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