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‘Neither can I,’ Ted interjected. He was clearly wondering how Aksel was going to sculpt a pair of antlers too.
‘You’re all killing me...’ Aksel muttered the words under his breath, but he was grinning broadly. He was clearly in his element.
He bent down, kissing Mette goodbye and telling her to enjoy her afternoon. Flora took her hand and walked away, knowing that Aksel was watching them go. It wasn’t until she’d turned into one of the walkways between the stalls that she heard the chainsaw start up again.
* * *
Mette had told everyone about how her papa was using a chainsaw to make her a reindeer out of ice. When Flora arrived back at the children’s unit to pick her up, the nursery nurses and some of the children already had their hats and coats on.
‘Are we ready, then?’ Lyle was wearing a thick windcheater and was clearly intending to join the party. Flora hoped that they wouldn’t be disappointed.
‘Should we phone Ted first? To see if it’s finished?’ And possibly to make sure that the reindeer hadn’t collapsed and they’d be greeted by an amorphous pile of ice.
Lyle chuckled. ‘Aksel called me earlier for some orthopaedic advice.’
‘He’s hurt himself?’ Flora hoped that Aksel hadn’t overdone things and damaged his shoulder.
‘No, it was more a matter of how thick the reindeer’s legs needed to be to support the weight of the body. Interesting equation. I called Ted just now, and he says that it’s all going rather well.’
Lyle looked round as Cass entered the room, displaying the sixth sense of a lover who always knew when his partner was nearby.
‘I can’t wait to see it.’ Cass’s green eyes flashed with mischief. ‘There’s something very sexy about a man using power tools...’
Yes, there was. And there was something almost overwhelmingly sexy about Aksel using power tools. Combine that with large blocks of ice, and it was enough to melt the most frozen heart.
‘You think so? I might have to have a go, then.’ Lyle raised an eyebrow and Cass laughed.
They all trooped out of the main entrance to the clinic, Mette holding her hand. It was dark now and the lights of the carnival shone brightly ahead of them, people straggling along the path that led down from the castle.
The first evening of the carnival was, as always, well attended. Charles Ross-Wylde was there, fulfilling his duties as Laird and host by greeting everyone and then melting quietly away to leave them to their fun. His sister Esme had brought a couple of the dogs from the canine therapy centre, and was clearly taking the opportunity to make sure that they weren’t distracted by the lights and sounds around them.
Mette tugged at Flora’s hand, remembering which way they needed to walk to get to the ice sculpture. As they approached, Flora could see Ted adjusting the lights that were placed at the bottom of the sculpture to show it off to its best effect. And Aksel’s tall, unmistakeable silhouette standing back a little.
He turned, seeming to sense that they were there, and walked towards them. Shooting Flora a smile, he addressed Mette.
‘Would you like to come and see your reindeer?’
‘Yes, Papa!’
Flora watched as he led his daughter over to the reindeer, letting her stand close so that she could see the lights reflected in the ice. It was beautiful, standing tall and proud, a full set of antlers on its head. The lights glistened through the ice, making it seem almost alive.
Over the noise of the carnival, Flora could hear Mette’s excited chatter. Lyle came to inspect the reindeer and Mette took his hand, pulling him closer to take a look. Aksel stood back, leaving his daughter with Lyle and Cass, and walked over to Flora.
‘That is downright amazing.’ Flora grinned up at him.
‘I had a bit of help. One of the antlers snapped off, and Ted and I had to re-attach it. And Dr Sinclair’s anatomical knowledge was invaluable.’
‘Yes, I heard about that. I’m a little more interested in your anatomy.’ Flora frowned. She could have phrased that a little better. Somehow, a perfectly innocent enquiry about his shoulder seemed to have turned into a barely disguised chat-up line.
‘My shoulder’s fine. If that’s what you mean.’ The slight quirk of his lips showed that Aksel was quite prepared to call her bluff, and Flora decided to ignore the invitation.
‘I’m glad you haven’t undone the work I did on it.’
‘It might be a bit stiff in the morning...’
Flora returned his smile. ‘If it is, I’ll be officially reporting you to Lyle for some more orthopaedic advice.’ A repetition of last night was probably to be avoided.
‘You make that sound like a threat.’
