Marie’s plans to return to Sweden for Christmas did not go as planned. She had received a telegram from the Swedish King to go on to Italy and then arrive in the Island of Capri to spend time with the Swedish Queen. The Queen had been living there due to her health and the island was warm which would support her health. He suggested that she needed companionship. The Crown Princess was traveling en route to Paris and then off to Italy, with 2 Ruddebecks who were not related in family. She would care for Marie’s son while Marie was away.
The Queen’s villa was on the higher portion of the island. The Queen had 2 staff who lived in her villa, her maid of honor and her chamberlain. Daily her doctor would visit her and enjoy tea and gentle music. The Queen was a talented pianist. The doctor was of Swedish birth, rarely in Sweden, and a retired doctor. He had a small white beard and wore blue lens glasses. He had said to Marie that he was blind. When Marie observed and was close enough, she realized his glasses did not have a prescription or not much of one.
The doctor walked with Marie on long walks and enjoyed the island’s beauty. He seemed really intelligent and had a sharp perception. He also was quite talkative. His villa was “a former tower” and was “built during the days of Saracens.” (Page 150) She observed he was a deeply reflective, contemplative person and there only several rooms furnished in the tower, i.e. his villa. She noticed that he had only things that meant something to him yet in a more controlled way. He used Roman oil lamps which were of shared silver and they were used at night for light. A local peasant woman had used his kitchen to make him a fruitcake and she seemed to have been the one who organized the kitchen. Perhaps she would prepare other types of food for him.
This doctor had made Marie feel comfortable with him and she opened up. Her reveals were truly how she felt without filters. She looked back realizing how young she really was and a foreboding time did come for her so unexpectedly.
After her speaking in an innocent, unrestrictive way, the doctor began saying that Marie had kidney difficulties and the cold climate of Sweden would not support her kidney health. He advised her that she should go back to Sweden for New Years and come back to Capri.
During Marie’s time in Sweden, she played ice hockey with a collective group of women and they would play almost daily. She noticed her health was fine and enjoyed the athletics.
In February, the Swedish King had gone on his annual trip to Capri for his usual holiday. He brought Marie but without attendants. She was surprised she was alone without attendants at the Queen’s villa. Marie had difficulty with so much solitude. She wanted to be active and interact with others.
The long walks with the Dr. M suddenly became harsh and caustic. “He accused me of levity and frivolity, and reproached me for the futility of life.” (Page 151) Marie’s self confidence waned. She listened to him thinking that she is “inexperienced” in life, yet she felt so disheartened. (Page 151) “All of my self-mistrust returned, they were, in fact increased; and I felt myself gradually losing such little independence and freedom of action as in the past few years I had managed to gain.” (Page 151)
Dr. M recommended the Swedish Queen and Marie go to Sorrento and then to Amalfi. Apparently the Queen felt uncomfortable in Marie’s presence. Dr. M had telegraphed Stockholm for Marie’s attendants to join her in Capri, and the arrangement would all would stay in the large villa which was unoccupied. Dr. M was dissatisfied as he had hoped to further isolate Marie “from all influences save his own.” (Page 152)
The 2 Ruddebacks came to help Marie restore her health and energy. They stayed until Spring and all seemed to be happy and was pleasant in the villa. “Time passed quickly; soon it was Spring, a lovely soft Spring, scented with rosemary and sea breezes. The time had come for us to leave the island.” (Page 152) The doctor again communicated his “grave concern” for Marie’s kidney health. (Page 152) Dr. M spoke to Marie about seeing a German specialist and spend 6 months of the year in Capri. Marie was thinking he really was speaking of “invalidism.” Once her Aunt Ella had spoken with the doctor, Marie felt that “her fate was sealed.” (Page 152)
Her Aunt Ella had not travelled since her husband had passed. She traveled to England to visit with her sister, Princess Victoria of Battenberg who had recently had surgery. Marie met her Aunt Ella in Stenhammer. Then Dr. M had a long talk with her Aunt. Marie was petrified that now, Dr. M would “have all the authority that he needed to become the absolute dictator of the course of my life.” (Page 153)
In the year 1913, “the year of the tercentenary of the rule of the Romanovs," Marie attended the celebrations in Moscow that summer. (Page 153) The Russian Emperor and Empress had just come back from Kostroma. Much of the Romanov family lived at the Kremlin. Dmitri had expected Marie would be at Nicholas Palace. When Marie had first seen Dmitri, she noticed how mature Dmitri had become. He had become a “dashing young officer, roaring through the winding streets of Moscow in a hundred horse-power motor car.” (Page 153)
During the many festivities, the Empress was exhausted and spent many days in bed. She did wear the heavy clothing and jewelry for several hours when required. As The Empress was spending much time in bed, Marie would pour the afternoon tea for the Emperor, his daughters, and Dmitri.
