“Good afternoon, Mr. Leitch. Have you had a busy day?”
Grey eyes peered over wireframe spectacles and gazed upon a vision that lifted the corners of his mouth. “Yes, quite. Thank you for asking. So lovely to see you again, my dear.”
As she entered the tailor’s shop and lithely traced her fingers across yards of brightly colored silk, and muted finely woven wool, her companion quietly assembled outside the entrance door. He had selected a prime location adjacent to the neighboring baker’s store. At that hour, the wafting mixed aromas of warm cookies, cakes, baguettes and shepherd’s bread would lure workers of the day from their homeward paths for just a bit of something to fill their evening meals, or add a little nuance to the setting of the sun.
“And you as well, kind Sir. I do adore observing the mastery in the magic of your finery.”
“Well now, what a lovely thing to say. And I adore listening to you as well. But no more of that ‘Sir’ business. You must call me ‘Arthur,’ as I have said before.”
“Ah, then no more of that ‘dear’ business. You must call me ‘Kathy,’ and we shall both listen to more lovely sounds that will soon fill this room.”
At that moment, when the tailor’s eyes began to sparkle, Kathy’s companion began to strum a well-seasoned lute as he sang a refrain from an old Yorkshire ballad:
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
For once she was a true love of mine
Then slowly, a crowd began to gather, one-by-one and in twos and threes, of those emerging from the bakery or simply passing by, as lamplights began to glow against the evening sky.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without a seam or needlework
Then she shall be a true love of mine
Entwined within the strumming, individual notes came alive and danced their way across the frets and fingerboard to leap and float about the crowd. In time with the rhythm and the melody, pence and schillings soon found their way into the instrument’s open case, sounding light percussive accompaniment and applause.
And then as though entranced, Kathy twirled about the tailor’s shop and took the tailor’s hand, to lead him out into the square and join the merry band. She smiled a wondrous look, with eyes closed to the scene around her, as she gazed upon the vision within her, and her sweet voice shared its verse:
Tell him to find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the salt water and the sea sand
Then he shall be a true love of mine
Then Kathy gave a laugh or two, and raised her arms to the incandescent night, as a blackbird perched itself atop the crescent moon, resting in the palms of her hands.