5: IF DUCHESS WERE A DUCHESS
A FAIRY TALE FOR
THE YOUNG AT HEART

PART 3 

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The story of how Her Grace’s parents met and eventually married is the kind of tale that captures the heart and imagination of romantics the world over. Perhaps it will capture yours ……. it will if you allow it. Remember dear Readers, when Her Grace tells her stories, she spins a tale where one needs to suspend all notions of what the world believes when it comes to  the concept of time and reality. So for a short time, allow yourself to be carried away on a cloud to the land where Her Grace lives.

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One version of her origin that Her Grace enjoys telling, and at times will admit to, is that she was born in Manchuria to Russian parents. She always say how her parents with loving: both to each other and to her.

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But first, to aid the reader of this tale, what follows is the cast of principal characters:

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Her Grace’s father was a dashing fiery Russian Prince named Anatole (Anatoly) Sebastian Romanoff whose family members were distant relatives of the Czar. Many members of his family held prominent positions at the Romanoff Court at the Winter Palace at St. Petersburg with the Prince’s father, Prince Konstantin, enjoying special prominence and the ear of the Czar.

Members of The Romanoff Family

The Winter Palace at St. Petersburg

As with all young men of noble birth at that time, Prince Anatole was educated at the Military Academy where he learned the necessities of his future life in the Service of the Czar and a life of duty.  And as he grew, he grew into a handsome young man who was popular with his cohorts. Besides being well-educated with an ability to speak a number of languages, he proved himself to be both quick witted and able to display considerable charm. As a soldier, he demonstrated a great proficiency with sword and pistol together with the ability to ride well. However he also developed an ability to consume a huge quantity of vodka that led him on occasion into trouble which he always managed to escape by the skin of his teeth by either application of his silver tongue or through fleet of foot.

Military Attire of the Time

Once the Prince’s  education was complete, he was recommended for a post in the Diplomatic corp.  As a result, he was sent on a trip to the great capitals of Europe in order to gain experience in the Art of Diplomacy. Unfortunately, in each City, he led a wild and riotous life thanks to his philandering ways. This resulted in the necessity of fighting a number of duels and leaving a trail of broken-hearted damsels each nursing a broken heart and a string of injured opponents.

These scandalous activities were looked upon by the Diplomatic authorities with scorn and irritation and brought about his early recall to Russia. Following his return home in disgrace, his father, Prince Konstantin, decided that his son should best enter The Service of The Czar as a soldier. This decision was against the wishes of his mother, Princess Mariia who was convinced that this would result in him continuing to lead a riotous life and perhaps even lose his life.

The National Anthem of Czarist Russia

Once the Prince received his Commission, his parents thought all that was needed for him to change his wild ways and for his future happiness was for them to arrange a suitable marriage. They were certain that Prince Anatole would then settle down to a calm family life. However, much to the chagrin of his parents, the finding a suitable bride proved more difficult than they had thought for their son’s reputation for being a bon vivant and a person of danger had preceded his return to St. Petersburg thereby closing a number of doors to the Households of good families and so markedly limiting his marriage opportunities.

A Scene from a Grand Ball given by The Czar

Despite limiting his marriage chances, The Prince’s charm, wit and flirtatious manner soon wooed the ladies of the Households of good families who quickly persuaded their husbands to allow the young Prince access to their Salons. However he was to remain an unsuitable husband for their daughters! It did not take the Prince long to became The Darling of St. Petersburg Society, but not the most eligible of the eligible bachelors, but this did not bother him since he had no intention of marrying at this time and especially not to one of the daughters of St. Petersburg Society! Now he felt free to return to his philandering ways and continue to enjoy a riotous life. Fortunately for him, his education had allowed him to develop great skill at the gaming tables since his lifestyle was such that he was always in need of money.

