“Volodia had several friends who came to see him. Oftener than the others came Aleck Putiatin, the youngest son of Prince Michael Sergeievich Putuatin, the commander of the palaces in Tsarskoie-Selo. His eldest brother Sergey, who served in the Fourth Regiment of the Sharpshooter, sometimes came with him. He was a splendid officer, twice wounded, and cited for heroism in action. He came fairly often to our house; I had known him since childhood; but during the war I saw him but seldom. He spent almost all his time at the front and I in Pskov, and our (lives) did not correspond.” (Page 317)
She had met him once in Tsarskoie-Selo during a winter dinner with mutual friends. They happened to be on a sleigh together and flirted some. A week later he brought her a gift - a large package of jellies while she was in Pskov at the hospital. He was inherently shy, so conversations were initially challenging. As months had passed, he came to Tsarskoie-Selo as he was becoming to be in a concerning situation for his security. So he would to come to visit Marie at her father’s home at Tsarskoie-Selo. When Spring evolved, so did her time with Sergey Putiatin. She would then meet at Marie’s apartment at the palace on Neva in Petrograd. Marie found herself feeling like she never had before. She felt “aglow.” (Page 318) “Thus, at the collapse of our old world, we dared upon its wreck to seize at a new change of happiness, to live a new life.” (Page 318) She would purchase her own train ticket and take the train. She would travel with others from the public in her first class carriage with velvet seats and once was the imperial carriage. Risks started becoming evident on her trips. She would walk from the train station as there were cars as in the past to pick her up. Marie began to read her feelings in association with her environments, so as to manage her risk and vulnerability. There times when she would hear gun shots and would rush to the gates of the house where she would be staying. Putiatin would walk her back to Tsarskoie-Selo.
Daily there would be alarms and not always were they an urgent sign of concern. There were many factions and often unplanned actions by the factions.
Marie’s father spoke with Marie saying that her brother, Dmitri, was not close by and that “you should find yourself a good man to marry and marry him; then I would feel easy about you.” (Page 319) He noted Putiatin’s many visits. At another time, her father said, “Listen, if you like Putiatin, I consider that you should marry him.” (Page 319) At that point, Putiatin’s and Marie’s minds had already decided. So knowing her father approved and encouraged her, Marie and Putiatin were engaged in early August and planned to marry in early September.
“On all sides one heard rumors of the government’s intention to remove the imperial family from Tsarskoie-Selo. Tsarskoie had become a centre of Bolshevist activity; the government feared for the safety of its former rulers and proposed to transfer them to the Crimea - this was but one of the rumors; also, many other things were said. In reality, the Soviet was afraid that the Allies might aid the Emperor and his family to leave Russia.” (Page 320)
Europe was busy with its own problems and was also trying to connect with the new Russian leadership of the Provisional Government. They were “hoping always to receive better support from a democratic order than from the former autocracy.” (Page 320) “Striving to retain power as long as possible, Kerensky made greater and greater concessions to the Bolsheviks.” (Page 320)
As of August 12, the Empress and Emperor and their children had been under arrest for 5 months in their palace. Their former attendants and servants had been sent to Tobolsk in Siberia. Only Grand Duke Michael, the brother of the Emperor, was allowed for a short visit.
A month prior to Marie’s day of marriage, she did move to the apartment on Neva in Petrograd. In late August, Marie and her fiancé arrived at Tsarskoi-Selo and the gates at the entrances were closed and sentries were around the house. They tried to see if they could see through the windows. As it turned out, Putiatin knew the regiment commander of these sentries. Kerensky had placed her father and his family under house arrest. Marie was to reach-out to those who may be able to help her. She reached-out and met with Kerensky who was of the Provisional Government. She realized she needed to approach from another angle. She waited for many hours to get a permit to have a 1/2 hour “interview with the former Grand Duke Paul Romonav.” (Page 322) Once she received the paper she needed, she went to Tsarskoie-Selo with Putiatin. While Putiatin remained on the street, Marie gave the soldier her the paper addressed to “Citizeness Romanova.” (Page 322) She walked in while her father’s back was to her entering. Volodia was the first to see Marie in the room."Marisha!” Volodia said. Then, Marie’s father turned and such joy was on his face. They all sat down for tea - though not like the tea cakes of the past. The officer was to remain in attendance. Shortly thereafter he left to allow the family some time together. Instead of the 1/2 hour, they enjoyed an hour together and discussed many prescient topics. It was decided Marie should speak with Kerensky and “obtain from him the withdrawal of the arrest. Only a few days remained until my marriage, and we wanted to be together that day.” (Page 323)