‘Help?’ Lawrie narrowed his eyes. ‘In what way?’
‘Well,’ Silas explained, ‘it’s all very well having a living person in charge of proceedings, but she’s pretty limited in what she can do, isn’t she?’
‘Which is why I’m here,’ Lawrie pointed out. ‘And Immi, of course.’
‘But far better to have a ghost taking charge of the proceedings, don’t you think?’
‘You must be joking,’ Ronnie said, shaking his head in horror at the thought. ‘You’re the last person we need to be in charge.’
‘Well, it’s up to you.’ Silas steepled his fingers under his chin and watched them keenly. ‘Go ahead. Carry on as you are. If you don’t want my experience and expertise, then so be it.’
‘What experience and expertise?’ Peter asked. He’d never been particularly fond of the clergy, and The Reverend Alexander was one of the worst of his kind he’d ever met. Given that Peter’s death had been an indirect result of him dodging church because of another bolshy vicar, no one could blame him for that.
‘Have you any idea how long I formed and taught choirs?’ Silas demanded. ‘Decades! I was responsible for recruiting the singers and training them, and believe me, my choirs were some of the best in the land. We won awards. People came for miles to listen to us. Why, when I was curate at the church in Steeple Bagnall I?—’
‘That was a long time ago,’ Lawrie said kindly. ‘Are you sure you’re still up to the job?’
Silas gave him a ferocious look. ‘Still up to the job? Of course I’m up to the job! When one has such gifts, one never forgets how to use them! It’s a great pity I can’t physically play the piano any longer because I’m probably one of the finest pianists you’re ever likely to hear.’
‘And the most modest,’ murmured Polly.
‘Having listened to that peculiar song three times now,’ Silas continued, ‘I would suggest that we’d need at the very least a pianist, a guitarist, and a violinist. I would also venture that we should have three soloists, each singing one verse each, with an additional singer coming in on the fifth line of each verse. Then all of you would sing the chorus.’
‘I didn’t know theyhadguitars when you were alive,’ Brooke said in surprise.
‘My dear child, they had guitars long before my lifetime, although I will admit that the sound they produce has changed a great deal since my death. But I do keep up with musical trends, believe it or not, and even though 99 per cent of what passes for music these days is utter bilge I take comfort from the 1 per cent that soothes the soul.’
‘What on earth is going on?’ Lucy asked, clearly exasperated.
Lawrie quickly explained what Silas had just said.
Lucy blew out her cheeks. ‘You know, that’s pretty impressive. I was going to suggest a very similar arrangement and I’ve had a head start on the vicar, given I’ve known which song we’d be doing since last night – if you all agreed, of course – and that I’d talked it all over with Sam.’
Silas looked smug at the compliment. ‘So,’ he said. ‘Do you want my help or not?’
‘Dowe want his help?’ Lawrie questioned. He opened his hands in a gesture that clearly said it was up to the ghosts.
‘I think, given how little time we’ve got, and that neither myself or Sam can communicate directly with most of you, that we probably do,’ Lucy said.
The ghosts eyed each other uncertainly.
‘I suppose she has a point,’ Walter said grudgingly.
‘I think that’d be swell, Silas,’ Harmony said, bestowing a beautiful Hollywood smile on the rather startled vicar. ‘So, any thoughts on who should take the solos?’
Silas clapped his hands. ‘Since you ask, yes, I have. But I’d like to hear you each sing a verse before I make my final decision.’
As everyone exchanged worried looks he practically ran up the steps onto the stage and Danny thought he’d never seen such a look of enthusiasm on the vicar’s face.
‘Something to do at last,’ Aubrey murmured to him. ‘He’s been very low lately, and rather bored, I fear. This could be the making of him.’
‘And the finish of us,’ Danny said with feeling. He wasn’t so keen on the idea of singing a solo in front of everyone, and he clearly wasn’t the only one as several of the ghosts asked if they could opt out of auditions and just sing the chorus with everyone else instead.
‘Don’t you dare,’ Brooke warned him before he had the chance to make the same request. ‘I’m strictly a chorus girl only, but if you chicken out of this, I’ll never forgive you. You’ve got a brilliant voice, Danny. Please don’t hide it away.’
‘That so?’ Harmony asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘Well in that case, you’d better audition, Danny, because we need all the decent voices we can get. C’mon,’ she pleaded, seeing the doubtful expression on his face, ‘think of Callie and Brodie if nothing else. You can’t subject them to Isaac’s terrible impression of a cow in labour, can you?’
Danny grinned. ‘S’pose not. Okay, I’ll give it a shot.’