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Unfortunately, there appears to be no authenticated photographs of Prince Anatole that have survived, but what follows are a number of Russian Princes who would have undoubtedly known the Prince either socially or through their Service to The Czar or both. When politely pressed to identify her father from a series of photographs, Her Grace believes that the second-photograph from the left most resembles her memories of her father, but sadly she can not be certain.

Her Grace’s memories of her father are mainly of him as a soldier and, in this capacity, he spent much time away from his loved ones. However, when he returned from a campaign, there was a great deal of merriment in the house with much singing and dancing. Her Grace says that she has only fond memories of her father and that he was always happy, jocular and attentive to her mother and her. Neither Her Grace nor Marusya ever said more of him, but it was evident that they loved the Prince very much since their discourse was always accompanied by moist eyes and occasionally tears.

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According to The Grand Duchess’ Aide-de-camp, Her Grace would love to tell how her parents first met. It was at a Grand Ball given by a Russian diplomat and nobleman, the Grand Duke Alexi Sergei Rostovitch, who held an influential position at the Romanov Court. The Grand Duke was a very wealthy landowner who had gained immense power since being invested with the title and was well known for his intolerance, cruelty and the fear that he struck in those who dared to cross him. He was definitely a person not to anger!

The Young Grand Duke when he appeared in the play, Richard III while he was a student.
Unfortunately, this appears to be the only picture of the Grand Duke that has survived.

The Grand Duke rose to take the title following his acceptance to come an live and work with his uncle, the then present Grand Duke, in St. Petersburg. While the young Alexi Sergei was on an errand for his uncle to Moscow, his uncle fell from the tower of his palace in Odessa. The uncle’s death was seen as mysterious and thought to be murder rather than by accident.  But since he was not universally loved and of an age when he was less than sure-footed, no one name in particular could be summoned above the multitude of his enemies to have organised the dastardly crime. The authorities were therefore happy to conclude that the old Grand Duke had died from an accident.  Of course no one asked what a man of his age and infirmities was doing at the top of tower! As a result, Alexi Sergei was invested by The Czar with the title of Grand Duke and so inherited his uncle’s lands and possessions which were many.

This photograph is believed to be a silhouette of The Grand Duke

Sarabande – from The Keyboard Suite in D minor (HWV 437)
Composed by George Fredric Handel (1685-1759) 

And now as the Grand Duke, Alexi Sergei Rostovitch began to make his presence felt both in Court and especially in political matters. Over the coming years, the Grand Duke steadily rose to prominence, and in doing so, made himself very dependable and popular with The Czar. As a result, The Czar granted him the title of The Holder of the Keys which allowed him access to all matters pertaining to the country’s activities. He soon dealt with all requests and all Matters of State before they were passed to The Czar for signature.  This of course allowed him to become very rich since the Grand Duke was willing to help friends achieve their wishes ………. for a price, that is!

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Although the Grand Duke had been married twice to women of position, he had no children. This was a disaster in his eyes, as he wanted a son to pass on his empire. In order to find his next bride, he decided to look beyond the Court and St. Petersburg Society and ordered Miniatures to be painted of all eligible and beautiful young ladies of landowners of estates east towards the Ural Mountains and sent to him for his viewing. The excuse given for having the young ladies sit for the painting was that it was at The Czar’s request. Naturally, no one dared refuse this so-called honour.

The Grand Duke was pragmatic when it came to his appearance and charms. Physically the Grand Duke could by no means appear attractive to the kind of young maiden he was looking for. His grand position had not graced him with good manners or conversation, which he dismissed as having no value. His success in business and at Court was achieved through acts of treats, deceit and villainy of which he was a Grand Master. No, he certainly had nothing to tempt a young woman! However, the Grand Duke was no fool. He realised that he could only be granted the hand of a youthful girl by tempting her father with money and position. This had taken care of his wishes in the past.

