The Lost Crown Read online

  ATHENEUM BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2011 by Sarah Miller

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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  Book design by Debra Sfetsios-Conover

  Interior map art by Drew Willis

  The text for this book is set in Adobe Caslon.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  First Edition

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Miller, Sarah Elizabeth, 1979–

  The lost crown / Sarah Miller. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Summary: In alternating chapters, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia tell how their privileged lives as the daughters of the Tsar in early twentieth-century Russia are transformed by World War and revolution.

  ISBN 978-1-4169-8340-8 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4424-2392-3 (eBook)

  eISBN 978-1-4424-2392-3

  1. Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868–1918—Family—Juvenile fiction. 2. Russia—History—Nicholas II, 1894–1917—Juvenile fiction. [1. Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868–1918—Family— Fiction. 2. Sisters—Fiction. 3. Kings, queens, rulers, etc.—Fiction. 4. Revolutions—Fiction. 5. World War, 1914–1918—Fiction. 6. Russia—History—Nicholas II, 1894–1917—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.M63443Los 2011

  [Fic]—dc22

  2010037001

  to Holly

  Content

  Chapter 1: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 2: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 3: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 4: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 5: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 6: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 7: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 8: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 9: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 10: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 11: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 12: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 13: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 14: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 15: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 16: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 17: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 18: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 19: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 20: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 21: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 22: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 23: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 24: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 25: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 26: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 27: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 28: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 29: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 30: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 31: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 32: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 33: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 34: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 35: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 36: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 37: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 38: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 39: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 40: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 41: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 42: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 43: Olga Nikolaevna

  Chapter 44: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 45: Maria Nikolaevna

  Chapter 46: Anastasia Nikolaevna

  Chapter 47: Tatiana Nikolaevna

  Chapter 48: Olga Nikolaevna

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  For More Information

  Books & Films

  Selected Bibliography

  Acknowledgments

  Cast of Characters

  THE IMPERIAL FAMILY

  Tsar Nicholas II (Nicky): last emperor of Russia

  Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix; Sunny): his wife, a German princess and favorite granddaughter of Queen Victoria

  Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (Olya; Olenka): eldest daughter of the tsar; born 1895

  Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna (Tatya; Tatianochka; Governess): second daughter of the tsar; born 1897

  Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna (Mashka): third daughter of the tsar; born 1899

  Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna (Nastya; Shvybzik): youngest daughter of the tsar; born 1901

  Tsarevich Aleksei Nikolaevich (Alyosha; Baby; Sunbeam): only son of the tsar, heir to the Russian throne; born 1904

  FRIENDS

  Buxhoeveden, Sophia (Isa): lady-in-waiting and friend of the empress

  Dehn, Lili: friend of the empress and Anna Vyrubova Derevenko, Kolya: son of Dr. Derevenko; playmate to Aleksei

  Khitrovo, Margarita (Ritka): companion of Grand Duchess Olga; former lady-in-waiting to the empress

  Rasputin, Grigori (Otets Grigori): peasant; friend and spiritual guide to the empress; believed by the imperial family to have healing powers

  Vyrubova, Anna (Anya): maid of honor and closest friend of the empress

  SERVANTS AND MEMBERS OF THE IMPERIAL SUITE

  Dr. Evgeni Sergeevich Botkin: personal physician to the empress

  Demidova, Anna (Nyuta): maid to the empress

  Dr. Vladimir Derevenko: physician and surgeon to the tsarevich

  Gibbes, Sidney: English tutor of the imperial children

  Gilliard, Pierre (Zhilik): French tutor of the imperial children

  Kharitonov, Ivan: chef

  Nagorny, Klementy: dyadka (sailor nanny) to the tsarevich

  Sednev, Ivan: footman to the grand duchesses; former crew member on the imperial yacht Standart

  Sednev, Leonid (Leonka): kitchen boy; nephew of Ivan Sednev; Aleksei’s playmate in Ekaterinburg

  Trupp, Aleksei: footman

  REVOLUTIONARIES AND GUARDS

  Beloborodov, Alexander: chairman of the Ural Regional Soviet

  Glarner: first chief of the Ipatiev house guard; replaced May 13

  Goloshchekin, Filipp: military commissar of the Ural Regional Soviet

  Kerensky, Alexander Feodorovich: head of the Provisional Government

  Khokhryakov, Pavel: Bolshevik responsible for transferring the imperial children from Tobolsk to Ekaterinburg

  Kobylinsky, Colonel Evgeni Stepanovich: commandant of Tsarskoe Selo garrison from May 1917; commander of the special detachment guarding the imperial family in Tobolsk until spring 1918

  Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich: head of the Bolshevik Party; leader of the October Revolution and later the Soviet Union

  Moshkin, Alexander: Avdeev’s second deputy commandant (Ukraintsev’s replacement)

  Nikolsky, Alexander: aide to Commissar Pankratov

  Pankratov, Vasili: first commissar in charge of the imperial family in Tobolsk

  Rodionov, Nikolai: second commissar in charge of the imperial family in Tobolsk (replaces Kobylinsky)

