the barrier, using our reputation as an excuse for any decision that may reflect badly on them.”

“You’re right, Willow. None of the rest of us saw a problem. The amount of flesh exhibited in that video is no more than you get in the average rap video, these days. It may even add to the sales with young boys. I’ve seen the itinerary for the tour, and you won’t be upset by any of the hotels. The flights are all business class but they’re all short hops, compared to last year. I’m going to talk to Clive about your cut of a large offering. Three DVD packages are not usual, especially as one is a double DVD with six hours of entertainment. We’ll push the media with this, to get a good coverage, and there will be a TV interview before you leave for Europe.”

“Thank you, Jill. We’re grateful for your work over the last couple of years.”

“I’ve enjoyed it all and have been to places that I had never thought I’d see when I took on the job. Up until Summer Rose, all the bands I’ve looked after have either been snooty, arrogant, little shits, or high as a kite little shits. You were a breath of fresh air and I find it hard to imagine what you’ll come up with next, Willow.”

“How about a political campaign in the next election?”

“Who are you backing?”

“My father is the candidate for the Kenilworth electorate, to replace the retiring member.”

“That will certainly keep you in the public gaze, especially if you make any political statements. What about you, Vivienne?”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it, but Ashley Rose is a good friend and a great guy. I’ve known him since the early days of the dance band in the Stoneleigh Club, and he’s always been straight with us. He supported the band when others thought we were just kids having fun. My family votes to the right, so we’ll help if we can.”

They were back in the apartment and discussing the improbable future of VivWillow, when Willow’s phone rang.

“Willow speaking.”

“Willow, it’s Sam Vines, how are you?”

“I’m good, Sam. What can I do for you?”

“Where are you? I rang your home and was told that you’re in London.”

“I am, Sam. Vivienne and I have just had a meeting with our label.”

“Is it possible for me, and one other, to meet with you and then have dinner? We’ve just left a lawyer’s office in London. Do you have somewhere quiet that we can talk with both of you?

“We’re at my apartment near Broadcasting House. If you want, we can talk here, and there’s a restaurant on the ground floor where I should be able to book a table for four. Is that all right?”

He said that it was, and she gave him the address, telling him to call when he arrived. Vivienne looked at her.

“That sounded intense.”

“Yes, and he sounded excited. That was Sam Vines, Petunia and Ivy’s father. He is one of our tenants at Small Heath. I wonder what he wants to talk about, and who he’s bringing with him. Either way, we probably only have a little while to make ourselves presentable.”

Vivienne dashed upstairs and Willow changed into a better dress and checked her hair and make-up. They were both back in the sitting room and looking good when the phone rang again. Willow answered and said that she’d be right down.

She went down to the street door to find Sam and Hugh waiting. Hugh smiled.

“This is perfect. Have you booked a table yet?”

“Not yet Hugh.”

“Let’s go and book for eight, if we can. Ted and Kevin can join us, with their wives, after we’ve spoken.”

They went into the restaurant and managed to get a table for eight in the cellar, as long as they started at six, as the venue was fully booked from eight. Willow led them upstairs, with a stop at the landing while Hugh knocked on Ted’s door to invite the two couples for dinner at six.

In the apartment, they sat in the sitting room and Willow offered drinks, with some of the wine still left and the two girls drinking lemonade. Sam took a sip of his wine and then spoke.

“I suppose that you’re interested why we want to talk to you. We’re here because of me sending my girls to your school. With all the things that went on, Hugh and I were able to sit in your studio and have a very private discussion It’s taken a while, but we signed all the paperwork this morning. Hugh has bought my business, with me staying on as CEO on a salary. The thing that affects you, is that he had a chance to properly look at the Small Heath property, especially the huge amount of office space that Mervyn and I don’t use. Over to you, Hugh.”

“That property was a place that I was looking at but didn’t need at the time. Sam’s business was one I’ve been after for a while, as it fits into the others in my stable. I want to utilise the office space as my headquarters, and with Vines Engineering there it makes sense. We’ve spoken to Mervyn, and his head office, and have come to an agreement to use his distribution centre as our means of our product distribution, so boosting his business.”

“That sounds extremely fortuitus, Hugh.”

“It was, Willow. It does leave me with an offer to make to you girls, for you to take to your syndicate. There’s ten of you, yes?”

“Only six now, Hugh. The others have had their shares in Small Heath paid out. They’re only still in the shopping centre we own in Manchester.”

“OK. I want you to talk to the other four. I’m making an offer to take the Small Heath property, allowing you to retain any advance lease payments that have been made.”

“Do you have a number in mind, Hugh?”

“I have, Willow, and that number is seven point two.”

“That is somewhat generous, Hugh.”

“No, it isn’t, Willow. It allows for the increase in value since you bought it, the convenience, to me, of consolidating my operations, and as a side effect of what you saved my companies last year. I gave you lunch and a framed thank-you at the time, and you were gracious and appreciative. At no time have you ever questioned me on what we gained from that report you submitted, but I can tell you that the extra I’ve added to the property is a drop in the ocean compared to the gains we made.”

“Thank you, Hugh. We’ll take it to the others tomorrow. What do you think, Viv?”

“Well, a quick one point two each would be good, and I think that Nancy and the two boys will jump at it. What will Gina think?”

“I’ll ring her in the morning and ask. She was happy to stay with us when we reorganised, but a quick sale could sway her, especially if the rest of us want to sell. Hugh, we’ll discuss it with the others and let you know as soon as we can.”

“That will be good. Sam and I will be at the school on Thursday evening, to see the first dress rehearsal of your new offering. I’m intrigued to see what it’s like.”

“You’ll be surprised. It’s good enough for the English National Opera to want it, so expect an interesting evening. Now, It’s close to six, we should rouse the others and go down for dinner.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025