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

Excerpts

Excerpts from letters exchanged between Countess Maria and Prince Nikita Alexandrovich

Biarritz, 23 August 1922

My Dearest Nikita,

Do you think Feodor is truly serious about Isabelle? Part of me still hopes that it's all just a ploy to gain Irina's attention. We both witnessed his heartache last December, and it's hard to believe he could move on so quickly.

Irina handled the news with such grace and dignity; I have never seen her like this before. Spending time with her only makes me adore her more. She's incredibly intelligent - almost an intellectual - with a sweet personality and natural beauty, though she doesn't seem to realize it. Maybe it's because she is constantly surrounded by such big personalities, like Vladimir who is seen as the greatest poet of our time, and Natalia who commands every room she enters.

But regardless, Irina is way out of Feodor's league. As much as we love him, he can't compare to her intellect. And yet, even after the unfortunate news, she still holds a deep affection for him and won't tolerate any criticism towards him.

Could you speak to Feodor and help him see reason? Someone like Irina is worth waiting for, I assure you.

Cannes, 26 August 1922

My dear, I cannot pretend to understand Feodor's thoughts. His pride must have taken a hit with Irina's rejection, and Isabelle is giving him the attention he craves at just the right time.

Let us not forget that she was there for him when he was sick last month, wiping his brow and holding his hand. It may seem petty, but that is exactly what sensitive men like Feodor enjoy.

And let's not ignore the fact that our grandmother is ecstatic about this match and has been expressing it in letter after letter to him. We may act as though it doesn't matter, but we both know how much he values her opinion. Moving on and making granny happy? It seems like a perfect combination, even to me.

If only Irina had kept in touch over these past few months, things might not have escalated to this point. He believes that she has moved on and wouldn't believe me if I told him she still has feelings for him.

I agree with everything you said. Irina truly doesn't realize how beautiful she is. She's always stood next to Natasha, who is simply stunning. It's hard to compete with her in both appearance and intelligence, but that doesn't diminish Irina's worth in any way. We had to bend over ourselves to believe Feodor when he told us they had kissed.

Could you speak to her and convince him to write to him? I think it would help if he knew about her feelings.

Biarritz, 28 August 1922

Write to him? After finding out he's courting another? I think she would rather cut both her hands. And I don't blame her. Feodor never wrote to her either.

Also... Natasha is stunning? No one can compete with her? If I didn't know you any better, I would say that you are in love with her!

Cannes, 28 August 1922 (sent on the same day by urgent courier)

My dear, please forgive me. You know that my heart belongs only to you and nothing could change that.

- Followed by two pages of compliments, shared memories, and promises for the future -

What I meant was that everyone seems to think highly of Natasha's appearance. Dmitri swears he will never marry anyone else even though they only spoke for a couple of minutes.

Well, if neither of them is willing to compromise, there's not much more we can do...