𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒗

Chapter 30 - A Christmas Eve Party

December 19th, 1919

While at dinner, Alexandra announced more special news which made the girls shriek with joy. Well, Maria - not so much Anastasia.

"Six days from now, on Christmas Eve, we'll be having a party!"

Maria gasped. Anastasia gasped too but in disgust.

"A party?!" Maria repeated.

"Yes!"

Maria pretended to faint in her chair while Anastasia put her chin in her palms. She hated the idea of wearing big frilly dresses. She hated wearing corsets and tight shoes that she had to squeeze her feet into. She absolutely hated having her hair pinned. She'd rather not even brush it at all.

"Everyone will be dressed elegantly! The house will be decked out in decorations! I could just envision it all!" Maria dreamed.

"Why the sour face, Nastasia?" Xenia asked.

"I hate parties. Well, not your coming of age ones," Anastasia gestured to Maria. "But everything else!"

Maria scoffed. "Oh, have a little fun! We haven't been to one in forever!"

Anastasia didn't think they were fun at all. They were simply a waste of time.

Those few days passed with lots of preparations. Andrei, Valentin, Maria, and Anastasia all went to town one morning to pick out their clothes, stopping at Jantzen's to say hello to Paul and Hugo, of course.

One morning, Grandmama rushed into the dining room, an opened letter in her hands.

"It's Olga, Nikolai and Tikhon! They're on a ship coming to Russia now! Olga had her baby earlier this year! It's a beautiful little boy named Guri! They'll come in time for Christmas!" Grandmama was so relieved to hear her daughter was safe.

"I have more good news to add!" Xenia declared as she stood up from the table.

"Irina and Felix are coming! They'll make their stop here before returning to Paris!"

Maria and Anastasia squealed with joy. Then they remembered.

"We haven't seen Irina since nineteen o' nine!" Maria chirped.

"But Felix," Anastasia rolled her eyes again. Both sisters didn't like him very much. In nineteen-sixteen, in the basement of his palace in St. Petersburg, he had killed the family's holy advisor Grigori Rasputin. The whole family shunned him because of it.

Xenia sucked in her breath and continued her news.

"Oh, imagine all the babies I'll kiss!" Maria giggled after Xenia had listed all of the family that was attending.

During the last few days before the party, family started to arrive.

"You'll have a few children to take care of," Anastasia laughed under her breath as she nudged Maria's shoulder one day as they stood welcoming families.

The girls even traveled to Kings Lynn to invite Hugo's family to the party. They gladly accepted saying it would be an honor to attend.

-

December 24th, 1919

A church bell rang out faintly in the distance from King's Lynn, signaling the start of the most magical, yet mysterious night of the year - Christmas Eve.

The servants were at work, dressing the house in Christmas wonder. They placed garland on the brightly decorated trees around the house. The rooms were filled with glorious scents of rich perfume and gingerbread.