Dee returned to the marketplace the following week to pick up the scarf. Virgil's scarf. The shopkeeper presented the finished gift in trembling hands and lowered her head. "I hope it is to your liking, my lord." He smiled as he took the shimmering length of silk from her hands. She’d married together long strips of gold and purple silk with nearly invisible stitches. The seams were smooth and unobtrusive, each panel flowing from one to the other. Tiny, spiraling decorative stitches in gold thread adorned the edges, glimmering and catching the light. Dee removed one glove and pulled the scarf through his hands. It slipped through his fingers like water, cool, smooth, and fluid.
She peeked at his face. "Does it please you?"