The Eve of the Storm

For Nikolai, 1893 was another quiet year, so calm that he was surprised at how many months he had spent visiting friends and relatives.

Nikolai returned to St. Petersburg with Queen Maria in the last days of 1892. For Tsar Alexander III, who valued family deeply, it was very important. He stood grandly on the Jordan Staircase of the Winter Palace to welcome his beloved wife.

"My sweet, dear Minnie, we have never been apart for such a long time. Without you, Gatchina is empty and very sad."

The burly Alexander III spoke with surprising tenderness.

"I'm glad to see you missed me so much. I thought you would be more concerned with state affairs and wouldn't notice my absence... I missed you dearly. Thinking of you being all alone in Gatchina broke my heart!"

Minnie joyfully responded to the Emperor's sweet words, their public display of affection blinding Nikolai.

Fortunately, I also have a fiancée, Nikolai thought, both envious and relieved.

After the family reunion, they followed the annual tradition of celebrating Orthodox Christmas on January 8th at the Winter Palace, followed by a grand religious procession and a blessing ceremony in the icy waters of the Neva River.

"I heard you were hanging out with Bertie in England!"

Alexander III was an avid fisherman, often catching bass for family meals. He was famously quoted saying, "The Tsar is fishing, Europe can wait."

In early February, he took Nikolai to fish at a lake near the royal village in the suburbs of St. Petersburg.

Winter in Russia meant miles of ice. They sat on the thick ice, fishing through a sawed-out hole.

"Uncle invited me to Sandringham."

"That place is full of damned Jews!"

Nikolai's honest answer softened Alexander III's tone slightly, but the Tsar still sternly warned Nikolai to stay away from the "Jewish virus."

"Bertie must have deliberately exposed you to Jews to undermine Russia's firm anti-Semitic stance."

The anti-Semitic riots and pogroms of the 1880s forced many Eastern European Jews living in Russia to emigrate.

Whether Bertie's "intentions" were as sinister as Alexander III imagined, Nikolai didn't know. He had just enjoyed early handcrafted luxury cars at Bertie's, impressing him with his driving skills.

"You never used to associate with Jews. What changed?"

The Tsar's question made Nikolai think carefully before replying cautiously.

"Since Jews live on Russian soil, they are subjects of the Tsar."

"Perhaps. Their situation is pitiful," Alexander III said dismissively, "but the Gospel predicted it."

He elaborated, "Jews deserve to suffer because they chose to have Christ's blood 'on us and our children'."

Nikolai remained silent. He didn't believe any ethnicity carried an inherent original sin, which clashed with his worldview.

In March, Mathilde was heartbroken upon learning of Nikolai's engagement. They met for the last time, simply talking face-to-face without any final tryst.

Nikolai pooled about 400,000 rubles from his uncles to buy her a mansion in St. Petersburg as compensation.

Mathilde attempted to sabotage Nikolai's engagement afterward, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Princess Elena began intensively studying Russian while staying in London with her father, the Count of Paris.

"She needs a lot of rest and peace for her future struggles."

Sometimes the Count of Paris penned replies to Nikolai's letters on Elena's behalf. Elena tried to communicate with Nikolai in Russian, though not as efficiently as in French.

"Rude people stare at me from the corners. I'll stick my tongue out at them in the future!"

Elena once confided her frustrations to Nikolai in a letter while recuperating at a spa in northern Yorkshire.

"I'll take the 'Polar Star' to England to fetch you."

Nikolai replied in this manner.

Before that, however, Nikolai traveled to England again for his cousin George's wedding, and privately reunited with Elena in a secluded villa. This time, he did everything but the final act with her, and his expertise greatly surprised Elena.

"How many lovers did you have before?"

She panted and jealously pinched Nikolai's shoulder.

"Just one, you know... the Polish ballet dancer I mentioned before."

The love between Nikolai and Elena wasn't absent, but it also wasn't particularly intense. Perhaps this was the nature of adult relationships and marriages.

Their wedding was hastened by Nikolai's parents and rescheduled for 1894 due to Alexander III's deteriorating health.

As everyone anticipated, 1893 quietly slipped away, and 1894 arrived swiftly.

On January 12, 1894, Nikolai's cousin, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, got engaged to his sister, Xenia.

The Tsar and Tsarina had initially opposed the match, feeling Xenia was too young.

However, Alexander III eventually consented to their marriage.

"They spend all day kissing, hugging, and lying inappropriately on the furniture."

In the days following the wedding, Nikolai spent time drinking and playing cards with his uncle, Grand Duke Vladimir, frequently witnessing the physical affection between his sister and her new husband, which he complained about to his brother Georgy.

"I was also shocked by their gymnastics-like activities," Georgy, equally gossipy, replied, vividly describing what he had seen. "They nearly broke the couch with their indecent behavior, like one lying on top of the other, doing those kinds of motions... you could say they were trying to play mommy and daddy..."

In February, the usually robust Tsar fell ill, surprising everyone.

Queen Minnie pleaded with Alexander III to drink less, but as usual, he only made verbal promises.

The Emperor's health improved somewhat afterward.

In April, Nikolai, as he had promised Elena, took the yacht "Polar Star" to England. By this time, Elena's Russian had significantly improved.

"My dear queen, I will cover your lovely face with greedy, passionate, and loving kisses."

Sometimes Nikolai would write sappy notes to Elena in his letters, which was perhaps the era's version of flirtation in the absence of instant messaging.

"Passion is burning within me, almost consuming me."

Elena's responses were equally bold.

"How wonderful it is when I can hold you, gaze at your precious face and your beautiful, gentle eyes," she whispered in Nikolai's ear when they met, a playful act that set their hearts racing. "I've put on lovely lingerie and nightwear, though I find it quite amusing... don't be shocked! I think I should be more shy and reserved in front of you, but I can't manage that."

Nikolai deeply experienced the passion and openness of French women. Despite not yet having an official wedding, Elena gave Nikolai everything.

The couple's private world lasted for about a month.

While their love, nourished by desire and passion, flourished, far away in the East, the Donghak Peasant Revolution broke out in Korea.