"I guess you've seen a lot of Christmases," says Jo. She touches the spruce which stands in Abe's shop window. "A lot of Christmas trees."

"Actually," says Henry, coming to hand her a cup of mulled wine, "I pre-date Christmas trees."

"What?"

He smiles. " Christmas trees were a Victorian invention. Well, strictly a Germanic Yule tradition, but...Prince Albert insisted on a tree, the Queen naturally went along with it, she adored him, and then all of England - and the Empire - adopted this fashionable new thing." He shrugs. "All well after my time. Very modern."

Jo is open mouthed. "You are older than Christmas trees."

"Yup. In my day it was all roast capon and Twelfth Cake."

She goggles a little. No trees. "Please tell me you had mince pies."

"Yes. They are traditional."

"Well, that's something." She glances sideways at him, and bumps her shoulder against his. He bumps back, and they laugh. It is good to be here, to talk like this about his strange past. She appreciates that he knows her past too. In fact it is a relief to have a friend who makes her own past seem as nothing. It doesn't hurt that he's goodlooking, either. Not that there would ever be anything between them. If he goes back further than Christmas trees, he probably gave up that kind of thing long ago.

She slurps the mulled wine. It tastes of cinnamon and ginger, apples as well as grapes. It tastes... ancient and bright, like the light in Henry's eyes.

"Merry modern Christmas, Henry," Jo says, turning to face him.

"Merry Christmas, Jo," he says in return. "And look up."

"What?"

But she has already tilted her head, and before she can think Mistletoe, he is kissing her lips, very gentlemanly, but with passion.

When she meets his eye again, he is smirking.

"I cannot believe I just fell for that," she says. "Actually I can't believe you just ...kissed me." It was nice. She is a little stunned by how nice it was.

Henry shrugs with the nonchalance of centuries. "I make no apology," he says. "I find you very beautiful, and anyway..."

"What?"

He takes her hand, smiling. "It's traditional."