Alexandra's letter to Ernst, dated January 7/19, 1895

Alexandra wrote this letter to her brother Ernst on January 19 (Old Style date January 7), 1895.

Source:

mashkaromanova at Tumblr

https://mashkaromanova.tumblr.com/post/186540198050/alexandra-sunny-feodorovna-1895-my-darling

The letter:

My darling Ernie dear,
I send you my very tenderest thanks for your sweet letter the Admiral brought. How glad I was to see him & hear about you dear ones, you can imagine — it was nice of you seing him so often & letting him live in the Schloss. I am sure you must have noticed his funny walk — poor man was wounded in the war inside of both legs. —

It is such a pitty Aunt Alix had to leave — really she acted as A. Minny's comforting angel, & she misses her sadly, — we sit now more with her — yesterday we took tea upstairs & then Nicky read to us till 7 — a most interesting French book about Prince Eugène, it shows one Napoleon in quite another light — how kind & nice he could be. He arranged the marriage between Eugène & the Elector Max's daughter, as he was made King. Nap: letters to her of affection & telling her to care for her health, giving her advice & so on — I never imagined such a soft side to his character.

Then in the evening we sat with her from 8-11½, talking, working & she & I play Halma, I fear I usually am disrespectful enough as to win usually. Misha remains till 9½ or 1- & arranges little electric lamps & all sorts of things & pricks ones, & what does he not still do! — I am sitting by the window in the big armchair in a corner, half-hidden by the screen — & dream of my sweet home. Beloved Nicky has got his aggravating people — in the morning I don't see him for two hours, but in the afternoon whilst he usually reads his heaps of papers from the ministers, I look through the begging letters, of which there are not few & cut out the stamps, & if do not do it tidily am slightly reproved.

I get the Darmstadter Zeitung wh. I greedily devower — every bit of news interests me, & yesterday I saw then announced the death of Sophie v. Rotzmann — do tell Georgiana how grieved I was to hear of her Aunt's death — old Mme du Thil's cousin, — & Uncle Alexander's friend. My beloved (Jucker coachman) Berthalot I see has been promoted to real coachman. You see how I follow everything & Finger's 70th birthday — had I now it sooner  I should have telegraphed — do tell him so next Wednesday with kind messages & good wishes.

Yesterday was the day the river is blessed, but it was quietly done this year & none went. Here there was of course service & the day before too (in commemoration of Christ’s Christening in the river Jordan) & water was blessed & we each got a glass, drank a drop & then keep it in our rooms covered over. Then the old Priest J. & two deacons & some of the Choir go through the whole house & in to all the rooms, & sprinkle them with water, blessing them — a curious old custom done also at Trinity. — Excuse my untidy writing & bad English, but I am half ramolie. — I wonder how the little dances in our house went off. The first, since beloved Papa's death — is it not painful for you, darling, reminding you of the sad service & all hung black? —

Darling Boy, I cannot tell you how much I think of you & miss you. — The 9th month to-day that you are married. — About wh. date do you hope the happy event* to take place? You must be anxious — but I am delighted to hear darling little Ducky is so well. — Xenia I think expects in June — she is very well only paler than usual & I don't think feels ever as sick as poor Ducky did; — her good health now is all owing to Orchie's daily mess she brought her — do tell her that; — did she like Nany's sugar candy?

You can think of how awful the reception on the 1st was. 14 Ladies & heaps of Gentlemen, I thought I should die — to speak French to the most — horrid — & almost every face unknown to me — it lasted over an hour. — I admire my Nicky how well he does it — often enough he has to go through the same ordeal — but Ladies are much the worst — with Gentlemen it is easier — I think 70 on the whole. He spoke to all the men, I only to the Ambassadors & some of the secretarys. By the papers I see Albert Menzdorff is coming — at least someone I know, wh. will be pleasant. The new Austrian Ambassador Prince Lichtenstein is quite charming — I think even taller than Gummibaum with a long fare beard & handsome face. —

Do kiss dear Ducky & thank her for her letter, wh. I shall soon answer. Kissing you very tenderly I remain, Darling, beloved Ernie, yr very loving & devoted Sunny.

[P. S.] God bless you my darling. I hear Fürst Hohenlohe does not intend remaining much longer — whom will they find to replace him? — And Casimir Perrier gone too. — You remember that day of the large dinner when we had later to speak to the people, Admiral Gervais (can't spell his name)? The other day — touching — he sent me a ring with one nice pearl on it inside 'La V. M. règne par le coeur'. Really the French are most amiable, but this was quite privately sent. Love to Abby who I hope it well. He might write to me once. Nicky sends you both his very best love. The Sultan has send us two Arab horses. — Messages to all at home, Mino, Georgiana & the Gentlemen.

Above: Alix, year 1895. Photo courtesy of Tatiana Z on Flickr.

Above: Ernest, year 1894.

Note: "The happy event" refers to the birth of Ernest's child. The baby, Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, was born on March 11, 1895.