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What I adore about these letters and telegrams is that Nicholas is so openly affectionate to his wife and family. That his and Alexandra's story is one of true love there is no doubt.
Telegram. Stavka. 4 December, 1915.
We have arrived safely; are remaining in the train. As his temp. rose to 39, 1 decided to return home at once. I am leaving to-day at 3; hope to arrive to-morrow at 11 in the morning. He slept fairly well, is cheerful; the bleeding is considerably reduced; seldom coughs. Hearty thanks for letter. Both kiss you.
Nicky
Telegram. Stavka. 3 December, 1915.
God bless you. My heart and soul are with you. Alexei has had rather a bad cold since yesterday. It will be disappointing if he has to stay in the train and see the troops. Give Trina my condolences. We are starting now. Both embrace you tenderly.
Nicolai.
Telegram. Stavka. 3 December, 1915.
Owing to his cold, Alexey has had bleeding at the nose at intervals the whole day. Have decided, on Feodorov's advice, to return to the Stavka. I shall be very glad if you come to spend the 6th of December together. I embrace you closely.
Nicolai.
Telegram. Stavka, 4 December, 1915.
Thank God, he is better now, Temp. 37-5. The bleeding has stopped, though it might easily begin again from moving or coughing. He has no headache. Eats, on the whole, well. I shall telegraph in the evening. Warmest thanks for second dear letter. I am so glad that I shall soon see you at home.
Nicky
Telegram. Vitebsk. 4 December, 1915.
Has spent the second half of the day well. At 8 o'clock the temp. was 38-11. In excellent spirits, and rather astonished at our going home. Please let there be nobody on the station to-morrow. Both kiss you fondly.
Nicky
Nicky and Sunny kept in daily contact with each other right through the war until his abdication. Often times they telegrammed each other two or three times a day. These are just a few of the many letters and telegrams they shared.
Stavka. 17 December, 1915.
MY DARLING SUNNY,
Here I am again, and full of the happiest impressions. First of all, my tenderest thanks for your four dear letters two I received on the way, and two on my arrival here.
Ksenia and Olga kiss you; we spent two pleasant hours in the train, Sandro as well. That very night it became quite warm, and I opened the window into your coupd and the doors into mine - so that I slept well. On the 15th I got up early, because the first inspection - of the ist Cavalry Guards Divisionwas due to begin at 8.3o. The weather was lovely, exactly as with us in the spring, in April; only it was terribly muddy on the fields and roads. Great was my happiness at seeing the dear regiments, which I had not seen since the very beginning of the war! Two Cossack regiments. were here also, and three batteries of horse artillery, and all marched past very well. I invited all the commanding officers into the train, and fed them on the way to Volochisk. Among them were Dmitry and Linevitch, who, according to his own words, feels much better.
At Voloch, quite close to the train, the second review of the 3rd Guard Division (Varshavskaia) took place. Our Rifles, grown into a whole division, the fine battalion of the Gvard. Equip., the sappers and their artillery. The appearance of the troops was brilliant. They did not march past, owing to the deep, thick mud - they would have lost their boots under my very eyes. The generals, Kyrill and N. P. lunched in my train - after which I promoted him. Later, we moved on to Austrian territory. The last inspection, which began at 3.30, took place within two versts of the station of Podvolochisk, as I had been detained at the previous inspections. Here were present the ist and 2nd Infantry Guards Divisions with their artillery. It was already getting dark, so that I again rode twice along the ranks from the front to the rear, after which Shavelsky held a moleben (Te Deum) in the centre of a huge square in complete darkness. Having sat down in the car, I shouted "Good-bye" to the troops, and from the invisible field rose a terrible roar, which accompanied me to the train. Here the last party came to dinner. On that day I inspected 84,000 soldiers - Guards alone - and fed 105 commanding officers!
Alas, I must finish!
God bless you and the dear children! Tell the Little One that I miss him terribly.
Accept tender kisses from
Nicky
Stavka. 18 December, 1915.
MY BELOVED SUNNY,
Heartfelt thanks for your dear letter and for sending me the list of the New Year's telegrams. Thank the Little One and the girls for their letters.
Beletzky, among others, dined here to-day; he told me how Masha V. behaved herself before and after her departure from town, and how she was received on her sister's estate.
I have some hope of being able to return home precisely for the Christmas holidays. This is my plan: I leave to-morrow night, the 19th, for the Western Front (Everth), and arrive, via Minsk, at the little station of Zamirye, not far from Baranovitchi. Here I shall stay for two days, and hope to inspect a great many troops. For Tuesday morning I shall arrange an inspection at Molodechno, and for Friday another at Vileiki, whence I shall at once go back through Minsk and Orsha - home, where I hope to arrive on Thursday at 5.30, so as to be in time for the evening service. That would be splendid!
I have no more time to write, so I must finish.
The old man's health is excellent; the other day he succeeded in persuading me to allow him to lead in the march past at the head of his squadron of Cavalry Guardson horso-back, but at a walking pace. He was tremendously happy after it.
God bless you my darling, my little bird... I kiss the dear children.
With my tenderest love I remain
Ever your old hubby
Nicky
Telegram. Stavka. 23 February, 1917.
Arrived safely. It is clear, cold, windy. Am seldom coughing. Feel again firm, but very lonely. Thank you and Baby for telegrams. In thought am always with you. Am terribly sad. Kiss you all tenderly.
In the 1st and 2nd Cadet Corps the number of boys ill with measles is increasing steadily. At dinner I saw all the foreign generals-they were very sorry to hear this sad news.
