Lead and quietly withdraw (7)
I believe the answer is:
precede
'lead' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'quietly withdraw' is the wordplay.
'quietly' becomes 'p' (p for piano and quiet).
'withdraw' becomes 're-cede' (synonyms).
'p'+'recede'='PRECEDE'
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for precede that I've seen before include "Pave the way" , "Come or go before" , "Come before (something)" , "Walk in front of" , "Having to come in front" .)