  Skorok
hodov, Ivan: guard at the Ipatiev house

  Ukraintsev, Konstantin: Avdeev’s first deputy commandant; former imperial soldier

  Yakovlev, Vasili: Extraordinary commissar, responsible for transferring the tsar from Tobolsk

  Yurovsky, Yakov: last commandant of the Ipatiev house

  A Note on Nicknames

  In Russian culture, doting nicknames are common and plentiful. Unlike English with its clipped, bouncy nicknames, Russians tend to favor longer, smoother sounds. A girl named Anna might be called Anya, Nyuta, Annushka, or Anechka among family and friends, while a boy named Ivan could go by Vanya, Ivanushka, etc. The more elaborate the nickname, the more intimate and familiar the user.

  Russian Words & P hrases

  arshin - an old Russian measurement; approximately 28 inches

  babushka - grandmother

  blini - pancakes

  bloshki - a game similar to tiddlywinks

  borscht - beet soup

  Bozhe moi! - My God!

  da - yes

  dacha - country house

  dedushka - grandfather

  dokladi - reports

  dorogaya - dear, precious

  drozhki - a low, four-wheeled open carriage

  duma - parliament

  dyadka - title given to the sailor nannies entrusted with protecting Aleksei from everyday injury (probably derived from dyadya, the Russian word for “uncle”)

  dushka - darling, dear; literally, “little soul”

  fortochka - a small hinged pane (usually 35-45 cm wide) in a larger window, used for ventilation. Also called a Russian window.

  galushka - dumpling

  gospodin - mister

  idiotka - idiot

  izvinite - excuse me

  khorosho - good

  kokoshnik - a traditional Russian headdress, sometimes made of velvet and studded with pearls

  konechno - of course

  kremlin - a walled citadel or fortress within a city

  kvass - a fermented, mildly alcoholic drink made from rye

  lazaret - infirmary

  Lett - a non-Russian of European descent

  matushka - little mother

  moi lyubimi drug - my dear friend

  muzhik - peasant

  nash naslednik - our heir

  nelzya - it is forbidden

  nyet - no

  Obednya - full mass with Holy Communion

  Obednitsa - an abbreviated Liturgy without Holy Communion; may be read by lay worshippers when clergy is not present

  ochen - very

  ochen priyatno - pleased to meet you

  otlichno - excellent

  Otets - father/priest

  Pascha - Easter

  polkovnik - colonel

  prigoditsya - it may come in useful

  prosphora - bread used in Orthodox Liturgy

  samovar - a decorative metal urn used to boil water and/or brew tea

  sazhen - an old Russian measurement, approximately seven feet

  shchi - cabbage soup

  slava Bogu - thank God

  sobor - cathedral

  spasibo - thank you

  Stavka - headquarters

  sudba - fate

  tak i byt - so be it

  tarantass - a low horse-drawn carriage mounted on wheels or runners, depending on the season

  verst - an old Russian measurement, just over a kilometer

  Ya ochen lyublyu tebya - I love you very much

  zakuski - appetizers

  zdorovo, okhrannik - good day, guard

  A Note About Dates

  During the reign of Nicholas II, Russia was one of the last countries still recording dates according to the 1,500-year-old Julian calendar. Most of the rest of the world had switched to the Gregorian (New Style) calendar centuries earlier, and by the twentieth century a difference of thirteen days stretched like a giant time zone between the two calendars. For example, Anastasia Nikolaevna was born on June 5, Old Style. When her relatives in England and Germany wanted to send telegrams to wish her a happy birthday, they did not do so when their New Style calendars said June 5—that would have been thirteen days too soon. Instead, for exactly the same reason that I wouldn’t dial my phone at noon in the United States if I want to speak to someone in Moscow when it’s noon there, they had to wait to send Anastasia’s birthday greetings until June 18 according to their Gregorian calendars. June 5 and 18 is the same moment in both countries—it’s only the label that varies, depending on which calendar is used.

  For the sake of simplicity—and also because the Romanovs themselves persisted in observing the Old Style Julian dates in their letters and diaries even after Russia adopted the Gregorian calendar in February 1918—all dates are given in the Old Style.

  (To convert events to the modern Western calendar, add thirteen days to the Old Style date.)

  1.

  MARIA NIKOLAEVNA

  1 August 1917

  Tsarskoe Selo

  Our luggage is packed and we’ve said our good-byes. The palace is as dark and still as a museum at midnight, but it’s been hours and the train still isn’t here. No one will tell us when it will come, or where they’re taking us. Even Papa doesn’t know anything. We can only wait in the semicircular hall with Kerensky’s footsteps echoing over the guards’ voices as they whisper.

  My sisters and I sit together on a pair of suitcases. If we’ve forgotten to pack anything, it’s already too late—our rooms have all been sealed and photographed. Anyway, Tatiana would say it’s bad luck to return for something you’ve forgotten.