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After just one look at one of the Miniatures, he decided on his choice for his next bride. She was a beautiful creature with raven black hair, eyes that sparkled and a smile that he said would calm a stormy sea. The Grand Duke could be most poetic at times. From the Miniature, he could tell that she was an innocent when it came to both worldly and matters of the heart. He was very much attracted to this young girl both for her remarkable beauty and for not being spoilt by the Affairs of Court.

Examples of Miniatures

In order to have this beauty presented to him, he chose to hold a Grand Ball at his summer estate. Here he would discuss the question of marriage with her father who he learned lived on a small and poor estate. The Grand Duke saw no opposition to his request as he was willing to grease the bridal path with suitable incentives. Since he was not used to being refused, he saw no problem to this future union. The young girl’s feelings in such a matter never crossed his mind. After all, she came from a place far from St. Petersburg, and doubted if she had ever even visited the city, and besides, he was certain that she had obviously been brought up to do as her dear Papa told her!

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The Grand Duke’s choice as his next bride was the Princess Eugénie Natalia Sophia, eldest daughter of a distant relation, Prince Karl and his wife Princess Caroline.  He discovered that they lived on a small, and insignificant estate, according to him, that was close to the Ural Mountains.

The Grand Duke was very pleased when he discovered who the raven black haired beauty with eyes that sparkled and a smile that he said would calm a stormy sea actually was. He rubbed his hands together and thought that such a family would be overjoyed to have their daughter make such magnificent match, for naturally he saw himself as a great catch!!!

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The Grand Duke was an extremely frugal person, except when it came to the spending of money on himself! Apart from that, he was less than generous with those around him. He gave to no charity and no help to the poor working on his estate since he believed they were so due to their laziness. He lacked total empathy for the sick and the maimed. In addition, he certainly did not believe in wasting unnecessary money on an elaborate invitation card especially since most of the invitees were silent enemies of his! However, and much to his chagrin, he knew that he had to spend a small fortune on the Grand Ball itself if he wished to win the raven black haired beauty etc etc!

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Toute la société was invited to attend the Grand Ball, and none dared not to accept and so risk the wrath of the Grand Duke! After all, wasn’t this going to be The Grand Event of The Season? Who would want to miss it? Did it really matter that the most cruel man in the country was throwing it?

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The Summer Palace of The Grand Duke

The Grand Ball was to be held in the Grand Duke’s beautiful stately summer retreat in Odessa overlooking the Black Sea. He was very proud of the gardens, for without doubt, they were indeed spectacular and filled with many rare species that had been brought from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in London. The evening was destined to become memorable for many reasons.

The Grand Duke was very proud of his Wisteria 

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The Ballroom during a Grand Ball in the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg

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Although Her Grace’s grandfather, Prince Karl, was distantly related to the Grand Duke Alexi Sergei Rostovitch whose summer estate at Odessa was where The Grand Ball was being held, it came as a great surprise to the family when they received an invitation to The Grand Ball. However, this was not the only surprise in store for the family.

Since The Grand Ball was to be held towards the end of the summer when the days were less hot and the nights cool, the Grand Duke suggested that Prince Karl and his family should spend a week or so at the estate. Surprise or not, the Prince and Princess saw the invitation as an excellent opportunity to, hopefully, find spouses for their two now-eligible daughters. Although this was true, and seen as a great kindness by the Prince, the Princess was less sure and felt that the Grand Duke had an ulterior motive for suddenly remembering them. She warned her husband of her suspicions and said that they should tread carefully. And of course the Grand Duke did have a more ominous reason for extending such an invitation as the reader will learn!

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Princess Eugénie, like her sister Louisa, was accomplished in a diverse number of subjects having been taught by her mother who was English and had been a governess. She spoke both French and English, the latter without an accent, and read Latin and some Greek.  She also played the piano, however, not as well as her sister, and also sang, again not as well as her sister. The two Princesses were separated by one-year in age with Eugénie being the elder. They both sowed and made their own clothes and helped make clothes for their two younger sisters. In addition, they were always willing to accompany their mother on her visits to the poor and needy of the Hamlet.

