Source:
Letters of the Tsaritsa to the Tsar, 1914-1916, published by Duckworth & Co., 1923
The letter:
No. 90.
Tsarskoje Selo, June 18-th 1915
My own Darling,
Real summer weather very hot in the daytime, & in the evening delicious; I hope tomorrow the lamps will be ready, then we can sit out longer, if not eaten up by gnats. The girls motored after dinner, before that they went to see Tatiana. — Dear old Goremykin sat for an hour with me & I think we touched many questions.
God grant him life! — I asked about Polivanov, he said when one proposed him for Varsovie, Nikolasha made an awful grimace & now at once proposed him, & when Goremykin asked him why he mentions his name now, he answered that he had changed his opinion. He told me what Samarin said to him & what he hadn't written to you, I told him my opinion about him & Stcheglovitov & then he pleasantly surprised me by saying that you had told him yr. intention to change him — he thinks Khvostov will be a good choice. — He sees & understands all so clearly, that its a pleasure speaking to him — we spoke about the question of the Germans & Jews & the wrong way all had been managed & orders given by generals & Nikolasha. The way they have treated Ekesparre for instance. — I wish others had his sound mind. — Am very tired, so will end & try to sleep. God bless yr. slumber. —
19-th. Goodmorning my Treasure. Lovely weather again, such a Godsend after the late summer & much rain. The "Enginaer Mechanic" has come to me, & I should like to send him flying. — I wonder what news from the war, one hears so little. Our steady retreat will in the long run make the line very long & complicated for them & that be our gain, I hope. How about Varsovie? The hospitals are being emptied out & even some quite evacuated — is that only as an extreme precaution, because surely in months one has had time to well fortify the town; they seem to be rebeginning their autumn move, only now they will bring their very best troops & it will be easier, as they know the coming in upon them — & may they once more save Varsovie. All lies in God's hands — & as long as we can drag on till sufficient amunition comes & then fall upon them with full force. Only the perpetual great losses make the heart very heavy — they goe as martyrs straight to their heavenly home, its true, but still its ever so hard. —
Pay attention to Baby's signature in his letter — its his own invention & it seems his mood at his lesson this morning was somewhat wild, & he only got 3. — The girls have some of their lessons on the balkony. — Benkendorf suddenly had a fainting fit in town & hurt himself when he fell — they say it may be fr. his stomach, but I fear worse things — we shall see what the Drs. say this morning. It would be a loss, as he is far more worth than Valia — & one of the old style still wh. now, alas, no longer exist. —
I have an immense bunch of jasmin standing near me on the balkony — Mme Viltchkovsky picked it in the hospital garden. —
Goodbye Sweetheart, my light, my joy. I bless, & kiss you incessantly with deepest love.
Ever yr. very own
Wify.
Above: Nicholas and Alexandra with Alexei.
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