‘How on earth did you know that?’ asked Lucy, clearly astonished.
She wasn’t the only one to be taken aback. The ghosts gazed at Lawrie with a mixture of awe, respect, and amazement.
He laughed. ‘My son William. He was a huge Proclaimers’ fan back in the day. Still is, as a matter of fact. I remember him playing their albums over and over, and he had a particular fondness for this song.’
‘So he did!’ Agnes exclaimed. ‘IknewI’d heard it before.’
‘Well,’ said Immi, ‘that gives it a special meaning to Brodie, too, doesn’t it?’
‘It does,’ Lucy agreed. ‘Is William coming back for the engagement party?’ she asked Lawrie.
He shook his head. ‘Sadly not. However, he and Katya have promised to be here for the wedding, come hell or high water, so maybe if this goes well you could all repeat the performance for him then?’
‘But he won’t hear us,’ Agnes pointed out sadly.
‘That could be a good thing,’ Florrie said, giving Isaac a pointed look and rubbing her ears as if they were still hurting from his bellowing.
‘He’ll hear as much as Brodie will,’ Lawrie said with a shrug.
‘We’ve got to blooming learn the thing first,’ Bill told him.
‘Be honest,’ said Polly, ‘how bad did it sound?’
‘It sounded very good, actually,’ Lawrie assured her. ‘Of course,’ he added as the ghosts looked highly relieved and rather self-congratulatory, ‘it helped enormously that you were singing along with the track. What it will sound like without that is anyone’s guess.’
‘Like cats in a bag,’ came a voice from the back of the cinema.
Lawrie turned, and the ghosts and Immi craned their necks to see who had spoken.
The Reverend Silas Alexander got to his feet. Evidently, he’d been sitting in a seat in one of the rows furthest from the stage and had been watching the proceedings without making his presence known. They’d all been so focused on what was happening onstage that they hadn’t noticed him.
‘What’s old grumpy chops doin’ ’ere?’ Florrie muttered.
‘What’s the matter?’ whispered Lucy, seeing the surprise on Immi’s face.
‘The shouty vicar’s here,’ Immi whispered back.
‘Oh heck,’ Lucy murmured. ‘I’m guessing he’s not here to support us.’
‘No need for insults, Silas,’ Aubrey said. ‘We’ve only just started after all. What brings you to our rehearsals anyway? I wouldn’t have thought this would be of any interest to you.’
‘Want to join us, Reverend?’ asked Ray cheekily. ‘You’d be very welcome to sing along.’
Silas visibly shuddered. ‘Hardly. However, I was curious to see how you were getting along, and it’s as bad as I feared. Some of you have truly appalling voices. It’s enough to make Callie call the whole thing off, if you ask me.’
‘Well, no one did ask you,’ Agnes said tartly. ‘And if you’re not going to be constructive then you may as well leave.’
Silas smirked. ‘Always the feisty one, eh, Mrs Ashcroft?’
Agnes gave an indignant gasp, and a visibly cross Aubrey took a step forward. ‘Now, look here, Silas?—’
‘Sorry!’ Silas held up his hands. ‘A slip of the tongue, I assure you. I meant, MrsWyndham, naturally.’
‘Silas, I do think that it would be best if you left them to it,’ Lawrie said firmly. ‘After all, they only have until Saturday to learn this song and it’s Wednesday now. They don’t need anyone putting them off or obstructing them.’
‘Not here to obstruct them, or to put them off,’ Silas said. He walked down the centre aisle towards the stage and sat down next to Lawrie. ‘I thought, since I’ve nothing better to do, that I could help.’
There were some doubtful mutterings at that.
