The Lives Of The Romanovs

A Greater Surprise

Maria

There was a large dinner three-nights later. Igor was determined to start a romance with Princess Nina Georgievna, which I'm sure broke dear Olga's heart. Papa was going to let Nina and her younger sister, Xenia join us for the rest of the Summer. Just enough time for Igor to propose to Nina by the end of it. Olga seemed to be taking it well though.

The nine of us stood in the main hallway and waited for Nina and Xenia to arrive. I enjoyed both of their companies very well. Nina was a playmate of Anastasia and I's when we were children and we got along very well but we haven't seen much of them in the last four-years. They'd at least try and make one visit during the Summer until 1914 when their mother and them moved to England. As for Nina and Xenia's father, they have not seen him in all of these years because of the war.
"I am starving! When will they be here?" Alexei complained.
"Baby, they will be here soon. Just stay patient." Mama said to him.
"I cannot be patient! I'm hungry!"
"Me too. Nina and Xenia need to make their chauffeur drive faster." Anastasia muttered. I smiled at the joke, but was careful not to laugh.
Tatiana rolled her eyes. "Nastya, be polite. Especially at dinner."
"I will be! I'm an imp, but I'm not completely cold-hearted."
"I never said you were."
"It sounded like it." Anastasia groaned. Tatiana deeply exhaled, clearly frustrated. The relationship between Tatiana and Anastasia was something we were all used to. Anastasia was a sarcastic-troublemaker and Tatiana was a disciplined-governess. It just didn't mix well together. I personally got along well with all of my siblings and didn't argue often with any of them.

The footmen quickly grabbed the door handles and opened the front doors. Nina and Xenia Georgievna entered the main hall in their beautiful fur coats and dark-brown eyes with porcelain skin. Nina's hair was a dark-brown and in a beautiful up-do. Xenia was just one-month shy from her sixteenth-birthday, so her hair was still only half-up. The Georgievna sisters were the emblems of beauty.
"Oh! Anastasia and Mashka!" Nina giggled and ran towards us. She wrapped her arms around Nastya and I.
"Nina, we have missed you so much. It has been too long since we have written." I laughed.
"It really has! I am so content that we get to see each other again." Nina let us go. She walked over to Papa and Mama and curtsied at them.
"It's lovely to see you, your imperial majesties."
Papa smiled. "Nina, you have grown so much. How are you?" Papa took her hands and kissed her cheek.
Nina just giggled. "I am so happy to be back in Russia, that's for sure. Do you think Xenia and I could go see our papa while we are here and before we return to England in September?"
"Of course, dear child! You have not seen your father in such a long while." Mama weakly smiled. Xenia approached Papa and Mama. She curtsied and also received kisses on her cheeks.

"You look very beautiful, Xenia." Mama commented.
"Thank you, your imperial majesty. I am so thrilled to see you again and to be reunited with my dear cousins."
Igor approached Nina and tapped on her shoulder. She turned to look at him and gasped. They laughed and wrapped their arms around each other and tightly hugged.
"Oh Igor, I did not even see you there! How are you? I hope your travels in America went well!"
"They did, thank you. I cannot believe you're here. Did you have safe travels?"
"Yes, I did. Fairly quick too. I worried that we would not get here until the morning, but it looks like we got here safe and sound. I hate to be pushy, but I'm very starving and could really use something to eat." Nina said. Papa chuckled and nodded at her.
"I was hoping our twelfth guest would be here right now, but I guess they are a little late." Papa sighed.
I had realized there would be another guest. And based on Mama's face, neither did she.
"Who's the guest, Papa?" I asked him. He looked at me and shrugged.
"No one, sweet Mashka. Let's just have some dinner."

Dinner consisted of steak, salad, and bread. A rather English dinner, if anyone asked me. I was not complaining, it was absolutely delicious. Nina and Igor were consumed in conversation about their travels in America, to which Olga looked at Nina with a stab of jealousy. Dmitri and Tatiana were speaking our their engagement some more, Anastasia and Xenia were speaking about something, and Alexei and Mama were talking to each other.
"How is your mother doing?" Papa asked Xenia.
Xenia shrugged. "She is alright, I suppose."
"Will she ever return to Russia?"
"I don't think so. She does not want to come back."
Olga furrowed her eyebrows. "Why not?"
"My mother just feels more at home in England. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Xenia replied in an irritated tone.
"No, there is not. Xenia, you look very beautiful this evening." I quickly changed the subject. She just gave a wan smile at me.
"Thank you, dear Maria. You've always been the angel of this family." Xenia tilted her head to the side. I felt a little happy inside and looked down at my plate. Suddenly, the doors to the dining room opened...and it couldn't be. What were they doing here? It had been too long since I had seen them and I felt a sudden leap of joy.

"Hello everyone." Vladimir smiled. I stood up immediately, but had to restrain myself from hugging him and kissing him right then and there. He looked at me with a weak smile.
"Hello...Maria Nikolaevna." He stumbled.
"Hello Vladimir." I replied in a calm tone. I looked around the table, and everyone just seemed to be in surprise that Vladimir was here. Dmitri just rolled his eyes at his brother's arrival here. Nina and Xenia were just very confused as I expected.
"Vladimir, it's great to see you again. You can just go to your room with your bags and change your clothes. A footman-"
"Papa, I will actually help him! It is no trouble at all! I want to catch up with him!" I exclaimed. Everyone now just seemed confused. But Papa just shrugged.
"If that's what you want, then go ahead."

Vladimir and I stayed quiet on our way upstairs and down the halls. He seemed rather stressed about something, but I could not tell what. It must have been raining outside because his coat and hat were very wet and his face had water droplets on it. Vladimir opened the doors to his bedroom and entered with his suitcase. I quickly entered the bedroom too and shut the doors. I dropped his other suitcase and just stared at him afterward.
"Oh, my Lilas." Vladimir mumbled quietly. I took no time but to get closer to him and grab his face. We kissed and embraced. I think he truly did miss me as much as I missed him.
We pulled away from each other. "If only we could kiss forever. But Volodya, what are you doing here in Russia?"
Vladimir sighed and just started to unbutton his coat. He was not wearing a traditional imperial Russian suit, but just a regular suit instead. He had probably went in disguise to get here. Vladimir just plopped down on his bed, and I sat next to him.
"I am having writer's block."
"Writer's block? Whatever is that?"
"It's when I'm stuck on what other write. Maria, I cannot write about politics, my family, or my childhood anymore. I have used it all up."
I took his hand. "You can think of something soon. I know you can. But...is that the only reason you came back? For inspiration?" I asked him.
Vladimir tilted his head to the side and gave a wan smile.
"Lilas, you know I wanted to see you most of all. You are my fiancée after all."
The realization hit me when I realized that we wouldn't be able to put off telling my parents any longer about Vladimir and I's secret engagement. I did not like that thought of it or what they would say about the situation. Authors always say that if it's love, then you should not care about what your parents say. But that was just on the contrary for me.

"I love you, Vladimir Paley. But I am awfully terrified of how we shall tell my parents." I sighed. Vladimir gulped and just held my hand tighter.
"We can just wait until next month. That way, your father can just adjust to whatever happened in the Treaty of Versailles and the political problems he is facing."
I nodded at him. Vladimir simply brought his hand to my face and kept his small grin.
"Now give me a kiss, Maria Paley." He whispered to me. I could not help but snicker as I went into give him a kiss. I had never loved someone so deeply in my entire life. But for some reason, my gut told me that this secret betrothal would only lead to a lot of trouble and argument.