Here in the house it is so still; no noise, no excited shouts! I imagine him sleeping - all his little things, photographs and knick-knacks, in exemplary order in his bedroom and in the room with the round window!
Ne nado! On the other hand, what luck that he did not come here with me now, only to get ill and lie here in our little bedroom! God grant that the measles may pass without complications; it would be so much better if all the children fell ill with it at the same time!
I greatly miss my half-hourly game of patience every evening. I shall take up dominoes again in my spare time. - The stillness round here depresses me, of course, when I am not working. - Old Ivanov was amiable and charming at dinner. My other neighbour was Sir H. Williams, who is delighted at having met so many of his compatriots here lately.
You write about my being firm - a master; that is quite right. Be assured that I do not forget; but it is not necessary to snap at people right and left every minute. A quiet, caustic remark or answer is often quite sufficient to show a person his place.
Well, my dear, it is getting late. Good-night. May God bless your sleep...
24 February.
It is a very cloudy, windy day, and snowing heavilyno sign of spring. just received your telegrams about the children's health. I hope they will all get it together this time.
I am sending you and Alexey Orders from the King and Queen of the Belgians in memory of the war. You had better thank her yourself. He will be so pleased with a new little cross! May God keep you, my joy I kiss you and the children. In thought and in prayer I am with you all.
Your little hubby
NICKY.
Stavka. 24 February, 1917
MY DARLING, SWEET SUNNY,
Thank you with all my heart for your dear letter. And so we have now three children and Ania ill with measles. Try to make Marie and Anastasia get them too; it is simpler so; better for all of them, and also for you. And all this has happened since I left home, only two days ago!
Serey Petrovich is anxious to know how the illness is developing. He thinks that for the children, and especially for Alexei, a change of climate is absolutely necessary after their recovery - soon after Easter. To my question where, in his opinion, it would be best to go, he advised the Crimea. He told me that he has a son (I never knew of this) who caught the measles, and for a whole year the boy coughed incessantly, till he was sent to the South, where he recovered quickly and completely. While he was telling me of this, there were tears in his eyes. It is really splendid advice, and what a rest it would be for you. Moreover, the rooms in Tsarskoe must be disinfected, and most likely you will not want to go to Peterhof - where can we live then?
We shall think this out in peace on my return home, which I hope will be soon!
My brain is resting here-no Ministers, no troublesome questions demanding thought. I consider that this is good for me, but only for my brain. My heart is suffering from separation. I hate this separation, especially at such a time. I shall not be away long-direct things as best I can here, and then my duty will be fulfilled.
25 February.
I have just received your morning telegram. Thank God that there are no complications! For the first days the temperature is always high, and falls gradually towards the end. Poor Ania! I can imagine how she feels and how much worse she is than the children.
It is now 2.30. Before going for a walk I shall go to the monastery and pray to the Holy Virgin for you and the children. The last snowstorms, which ended yesterday, have put the armies in a critical position all along our South-western railway lines. If the movement of trains is not restored at once, real famine will break out among the troops in 3-4 days. It is terrible. Good-bye, my love, my dear little Wify. May God bless you and the children!
Ever your most loving little husband
NICKY.
Stavka. 27 February, 1917
MY TREASURE,
Tender thanks for your sweet letter. This will be my last one. How happy I am at the thought that we shall see each other in two days' time I have a great many things to do, and therefore my letter will be short.
After yesterday's news from the town I saw many frightened faces here. Fortunately, Alexeiev is calm, but he thinks it necessary to appoint a very energetic man, so as to compel the Ministers to work out the solution of the problems - supplies, railways, coal, etc. That is, of course, quite right. I have heard that the disorders among the troops are mused by the company of convalescents. I wonder what Paul is doing? He ought to keep them in hand.
God bless you, my dear Sunny! Many kisses for you and the children. Give her my greetings.
Eternally your
NICKY.
Stavka. 26 February. 1917.
MY BELOVED,
The trains are all mixed up again. Your letter came after 5 o'clock yesterday, but No. 647 arrived just before lunch. 'Many kisses for it. Please do not overtire yourself, running about among the sick ones.
See as much as you can of Lily Dehn - she is a good sensible friend.
Yesterday I visited the ikon of the Holy Virgin and prayed fervently for you, my love, for the dear children, for our country, and also for Ania. Tell her that I have seen her brooch, pinned to the ikon, and touched it with my nose when kissing the image.
Last evening I went to church. An old woman - the Prelate's wife - thanked me for the money which we have given. This morning, during the service, I felt an excruciating pain in the chest, which lasted for a quarter of an hour. I could hardly stand the service out, and my forehead was covered with drops of perspiration. I cannot understand what it could have been, because I had no palpitation of the heart; but later it disappeared, vanishing suddenly when I knelt before the image of the Holy Virgin.
If this occurs again I shall tell Feodorov. I hope Chabalov will be able to stop these street disorders. Protopopov must give him clear and definite instructions. If only old Golytzin does not lose his head!
Tell Alexey that Kulic and Glina are well and remember him.
May God bless you, my treasure, and the children, and her! Eternally your
NICKY.
Telegram. Stavka. 7 March, 1917
Hearty thanks for details. The old man and his son-in-law have at last left for the country. Here it is quite quiet. Am spending most of my time with Mother, who, with me, kisses you all very tenderly.
NICKY.
Telegram. Lichoslavl. 28 February, 1917.
Thanks for news. Am glad that all is well with you. Hope to be home to-morrow morning. Embrace you and the children. God guard you!
