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Interlude

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From: Tatiana {etc.}

To: George V {etc.}

Our beloved cousin, we thank you for your letter of condolence on the loss of our Imperial parents. As you might imagine, this is a time of deep mourning and uncertainty for all of Russia. Civil war and famine plague our people, and the cancer of Bolshevism continues to eat away at the liberty and prosperity of our most vulnerable. To know that we have the support and affection of Great Britain is a great comfort.

We thank you, also, for the kind invitation to visit your fair land. An Imperial visit to the Kingdom of Great Britain would indeed be a beautiful statement of the solidarity of our family connection and would be most desirable to us personally as well. Alas, the dire circumstances described above will prevent such a dream from taking place for some time. We know that of all the inhabitants of God’s earth, you most of all will understand. We can no sooner leave Russia in her time of need than you would desert your fair island in similar straits.

However, a thought occurs. We are fortunate to have two of our dear sisters remaining to us. The Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia would dearly love a chance to visit our beloved grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. It is our understanding that your Royal Navy has recovered her from the Crimea before the Bolsheviks could threaten her. For this, we thank you most sincerely. Perhaps we can arrange to send our sisters to you—and to our Grandmama—in the near future? Our sisters are most devout, most dutiful girls, but we confess that it pains our heart to see such lovely young women denied the gaiety and fun which should be theirs by right. Perhaps, under your care and that of the Dowager Empress, they might regain some of that ease? Perhaps they, too, may find joy and love in your court? Such a happy outcome would, if not heal, then at least ease the wounds in our soul left by the loss of our beloved parents, brother, and sister Olga.

We thank you, cousin, and keep you and your family in our daily prayers.

With love,

Tatiana Imperatrix


X X X


To: The Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna

From: Tatiana, Empress of all the Russias, etc.


Grandmama,

I received word that Britain’s navy has plucked you from the Crimea before we could manage to get further word to you. We did receive your last letter, and I have taken every word to heart. I reread it almost every day. Your words give me courage. Thank you, Grandmama.

And now I must ask more of you. Cousin George has written with an invitation for us to all come to him in Britain. I suspect he feels guilty that he didn’t offer sooner. I am going to shamelessly play on that guilt. I will not visit him, of course, but I will send Maria and Anastasia to you there in London unless you think it more advisable to meet them in New York, in America.

I should like Maria to marry. Into Britain’s royal family, if possible. I think it would make her happy, and keep her safe. She is miserable here, Grandmama, and I suspect she will soon begin to hate Russia itself for what has happened to our family. I cannot afford that, as you well know, and so I need a safe, honorable way for her to be gone. So much the better if I can secure and reinforce allies in so doing.

I ask you to be my agent in this, not just for me, or Maria, or our family . . . but for the future of Russia herself. Until the war is settled, I doubt that I shall be able to make an acceptable marriage alliance of my own, and so I must name one of my sisters as heir. For the reasons stated above, I do not think Maria is suitable.

So, it must be Anastasia.

I know. Anastasia is the most mischievous and immature of all of us. But my hope is that she can be molded, forged, into a Grand Duchess and heir worthy of the Romanov name. I will send her initially to you, but I think she will not stay long in London. We are working out plans for her, which I will relay to you at a later date when they are more finalized.

Finally, I do have some good news. We have recovered Aunt Ella . . . alive. She was badly abused by the Reds, may they burn in Hell for eternity. But she is strong, as you know. She recovers even now. Her reputation with the people of Russia will be a formidable weapon in this war, especially once it becomes known how she suffered. Though it is distasteful to me to use her personal tragedy in that way, I realize that I can leave no advantage unused. She would say the same.

As would you, I know. I miss you tremendously, Grandmama. I dearly wish I could have you here to guide me, but I think your presence in London is the more critical at this juncture. If cousin George can be persuaded of the Bolshevik threat, not just to me, but to himself and his realm . . . I could dearly use his armed forces. I know the time is not quite right to ask. But soon, I fear I will have no choice.

I need you, and to a lesser extent Maria, to prepare him, his court, and the British government for such a question. Because when I ask, I need them to agree.

I have all the faith in the world in you, Grandmama. You were an exemplar of everything an imperial consort should be. And now I am Tsarina regnant, and I shall adapt your example to my own situation.

With all of my love, and deepest hopes that I may see you in person soon,

Tatiana


P.S. Travel for my sisters is going to be catch as catch can. The Czech Legion is going to secure the railway, but from Vladivostok there’s no telling how they’ll cross the Pacific. They will wire you when they reach America.





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