Tudor Redemption (Tudor Dynasty Book 4)

by Jamie Salisbury

  “I do too. I worry about her in that house. Though it was a wonderful thing for Ethan to do, I think perhaps Bainbridge isn’t the place. There’s no fence, no security, and the paparazzi are brazen as hell.”

  “Yeah, there’s a lot more boat traffic there, making it easy for the paparazzi. Can’t a fence be built, or is there some rule there not to?” Amadeus asked.

  “Yeah, it’s a tourist trap for sure, and I’m not sure what the rule is on fences. I know they’re really big on leaving things as natural as possible.”

  “See, was that so hard?” Angus chuckled.

  “I didn’t want to say anything until we’ve had some time to figure things out. But if that photo is on the internet, it’s only a matter of time until the girls see it.”

  “Or Ethan,” Amadeus replied.

  “Or Beth,” I muttered. “I’ll try to warn her next time I talk with her. Which will be when I go looking at possible office sites. That’s going to be a decision. I know I don’t want to go to Bellevue for a couple of reasons.”

  “It’ll all fall into place, Damien. You’ll see,” Zara said. “Why don’t you want the Bellevue location?”

  “I’m from Seattle. Everything I’ve done has been in this city. I’d feel sort of like a deserter, having my office on the eastside. Second, there’s the cost of doing business there. Real estate is a lot pricier.”

  “Good reasons.” Angus nodded.

  “Go with what is going to scream success, Dame. If you’d like, I’ll go with you. I mean, I am the public relations person for The Consortium, no reason I can’t come along,” Zara added, smiling at me.

  “I don’t want to take you away from anything here.”

  “You won’t be. Let me know when you have a day and time. I’ll work it out. Won’t we, Amadeus?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure I can manage for a few hours.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  All of a sudden, things were progressing at warp speed. Decisions to be made. People wanting my attention from all angles. The list went on and on.

  Zara had indeed come along on the quest to find the perfect office space for my fledgling company. I was also glad to have her along because it was one more family member who met Ethan and Beth. Zara was quite impressed with Ethan and wholeheartedly approved of Beth.

  The first place was dismissed almost immediately. It was an older building in the Pioneer Square area. Though it had charm and character, I didn’t want people to think the Consortium was laid back. I wanted to convey we were on the cutting edge.

  Which is what we found in the next building. It was newer, sleeker, and oozed success. The property manager had two spaces for us to see. The first one, while on a lower floor, had a view of the city, not the image I wanted people to see when they walked inside. I wanted the view of Puget Sound and the Olympics.

  The moment I set foot into the second space, I knew it was the one. It was everything I wanted—the views, the stark modern look, success. The previous tenant had moved to a higher floor in the building, leaving the space in fairly decent condition. Change the carpet, paint. Not a huge amount of work.

  Then, Ethan suggested we look at something else he had in mind. Something he’d forgotten. Though I was ready to agree to this space, I went along with him. He took us to an empty, two story building on Queen Anne hill. Though it wasn’t sleek and modern, it had potential. The building was in good shape. The offices could be housed on the second floor, while I envisioned a recording studio on the first. Everything under one roof, like I wanted. A lot of work to be done, but this felt like the right choice. There was no rush.

  With the home for The Consortium chosen, there were other things calling my name. Courtney and Brittany. We’d been passing each other for weeks now. I finally insisted we all have dinner, their choice, an evening to catch up.

  As it ended up, we had pizza at home. Britt’s schedule was crazy mad with school and work. Courtney, not so much.

  “Okay, I just wanted to get us together to touch base. I feel like I haven’t seen either of you in weeks.”

  “We’ve been around. Just busy like you.” Britt chuckled.

  “I know, but I don’t want it to consume us. I know I’ve got a lot on my plate right now with the new business and recording. But I’m never too busy for either of you. Remember that.”

  “We know, and we will,” Courtney chimed in. “So, why don’t you hire a business person to help you manage things?”

  “I may in the future. Right now, it’s just learning to juggle my schedule. It should start settling down. Once Ethan is on tour especially.”

  “And you and Beth?” Britt giggled as she picked up a piece of pizza.

  “What about Beth?”

  “We’ve seen the picture, Daddy. Everyone has.”

  “Yeah, it’s on the internet,” Britt replied.

  “There’s nothing going on. At least not yet. When that picture happened, we decided to shelve everything until Ethan was on the road. It would give us some time alone to talk and try to figure things out.”

  “You going to take her out on the boat?”

  “I don’t know yet. The weather is cooling down. I just may have her come over here. Her place isn’t too private from prying eyes.”

  “Not to be the bearer of bad news, Daddy, but Mom’s seen the picture. In fact, she’s been keeping up with everything,” Court said with a straight face.

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Did she call?”

  “Yeah, she called me. Court won’t talk to her when she starts in on you. She was Mom. What can I say? I didn’t give her anything to go on. Told her it wasn’t her concern what you did or who you saw. When she tried to discuss Ethan, I cut her off. Told her she was out of bounds,” Britt answered.

