Belonging to the Iceman

The Worst Night of His Life

"Nicolas..." She breathed seeing him standing on her front verandah peering into the house through the screen door, the biggest bouquet of red roses he could buy in his hands.

"Shantelle, je n'ai jamais senti aussi mal de toute ma vie! Je suis désolé pour toutes ces choses horribles que j'ai dit! Je ne vous demandera jamais de renoncer à votre rêve et ... et ... et je peux faire la cuisine quelques jours et je suis assez bon à la vaisselle! Et comme pour nos petits, je n'aurais jamais de vous les faire Rasie sur votre propre! Je sais que je vais voyager beaucoup, mais chaque fois que je suis chez moi, je prends vos mains et laissez-vous détendre et vous reposer! Nous sommes dans le même Shantelle Alissa, et je ne laisserons jamais vous pensez que vous êtes le seul dans ce mariage!"

"Nicolas, you are in Australia, please speak English!" She said unlocking the screen door and opening it for him, gesturing for him to come into her home.

"Sorry Shantelle, I was just saying this, I have never felt so bad in all my life! I am so sorry for all those horrible things I said! I would never ask you to give up your dream and I can do the cooking some days and I'm pretty good at washing up! And as for our little ones, I would never make you raise them on your own! I know I will be travelling a lot but whenever I am home I will take them off your hands and let you relax and unwind! We are in this together Shantelle Alissa, and I will never let you believe you are alone in this marriage!"

"Marriage? Little Ones?" She stammered "oh Nicolas! You are moving too fast!!"

He opened his mouth to speak but shut it again.

Finally, he found his voice "Please, don't leave me Shantelle..." He begged, beginning to cry "I don't know what else to say! I just feel as if everything I say I am scaring you away from marrying me!"

"I have to get to my workshop, Nicolas" Shantelle told him "But please, stay here at Warrawee and make yourself at home, the only thing I ask is if a door is locked it is locked for a good reason! So no peeking! I will be home late..."

"Can I take your dog for a walk to your favourite place, the cemetery you love so much?" He asked

"Pharaoh will not let anyone walk him that he doesn't know, in fact, I'll put him in the backyard, he may even bite you..." Shantelle said leading her best friend outside.

When she came back she said to him, "Stay here please?"

He watched her go and sighed when he saw her drive away.

*

By mid-morning he had explored her beautiful home, as he was making himself a sandwich in the kitchen he heard someone call out for Shantelle from the front screen door.

"Shantelle, Love? It's Bill and Elsa, we heard you're back to do a new piece for a client" Bill Mallory called.

"Shantelle is not home at the moment, she is actually at her workshop," Nicolas said finding his voice.

"And who might you be? You're French aren't you?" Bill asked.

Elsa realised who it was "it's Nicolas Prost, Bill! Oh isn't his voice so romantic!?"

Nicolas unlocked the screen door and instantly Bill stormed in "I tell you Frenchy! You break her heart and force her to give up her dream and you'll wish you'd never met her!" He threatened "I love that girl like she was my daughter!"

"BILL!" Elsa scolded, pulling him out of Shantelle's front entry "I apologise Nicolas..."

As soon as they were gone he set to work to cook her the most amazing, romantic dinner and dessert she had ever had.

He ended up making a creamy pasta dish for them with herb bread and a delicious cheese platter afterwards, he found a bottle of white wine in her wine rack, put it in the fridge to cool and set the table.

Checking his watch, it was five forty-five in the afternoon so he went for a shower and got ready.

Then he waited, six o'clock turned into seven o'clock, and seven o'clock turned into eight o'clock.

How late was late?

He blew the candles out that had been burning for the last two hours when her grandfather clock struck nine o'clock.

By ten o'clock he was out on her front verandah, watching the street, waiting for her to come home.

By eleven o'clock he gulped down the rest of the wine in his glass and left the dining room, the food had long gone cold and the dinner he had cooked was ruined.

Locking the house, and switching the lights out he headed back into the lounge room and settled down on her lounge and fell asleep.

*

She was just locking up her workshop when someone grabbed her, instantly she put up a struggle but he was too strong for her.

"You think you can survive in a man's world Shantelle?" He said, feeling her breasts, as his hand clamped over her mouth, preventing her from screaming.

"Well let me tell you sweet cheeks...you either give up stonemasonry or me and my mates will have you every way a woman is meant to be had by a man! It's up to you Shantelle!" Then he let her go and taunted her as she ran to her car "Hope you don't have nightmares tonight!"

She shook uncontrollably as she drove home, more than terrified.

Fumbling to get her keys in the front door as she glanced around nervously, Nicolas opened the door and felt his heart stop as he saw his beautiful fiancée crying and shaking.

He tended to her bruises, made her a cup of tea, and soothed her, getting her to sleep finally in the early hours of the morning.

He sat in a chair by her bedside and watched her sleep; ready to get her anything or hold her if she woke up screaming from a nightmare.

It had been the worst night of his life.

The children were speechless and horrified as they gazed at Shantelle.

"He really loved you didn't he Isoäiti?" Lucas asked, "Cooking that meal, taking care of you after you were attacked! Did you continue being a Stonemason in Brisbane after that horrible night?"

Shantelle looked at her grandson and said "No, Nicolas and I went to Melbourne, and then I went back to Paris with him, where we quickly arranged our engagement party and our wedding!"

"But who attacked you Isoäiti?" Elysia asked.

"I never found out because I went back to Paris to settle down, plus Nico found me a beautiful old workshop where I could continue being a stonemason in Paris, I just never went back to doing it in Australia!"

"Well, at least you didn't give it up Kulta!" Kimi said, kissing her.