  Olga and Tatiana hold hands, and Anastasia dozes against my shoulder. Our younger brother, Aleksei, climbs like a bear cub over the piles of bags and crates. Clutching her rose leaf cushion, Mama follows his every step with her eyes. Papa stands against the wall with one hand on her shoulder. His other hand smoothes his beard over and over again.

  Even though it’s been almost five months since the revolution, sometimes I can’t understand how it all happened. I remember Monsieur Gilliard pointing out Russia and all its territories on our classroom map, telling us Papa ruled one-sixth of the world. Now we’re prisoners. Papa says we’re not prisoners, me and my sisters and Aleksei. If we wanted to go, the guards couldn’t stop us. But none of us will ever leave our parents. “We seven,” Mama calls us. No matter what else changes, we will always be we seven.

  I can’t even imagine what else is left to change.

  Anastasia shifts against me and yawns. “What time is it?”

  “Nearly three o’clock,” Tatiana answers.

  I screw my eyes shut, nuzzling my shaved head against Anastasia’s shoulder. It can’t be long now, and I want to remember everything, everything before we go….

  June 1914

  Imperial yacht Standart

  There has never been such a summer! Since sailing from Peterhof, my sisters and I have spent all day on the sunny decks of our dear Standart, playing shuffleboard, roller-skating, dancing, and yes, sometimes flirting with the officers. Of course they kissed our hands when we climbed aboard, but only because we’re the tsar’s daughters. They can’t simply wave hello to a flock of grand duchesses. None of the four of us has had a real kiss, unless one of my sisters has started keeping secrets.

  The only dark blot on our trip is Aleksei’s accident. Three days ago our brother bumped his ankle on a rung of the ship’s ladder. Instead of scampering about the decks in his starched sailor suit with his spaniel, the poor darling ended up stranded in bed, the joint twisted and swelling by the minute. Mama’s sent three telegrams to Otets Grigori, hoping the holy man’s prayers will cure our little Sunbeam. In the meantime Anastasia, Tatiana, and I tease our oldest sister, Olga, mercilessly about her matches with Crown Prince Karol of Romania and our cousin David, the prince of Wales. Even the ship’s officers join in.

  Clearing her throat, Tatiana straightens up, her hands clasped behind her back. “I am requested by the officers of His Majesty’s yacht Standart
to present this card to Her Imperial Highness, the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna,” she announces, handing over an envelope with a little curtsy.

  I peek at Anastasia. Something’s up. We never use our titles among one another, and neither do the officers. Anastasia only shrugs, but you never can tell with her. Our impish little sister could very well be behind this.

  Olga pulls a card out of the envelope. “Oh!” she says after hardly a glimpse, her hands flying to her hips. “It was you, wasn’t it, Shvybzik?” she demands, shaking the card at Anastasia.

  “Not me,” Anastasia insists, batting her eyelashes before she ducks under Olga’s hand and snatches the card away. She glances at it and snorts with laughter. Behind us, the officers chuckle as Anastasia capers about the deck, waving the card like a banner. Tatiana’s dogs, Jemmy and Ortipo, yip and prance along.

  “You all are swine!” Olga declares. I catch Anastasia and read over her shoulder.

  The joke’s a good one: a cutout newspaper photo of cousin David’s head pasted on to a picture of Michelangelo’s David. I can’t help hooting right along with Anastasia at the sight of our cousin’s face balanced above all that naked marble.

  “Oh, Nastya, what a pair they’ll make! Him stark naked and Olga in the fifteen-pound silver nightgown of a grand duchess, just like Auntie Ksenia had to wear on her wedding night!”

  “Humpf,” Olga sniffs at me. “You’re just as much a grand duchess as I am, Mashka, and you’ll be fitted for your own fifteen-pound nightgown one of these days. If only we can find someone willing to marry our fat little Bow-Wow!”

  “Of course I’ll marry,” I sing out. “I’ll marry a soldier and have dozens of children.”

  “And they’ll be prettier than yours, Olga,” Anastasia pipes up, “because her babies will all have Mashka’s big blue saucer-eyes.” I clasp Anastasia around the waist and peck her cheek. She’s a shvybzik, but she knows my dreams as well as I do.

  “Fine,” Olga says, “we can set a banquet table with Mashka’s saucers.”

  Tatiana bursts out laughing, and the officers applaud Olga.

  At the sound of a sob from Aleksei’s rooms belowdecks, the smile leaves Tatiana’s face. Our giggles dissolve in a heartbeat. We all look at one another, thinking the same thing: That time it sounded like Mama. Suddenly somber, the officers shift their eyes to the deck. Tatiana hurries past them all, her skirts fluttering like sails behind her. Olga follows, and Ortipo, too, before Anastasia and I fall into line, hand in hand and a trifle skittish. Stranded at the top of the stairs, Jemmy whines, her little legs too stubby to follow us down the steps.