The Grand Ducal Coup has succeeded. In order to avoid revolution, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, the Tsar's brother, takes the reigns of the Government in Petrograd and declares himself regent with the support of all senior Grand Dukes. With a he...
After spending two weeks recovering in bed, Vladimir's strength was gradually returning, though he still didn't quite feel like his usual self. During this time, he took the opportunity to compose a new poem titled "Message to Contemporary Circe," reflecting on his wartime experiences—a piece he knew his mother had begun circulating throughout the town. Once his doctor granted permission for him to move about the palace, he dedicated his hours to working with Irina and Natalia on a new play. They planned to present it to their parents upon his impending departure.
He had initially anticipated returning to his regiment at the end of the month, but the doctor recommended a longer period of recovery, emphasizing the potential benefits of travelling to a warmer climate. Given the closed borders and the challenges of travel, it took some time to decide on a suitable destination. Fortunately, Vladimir's former guardian, Colonel Fenu, who had cared for him during his days at the Corps des Pages when his parents resided in Paris, provided a solution. He extended an invitation for a hasty journey down the Volga, which would span a couple of weeks.
Before his departure, Vladimir was taken aback by an unexpected invitation to tea from none other than Empress Alexandra. His mother was ecstatic, but Vladimir approached the invitation with a degree of caution. The Empress was the sister of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, his aunt, who had assumed guardianship of his two half-siblings after his father's departure for Paris. She had never forgiven him for his unlawful marriage.
In 1913, during the Romanovs' celebration of 300 years on the throne, Vladimir, then a student at the Corps des Pages, had been summoned to partake in various events as a Page for several family members and aristocrats. Despite residing in Russia for two years by that point, this marked the first occasion on which he had encountered many of his relatives. Unsurprisingly, a significant number of them disregarded his presence.
One particular incident had a profound impact on him. While taking a brief respite, he overheard a conversation about him between a lady-in-waiting and Grand Duchess Elizabeth, who was positioned within earshot. The woman, presumably one of the Grand Duchess's attendants, remarked that he was Grand Duke Paul's son and bore a striking resemblance to him.
"It doesn't matter to me," Grand Duchess Elizabeth had commented. "He's not of the family."
It might have been a petty comment, and Vladimir probably shouldn't have taken it as harshly as he did, but at the age of fifteen, far from his homeland, worn out, and disheartened by the sidelong glances he received, it had hit him deeply. The Grand Duchess, who had withdrawn from public life after her husband's assassination in 1905, had once been one of his father's closest friends, married to his favourite brother, Serge, and was also trusted with the guardianship of Vladimir's two eldest half-siblings, Maria and Dmitri, when their father had been forced to leave the country because of his unequal marriage. In addition to all that, she had taken the vows of a nun and was garbed in her religious habit. Vladimir simply couldn't reconcile the stark hypocrisy of someone who had devoted her life to God but couldn't find it within herself to forgive her brother-in-law for his minor transgressions.
Instances like these had made Vladimir cautious whenever members of the Imperial Family sought his presence. Nevertheless, he didn't wish to disappoint his mother, so, at the appointed time, he embarked on the short journey from the Paley Palace to the Alexander Palace to meet with the Empress.
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