Chapter 11
St Petersburg Russia 1904
‘Your Majesty’ said Charlotte as she lowered into a deep, respectful courtesy.
The Czarina was in an uncharacteristically good mood and commanded for the Countess Rominscov to immediately take a seat in her presence.
The ageing lady sat gracefully upon the newly upholstered chair.
The sitting room of Her Imperial Majesty, wife of Czar Nicholas II, in the Alexander Palace at Czarskoe Selo, about twenty-four versts south of St Petersburg was a room that could only be described as, 'warm'. Religious iconography was everywhere. It covered the walls and tables, and between these could be found silver picture frames and many albums that held photographs of members of the Czarina's family. It all clashed very badly as the colour of everything else, including the furniture, table cloths, cushions, drapes, pelmets and even the flowers was mauve. Directly in the middle of the wall, on the left, was an overly large photograph of Queen Victoria framed in mahogany and gold leafing; it appeared to survey the entire room.
It was not how Charlotte remembered the Grandmother of the woman sitting opposite her. And to Charlotte, the late English Queen, even at the worst moments of widowhood, was never as cold, puritanical, pertinacious or intolerant as the current Empress of Russia. Alexandra Fyodorovna had splashes of kindness and good humour but these were rare moments witnessed by few but the closest inner workings of the Russian Imperial Family. Charlotte had her own thoughts of why this was the case but kept them to herself.
Outside the powdery snow fell on an already white frozen ground. The date was 10th February, 1904. Two days earlier Japan had declared war on Russia and surprised everyone with an attack on the Imperial Naval fleet at Port Arthur.
The last time Charlotte had be in attendance to the Czarina had been two days prior to the Japanese attack when the entire court had travelled by the Royal Train to attend the Purification of the Virgin ceremonies at the great Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul in the capital. Charlotte's recollection of the event was prompted by her current surroundings and the everlasting memory of the colour of the Empress' dress and enormous hat; it was all mauve.
