The Paleys (1921-1927) - An Alternate Romanov Story

The Anniversary Ball

Petrograd, August 1922

Natalia

The festivities for Alexei's coming of age started in a relatively quiet way with the arrival of his sisters one week before his birthday. Since they were staying at the Catherine Palace, which was just a short walk distance from the Paley Palace, Natalia and her family had been among the first to receive them. They were not so very different since she had last seen them at Grand Duchess Olga's wedding the year before, except for the babies they carried along with them.

The only one Natalia had not met had been Grand Duchess Maria, who had been heavenly pregnant and had not attended her sister's wedding. She found her delightful. She had a round face, dominated by large blue eyes always adorned with a warm smile. She seemed like a devoted wife and mother, radiating pure happiness and harmony with her husband Nikolai Demenkov, an officer who had followed her family into exile just to be close to Maria. Despite his less-than-flattering appearance - chubby with prominent cheekbones and a small moustache - Maria looked at him adoringly as if he were her real-life Prince Charming.

Their son Nikolai was almost a year and a half old, with the chubbiest legs and a mop of blond curly hair, inherited from his mother. He constantly bounced around happily, readily sitting on anyone's lap without any fuss.

"It's just such a relief that he's healthy," Natalia heard the Grand Duchess confess to her mother in a whisper over tea. "The doctors said if he had haemophilia, he would have shown symptoms by now. He's such an active little boy, always bumping into things and falling, but we haven't seen anything yet. I think we can breathe a sigh of relief now."

Natalia glanced across the room at Alexei, who was playfully bouncing his little niece Alexandra on his knee. Unlike Nikolai, Alexandra took after her father's side of the family with a head full of dark, thick curls, but she inherited her mother's grey eyes. Alexei seemed oblivious to the whispered conversation, but Natalia sensed a flicker of something in his expression. A shadow, perhaps, or a subtle withdrawal. She knew him well enough to understand the undercurrent of their mother's words. While Maria's relief was undoubtedly genuine, and the joy of a healthy child was immense, her words carried an unspoken subtext. The implication was clear: Thank God my son is not like you, Alexei.

It was a painful realization, a reminder of the burden Alexei carried. Despite his outward cheerfulness, Natalia knew the weight of their family's affliction was a constant presence in his life. To hear it articulated so openly, even if unintentionally, must have been a sharp sting.

While her sisters were fully immersed in marriages and motherhood, Anastasia remained unchanged. She showed no indifference towards her niece and nephew - that would be too strong of a word - but she certainly didn't lavish them with the same care and delicacy as her sisters did. There were still no rumors surrounding her about potential suitors and she seemed completely content with that. At twenty-one years old, there was still plenty of time for her to marry, but being the only unmarried sister in a sea of wedded bliss meant she was constantly bombarded with questions about her plans. Her response remained consistently calm: "I'm happy just being an aunt."

The grand celebrations began on the evening of Alexei's birthday, with a lavish ball held at the Winter Palace. Every notable member of Russian nobility and the diplomatic corps was in attendance, along with representatives from various foreign royal houses. As she stood at the entrance of the grand ballroom, flanked by Vladimir, in his navy blue uniform of the Guards Corps, and Irina, looking radiant in an azure chiffon dress and their mother's aquamarine and diamond diadem.

At sixteen, Natalia was still not allowed to wear jewellery, so she improvised with what she had. She had carefully chosen a pale pink dress, its soft and flowing fabric hugging her curves and accentuating her youthful figure. The delicate lace that adorned the neckline and sleeves added a touch of elegance, while small pearls shimmered in the light of the ballroom, drawing attention to her graceful movements as she descended the grand staircase.