One of the many festivities was the grand ball in the halls of Cercle de la Noblesse. Marie and Dmitri danced 7 waltzes consecutively. The King asked them to begin dancing with other guests.
Dr. M had rented a villa in Capri for Marie. He stated to her that she must leave by mid-October and he would be there 10 days ahead of her. Marie’s son was to stay in Sweden with his father and his father’s people. This time she was to meet her husband in Berlin (versus Paris near where her father was). Her husband was to represent his father at the centenary of the battle of Leipzig. From Berlin, she was to go straight to Italy and the Prince would return to Sweden.
Marie saw that Dr. M had arranged her travel so she would not be able to speak to her father in France. Marie felt this was his “manipulation” and she “felt trapped.” (Page 155) She spoke of being frustrated. Instead of enhancing her life and developing her talents, he kept her from growing.
“He had filled me with negative ideas only, which depressed my spirits and my physical condition equally. After 10 months of this relationship with him I found myself in a worse state of perplexity than before. Nothing had been settled, no problem solved. I began to doubt the disinterestedness of the doctor, and to regret my own credulity. His fine words when we had first met seemed to me now as much as trap as his later projects.” (Page 155)
She metamorphosed and “emerged from the mental fog in which I had for so long been living. And my mind cleared, I recovered my energy and willpower. I shook off the influence which had dominated me; I reattained to independence of judgment, and at the same time my physical condition improved. I was no longer in doubt as to the action to be taken” (Page 156)
“I must leave, the scruples which had held me before no longer entered my mind. I had tried in every way to adapt myself to an impossible situation; I had failed. Now I must take my fate into my own hands.” (Page 156)
She arranged to go to Berlin and her brother came for her there. He brought her to France to their father. During that time, Dr. M had traveled to Russia to meet with Aunt Ella.
Due to the stress over the last several months, Marie developed bronchitis which developed into pneumonia. When she was examined by the French physician, there was no documentation on or mention of any kidney condition, which was so contrary to what the Swedish doctor, Dr. M, had been so insistent on - the severity of a kidney disfunction!
Marie’s father and stepmother saw so many complications, yet Marie received full support from her father. There had been 2 highly placed diplomats who had spoken with Dr. M and they had “formed an unfavorable opinion.” (Page 158) Marie was able to communicate her health report from the French doctor through one of those diplomats to be relayed to the Russian Emperor.
Marie was surprised how quickly the annulment took place. She noted that since there was no divorce procedures done, she then considered the separation to be an annulment. It was completed before December of the same year. “The Emperor issued 2 decrees on the subject, one to the Senate and another to the Synod representing the highest judicial and clerical bodies.” (Page 158)
As it turned out, Marie’s Aunt Ella had been suspicious when visiting with Dr. M and had grave concern for Marie. She almost wrote Marie to warn her. Aunt Ella’s opinion of Dr. M was the opposite of what he thought he was portraying. Aunt Ella realized that she should have paid more attention prior to the marriage. Now Aunt Ella and Marie had become close.
In March, Marie still had problems with her lungs and nerves. She traveled to Italy with her maid and then, to Athens, Greece, her deceased mother’s country. All there welcomed Marie. The land was full of rich vegetation and people of great beauty. In Athens, Marie met a military painter, Scott, and a portrait painter, Laszlo. They worked in the shared studio.
In April, they took a yacht which had belonged to the Russian Black Sea Squadron. It was sent to Piraeus to go to Crimea. “My mother’s sister, her husband, the Grand Duke George, since assassinated, and their children went with me to Constantinople, where we stayed two days. It seemed to me the most beautiful city I had ever seen; I remember it as almost fairylike.” (Page 159)
During May, Marie went back to Russia and stayed at Tsarskoie-Selo with her Aunt, the Grand Duchess Marie widow of her father’s brother Vladimir. Marie’s father and stepmother were now living in their new home nearby. She had enjoyed many dinners hosted by her Aunt. Her stepmother had been rekindling with old friendships and developing new friends. Festivities included at court to celebrate the visit of M. Poincaré, President of France.
The weather was “radiant” and the sun shown in the clear blue sky. (Page 160) Marie spoke saying “her heart was troubled by a strange anguish, all the more painful because of the calm which surrounded me. I seemed, without understanding why, to be awaiting a catastrophe.” (Page 160)
“It came. We were carried away by a storm which raged throughout Europe, and by the same storm dropped to earth, crushed, destroyed.” (Page 160)