Sources:
Letters of the Tsaritsa to the Tsar, 1914-1916, published by Duckworth & Co., 1923
The letter:
No. 104.
Tsarskoje Selo, Aug. 28-th 1915
My beloved Nicky dear,
How can I thank you enough for your very precious letter wh. came as a most welcome surprise. I have reread it already several times & kissed the dear handwriting. You wrote the 25-th & I got it 27-th before dinner. —
All interested us immensely, the children & A. eagerly listened to some parts I read aloud — & to feel that you are at peace fills our hearts with joyful gratitude. God sent you the recompense of your great undertaking — yes, a new responsibility, but one particularly dear to yr. heart, as you love all that is military & understand it. And having shown such firmness must bring blessings & success. Those that were so frightened at this change & all that nonsence, see how calmly & naturally all took place, & have grown quieter.
I shall see the old man & hear what he has to tell.
The P. Municipal Council needs smacking, what right have they to imitate Moscou? Gutchkov again at the bottom of this & the telegr. you got — would they but mind their own business, look after their wounded, fugitives, fuel, food & so forth — they need a sharp answer, to mind their own business & look after the sufferers of the war — nobody needs their opinion, cant they see to their canalisation first. I shall tell that the old man — I have no patience with these meddlesome chatterboxes. Oh Sweetheart, I am so touched you want my help, I am always ready to do anything for you, only never liked mixing up without being asked — only here I felt too much was at stake. —
Such glorious sunshine & 18 in the sun & cool breeze — curious weather this summer.
Certainly, its wiser you have settled down in the Governor's house if its damp for everybody in the woods — & here you have the staff close by, but still a bore being in town for you. Wont you come nearer as V. proposed, then you can be up & done here if necessary & get yr. ministers to come — this is yet further than Baranovitchi is it not? & there you could reach Pskov & sooner get at the troops. — We all go to Church again, the big ones early, we at 10½ & then to the hospital if the priest wont speak again, he held a sermon yesterday evening & again a good one. Then at 2 we go to the christening of Underlieuten. Covb's child, I christened his first child last autumn (he was our wounded & then served in Marie's train) so Marie & Jakovlev (ex lancer, com. of her train) christen the boy in the lower Hospital church.
Georgi met the train & gave the sisters medals — I am sure Schulenburg will be in despair, as they were also under fire last year. —
Then we shall drive & peep into the little house, as our Friend's wife will be there with the girls whom she has brought for their lessons. Then Schulenburg at 5¾ — Church — 7¾ Goremyk. before he has a sitting.
We have got 3 of Tatiana's lancers in our hospital & a fourth lies in the big palace — there are 25 vacant places there, happily again. —
I enclose a letter of C. Kellers you may like to read, as it shows his way of looking at things, sound & simple as the most who are not in St. B. & Moscou. He did not know of this change at the H. Q. then. To-day he returns to the army — I fear too early — but certainly he is needed there. — Rumours say the Novik had a battle & successful, but I do not know what is the truth about it. —
I hope I don't make you wild with my cuttings — is this naval news true or not? I cut it out. — We had a lovely drive, divine weather & ones souls singing, surely it means good news. — In the village of the Pavlovsk farm we stopped at a shop & bought two big flasks with strawberry-jam, & redberries then met a man with mushrooms & we bought them for Ania — we drove along the border of Pavlovsk park — such weather is a real treat, & we are having tea on the balkony — & miss you, my very own Angel, to make it perfect. — Gr.'s wife sends you her love & ask Archangel Michael to be with you — says he had no peace & worried fearfully till you left. He finds it would be good the people should be let out of prisons & sent to the war, there are a catagory, I am sure, of harmless ones sitting, whose moral saving it would be to go; I can hint it to the old man to think over — he comes at ¼ to 8 so I must send my letter off before. — His governor has quite changed towards him (has returned you), he says will have our Friend stopped as soon as he leaves. You see, that others have given him this order — more than wrong & shameful.
There is confession in common, so the priest asked us to come to it in the upper Church, as lots of soldiers are going & to-morrow morning too with all upstairs. All the Children & Baby will come too — oh, how I wish you could have been there too — but I know you will be in hearts & thoughts. Once more forgive me, my Sunshine. God bless & protect you & keep you fr. all harm & help you in everything. To-morrow the day of the stone! I kiss you without end with deepest love & devotion. Ever yr. very own
Wify.
Baby hopes to write to-morrow, he is thin & pale, been out all day. Slept till 10.5 this morning, very cheery & happy to go with us to holy Communion. Such a nice photo you bathing. A few words for you fr. A. & from me for N. P.
Nicholas's telegram:
Telegram. Stavka. 28 August, 1915.
God bless you, my own darling; I am very glad that you will again receive the Sacrament. I am now going to church; to-morrow again. This morning I saw our magnificent Cossacks from Pavlovsk; they are going there. I told the commander to present himself to you. Quiet, sunny weather. I embrace all tenderly.
Nicky.
Above: Nicholas and Alexandra.
Above: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei.
Above: Grigori Rasputin with his wife, Praskovia Dubrovina.
Note: Alexandra almost always referred to Grigori Rasputin as "our Friend".
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