  “Thanks. I hadn’t even thought of her seeing it or her finding out about Ethan’s career move. Her nosing around for information doesn’t surprise me though.”

  “Don’t worry, neither Court nor I will tell her a thing. I think her life in L.A. isn’t going quite the way she envisioned.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I think she thought she was going to take the town by storm, and it didn’t quite work out that way. I think she regrets some things.”

  “Not my problem, and don’t get caught up in her drama.” I picked up another slice and put it on my plate. “Court? How are your piano lessons going?”

  “Great. I’ve really learned a lot. She said I might be able to do a recital later in the fall. I’m on the fence about school. I want to go to a school like Julliard, but I don’t want to just wait around.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Do you think I could pick up some session work?” She pushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear.

  When did she get that many ear piercings? Not my concern. She’s a grown woman. “I’m sure you can. I’ll keep you in mind when I start cutting this CD.”

  She squealed. “That would be awesome, Daddy.”

  “I wish there was something I could do to be part of all this,” Britt interjected.

  I eyed her closely. She’d never had much interest in music. Sure, she’d learned to play piano, and had even taken up guitar, but I had no clue as to whether she’d kept them up or not. On the other hand, she was going after a business degree, and wanted to go international. Perhaps there might be a way.

  “You not happy in your job?”

  “Not really. It’s a dead end. Doing this internship with Microsoft is going to be a huge plus for me, but I need to find a job more in line with where I want to go. Retail sales ain’t it.”

  “Let me think about it. I am going to need someone who can take calls. You know, basic stuff. For now, you’d work here. Beth has a cell phone Ethan got with a dedicated number. I can get it from her, and you can use it for the time being. The new offices may not be ready until the first of the year.”

  “If you’re serious, Daddy, I’m interested.”

  “This is a real bu
siness, Britt, and just starting out, everyone associated has to act like that. No goofing around with your pals.”

  “I understand.”

  “Okay, let me think on it some. Like what your duties might be, stuff like that. Don’t go quitting your job just yet. I’ve got a lot going on right now, but you’re definitely up for consideration.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “What else is going on, anything?”

  “Nope, pretty boring. You’re the one with all the cool stuff happening.” Court snorted.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I stood in front of the mic and took a deep breath. All the hard work everyone had put in now boiled down to my vocal tracks.

  Amadeus’s voice came through my headset. He sat at the control panel in the production room, watching me through the window. “I want to hear rock and roll, Dame. Sing from your gut like you did with Rypp Tyde. Give me that raw soul.”

  I gave him a thumbs up, and we began the process, the magic. Every emotion I had writing them came spilling out. I dared not look at anything, just let the music flow through my brain and very being. I went back to a time long ago. When I was a young, arrogant punk, sure I was better than all the rest.

  The song ended, the music fading in my ears. I reached for the headphones, but not before Amadeus came through with a “Fuck yes!” I looked over at him behind the glass. He had a huge grin on his face and both thumbs up. Setting the headphones down, I walked through the door.

  “Come on, you’ve got to hear this! You nailed it, man.”

  “I did what you said.”

  The music played through the speakers. I walked around the small room. A habit I had from years in the studio. The further into the song, the more I couldn’t believe it was me singing. I glanced over at Amadeus, who was sitting there with that same grin plastered over his face.

  Once it ended, he was out of his chair hugging me. “You’re on fire, Dame.”

  “It is good, isn’t it? Damn good.” I hesitated. “Play it again.”

  He played it two or three more times. Though it was perfect, I still had to ask. “You want to do it again?”

  “Hell no! I’m saving this. There’s no need to mess with perfection.”

  By the time Zara stuck her head in inquiring as to whether or not we were interested in the dinner she’d prepared, we’d cut three more songs. Each time with the same result. I was amazed. The quality was beyond anything I’d ever attempted.

  “I think we need a break anyway,” Amadeus told her. “You’re not going to believe this, Zara. Dame is on fire. One take on everything he’s done. Perfection.”

  “Damien, you been hiding something from us?”

  “No. I just did what Amadeus asked, that’s all.”

  “Can I play her the first track, Dame?” He knew I’d kept this a closed session for a reason. It was my first attempt at doing anything solo. I was afraid I would botch something along the way. There were some things I had to mentally prepare myself for. It was a lingering side effect of having had a stroke. Something I’d learned to live with after all these years.

  “Yeah, go ahead. But no one else. Not even Angus. Not until we’ve got them all done.”

  “I don’t have to hear it now, Dame. I can wait, just like everyone else.”

  “No, I want you to hear it. Amadeus is right. It’s smokin’ hot.”

  I turned away as the music started. Nervous at what she’d think. One thing about Zara, she had a knack for knowing what was good and what wasn’t.

  “Oh my god, Damien. This is incredible. Your voice is as strong as it was years ago. You sound phenomenal. Don’t do anything to this. It’s perfect as it is.” When the music ended, she hugged me. “You’ve got yourself a hit. I hope you know that. Both of you. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

  “Thanks Zara. That means a lot coming from you.”

  “I can already envision the CD cover.”

  “Really? What? Because I haven’t even thought that far ahead.”