Their father, Prince Karl, was a farmer and enjoyed tending to the daily duties of the estate. Much of his land was given over to Arable farming, but he also kept a large herd of cows, some pigs and sheep plus a number of assorted fowl. He was a great lover of nature and enjoyed walking through the surrounding woodlands with his dogs and wife who shared his interests. Once each of their daughters was able to walk, they would join their parents of their promenades with each quickly developing a love of the land. The Prince also enjoyed riding and fishing and their tenth birthday, each daughter  was given their own horse to feed, groom and ride. Of all her pastimes, Princess Eugénie loved riding best.

The Prince was also an accomplished painter. He preferred to paint with water colours and chose his subjects from the forest. In his younger days, he had some of his paintings of the bird life of his estate exhibited in a fashionable gallery in St. Petersburg where they received critical praise. Again, Princess Louisa proved to be the better pupil, but Princess Eugénie’s effort were praise-worthy too. However, when it came to talent and flare, Princess Louisa proved to be the stronger artist.

There was never any sign of jealousy between the sisters and each accepted their own strengths and weaknesses without complaint and each was filled with admiration when one of them received particular praise for an accomplishment. Each sister enjoyed the company of the others and were each others best friend and confident.  They were indeed an idyllic family and all four daughters loved their parents and were a credit to them.

The only worry that their parents had regarding their children was going to be in the finding of suitable husbands for they lived far from society in an isolated spot. The family received few visitors and they did not travel to any large town of note often. Their mother was especially concerned about the lack of contact now that the girls were getting older. Unfortunately, Prince Karl was the only surviving member of his family, as his three elder brother were now dead, either from illness or from their activities in the army. And sadly, Princess Caroline’s family were all in England and she had not seen any of them in a number of years. So when the invitation to The Grand Ball came, both parent saw it as a golden opportunity for their elder daughters to meet people and hopefully make friends with some young ladies in their age group who perhaps had brothers of marriageable age and would introduce the daughters to them.

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The Princesses Eugénie and Louisa could hardly contain themselves at the thought of going to The Grand Ball. Although their younger sisters could not attend, they were nonetheless excited by the talk of preparations to be undertaken. Naturally neither Eugénie nor Louisa  had ever attended such an Event, for from their father’s description, it was going to be a spectacular night, like nothing anyone had seen before!

The Purchase of Material for The Dresses

Instantly the young Princesses were filled with thoughts and ideas about their dresses, for each dress had to be special and made to exaggerate the wearer’s charms, since, as Louisa remarked, one did not know who one might meet! And, as important, secretly, and just between themselves, thoughts of romance loomed large in their minds. Each Princess was hoping to meet someone handsome and dashing who would ask to dance with them and then sweep them off their feet!

The Making of The Dresses

And then the conversation turned to the question of their hair and how it had to be coiffed just in the right manner to show off the features of their faces. As the Princesses talked, their hearts raced, and their voices became louder and louder with excitement, and they began to giggle with joy and then to dance around their father. This scene proved too much for poor Prince Karl who was totally out-of-his-depth when it came to such matters as dresses and hairstyles. The constant to-and-froing of his daughters caused him to hold his head and finally say to his wife that he needed to leave the ladies to her to discuss these matters further! With that, and still holding his head, he quickly left the room.

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From then on and for days to follow the house was given over totally to preparation for The Grand Ball and also for the stay at the estate at Odessa.  As the days of preparation past and dresses began to take shape, neither Princess’ excitement at the thought of actually attending a Grand Ball decreased and they continued to discuss what it was actually going to be like late into the night. And with their minds still filled with their hopes and dreams, each young lady eventually would fall into a sleep that was filled with further dreams of romance.

Trying On The Dresses

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I feel Pretty – sung by Carol Lawrence (1932) – From the musical, West Side Story (1957);
written by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) & Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)

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