  “Come on, you two. Take a break. There’s plenty of time to discuss CD covers.” Zara laughed as she walked outside.

  Three days later, I had a total of twelve tracks laid down. All my own original compositions. All done in one take. Now came the backup vocals. Amadeus and I had decided to do them ourselves. We knew the material and exactly how it should sound.

  “What would you think about Courtney playing keyboards on a couple?” Amadeus asked, leaning back in his chair at the control board.

  “Don’t tell me. She’s been burning up the phone lines with you and Zara trying to get an in.”

  “Yeah, you might say that,” he chuckled. “I told her you had the last say.”

  “I bet that went over well.”

  “No, she understood. She has no experience. But how about we give her some, Dame?”

  “To add to her resume? In case she wants to go somewhere like Julliard?”

  “Yes, that’s another reason. If you’d feel more comfortable, I could work with her myself. Record her without you being present.”

  “Because I might make her nervous?”

  He chuckled. “You might. She looks up to you, believe it or not.”

  “I’m not much on keyboards, so you would be better at guiding her through what we’re looking for.”

  “Precisely.”

  “You’re also an arrogant snot. Anyone ever tell you that?”

  “All the time.”

  “Okay, we have three that could use keyboards. I agree because she’s damn good, and it’ll help her out with whatever direction she wants to take her career.”

  “Yes. She has to start somewhere. Plus, if this album takes off, it’ll be a real feather in her cap.”

  “Then, it’s done. Once we’re through, I’ll let you do the final mix.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I need someone to do the cover. I was hoping to get Peter’s daughter, Nora. Unfortunately, she’s covered up for the next couple of months.”

  “Why not ask Zara? She’s got the equipment and know how. Plus, she’s good and quite reasonable in her rates.” He winked at me, that smug grin on his face.

  “I suppose I could, though I hate to impose on her any more than I already am.”

  “Look, she did it for that GQ article a few years back. Ask her. I know she’s got your cover envisioned. I think it’s going to be kick ass. Matching what’s inside.”

  “Okay, I’ll ask her. Has this become a Tudor family project?”

  “Might as well make use of all the family talent.” He chuckled.

  “Seriously, A, I thought perhaps we should send Peter a track or two. Get his opinion. His instinct is spot on too. Not to mention he does have a vast wealth of knowledge and contacts.”

  “He does, and I happen to know he’s in New York with Mother. Why don’t I call him? Tell him I’m sending a track and that I’d like his honest opinion.”

  “Not tell him who?” I chuckled.

  “Yeah. He may not realize it’s you at first, since I doubt he’s listened to Rypp Tyde.”

  “Do it.” My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and stared at the screen. Beth. “I need to take this. Why don’t you call Peter and send him the track? Then, we best get to dinner, or Zara will be hunting us.”

  I walked outside and kept going until I was far enough from my kid brother’s ears. “Hey stranger. What’s up?”

  “I’m home. Finally.”

  “Everything finally fall into place?”

  “Yes, but with all this stuff about him signing with Consortium…well, there’s been a lot more interest. I finally got every request for an interview scheduled.”

  “The first week is always the hardest.”

  “I so agree with you. Speaking of you, what have you been up to? You’re a hard man to catch.”

  “I just finished up cutting my CD. Amadeus and I are about to add some background vocals, and some keyboards. Then, I’ll turn it ove
r into his capable hands.”

  “That’s wonderful! So, how is it? Are you happy with what you did?”

  “You need to hear it for yourself, Beth. It’s phenomenal. I didn’t know I had it in me.”

  “Really? Now I’m curious.”

  “You and Courtney both.” I chuckled. “She’s been trying to persuade her uncle to use her vocal or keyboard talents.”

  “I take it you didn’t?”

  “Not yet. Amadeus is going to talk to her about doing keyboards on a few tracks. Let her cut her teeth, so to speak.”

  “I can’t wait. I can tell by the excitement in your voice it’s good.”

  “It is. It really is, Beth.”

  “So...when will you be finished? I thought we could get together like we talked about.”

  “I’d like that. Very much. Amadeus and I have the background vocals. We expect to be done tomorrow. I’ve been staying out here, and I’m sure Zara will be glad to be rid of me.”

  “Sounds like that wasn’t planned.”

  “No, it wasn’t. Once we got going and heard what we had, we decided to keep on until we finished.”

  “That’s a good sign.”

  “Yeah, it is. Back to what you were talking about. I should be home tomorrow afternoon or evening at the latest. Why don’t you think about what you’d like to do, and I’ll call you when I’m on my way back. I’m sure you could use a day to relax.”

  “That sounds like a plan, Dame. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to doing nothing.” She giggled. “I’ll be waiting for your call tomorrow. No matter what time. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “So am I,” I replied. “I’ve really missed you, Beth.”

  “Me too.”

  I heard something behind me and turned to look. Amadeus was closing the door to his studio. Louder than usual, to make me notice. He was grinning too. Must mean success with Peter.

  “Look I’ve got to go. Zara has dinner waiting.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Talk to you tomorrow. Glad you’re back, Bethie.”