Both Marie and Dmitri went back to the country home in Ilinskoie after the coronation guests left. Summers for them were spent there with her Uncle Serge and Aunt Ella.
More about her uncle and aunt. Her aunt and uncle kept their true feelings mostly to themselves and never relayed confidences. Her Aunt Ella had converted to the Orthodox religion after marriage and practiced it devoutly. She internalized the spiritual and expressed less outwardly. Thus, her aunt and uncle met for meals and in their last year together before passing they slept together in one bed.
Her uncle had been bereaved by Marie’ and Dmitri’s mother’s early death. Her Uncle Serge and Marie’s father had a devoted relationship to each other. Rarely did her Uncle Serge really rest. He was often busy with meeting with courtiers and audiences. Uncle Serge was the fourth son of Emperor Alexander II.
Marie described his features and facial expressions. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and thin, much like Marie’s father. Uncle Serge had a cold, inflexible exterior, but showed his tenderness to both Marie and Dmitri. He took it upon himself to manage the house, the farms, all business affairs, and the less personal details for Marie and Dmitri. Thus, he managed his emotions well and avoided private personal sensitivity impulses. He lived his life with rigid conventions and convictions completely of royal nature. He was feared by all - even by those devoted to him.
Marie viewed Aunt Ella as one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Aunt Ella was the elder sister of the Grand Empress. Due to a spot of brown in one of her grey-blue eyes, Aunt Ella’s glance was unusual. She designed most of her dresses herself by creating sketches and painting them in watercolors. Appearance was important to her. She received jewels from Serge and had a set to go with almost every costume she wore.
Marie’s relationship with Aunt Ella was really one of not much engagement. Aunt Ella seemed over time to accept the two children, but not involve herself much with the children. Compliments that Marie tried to convey turned to misunderstanding with her Aunt Ella. Once, when Marie was ill with a 104 degree fever, briefly Marie saw her aunt’s face unmasked with emotion and concern.
Her Aunt Ella dressed for dinner in an elaborate way - like a ceremony which included her bathing with hot water perfumed with Verbena while rose petals floated in the bath.
Cosmetics in Russia was rare. Her Aunt made her own face lotion of cucumber juice and sour cream. She guarded her skin from the sun with a silk parasol lined in green and wearing a silk veil of thick mesh.
The maids and other attendants assisted with taking off outerwear and complex inner wear. He aunt would have bathed and put on her corset herself before receiving assistance. The maids dressed her aunt’s hair although her aunt did her nails herself. Marie would help her aunt with her jewels.
Both Marie and Dmitri would have eaten prior and were escorted to bed soon after her aunt left her dressing room to have dinner with her uncle.
Ilinskoie was a place of growing up with Dmitri and the property was more than 2400 acres bordering the Moskva River, 40 miles outside of Moscow. Many of these great estates, Russians possessed before the Revolution.
Uncle Serge had inherited this place from his mother, Empress Marie, as she used in her later years as a retreat from court life. This land had fields of flowers, orchards, vegetable gardens, Holstein cattle, fine horses including an Ardenne stud which was the only one in Russia. The house was square and made of old oak. The main house was smaller than other places she stayed, though there were cottages scattered throughout the park. Due to the size of the suite and household, parties included often over 300 people.
Household staff were for a variety of areas. Her aunt had 3 women and 1 dressmaker for herself. There were maids and a mistress of the wardrobe. The mistress of the wardrobe kept the apartments in order, engaged serving women, did the buying and shopping, paid the bills to dressmakers and modistes, kept keys of the jewel boxes.
Her uncle had 3 or 4 valets who worked in terms of a week at a time. There was a male personnel, footman, dishwasher, lamplighters - all under the orders of a chief steward. The stable included its coachmen, grooms, ostlers were under one man. The coachmen would go to the railway station Odinzovo. Usually 3 horses would lead or carry the carriage and would have to cross a wooden bridge that was a floating structure. The coachman would wear a feather hat when alone and would take his hat off when he had passengers. The coachman’s hair was carefully oiled and was cut to the neck nape. When the coachmen were en route to the house, they would pass through the alley of 4 rows of immense lime trees, a magnificent view. When the carriage stopped at the house, the servants in the white livery came to help the children out.
What Marie’s and Dmitri’s day would look like starts from getting up in the morning. Each had 2 rooms and they on opposite sides of the playroom. First they would go down to the stable and would drink a glass of warm milk, fresh from the cow. Then, they would visit the chickens and take with them some fresh eggs put aside for them. After the promenade, she would generally take on the balcony, while her aunt would be walking alone for an hour. Her uncle read the newspaper and her aunt would read English pictorial reviews or French fashion magazines. Then Marie’s and Dmitri’s lessons began. They stopped at 11:00 am. Then, they are usually off to play in teh shade of the trees or the banks of the water. At an older age, they would go bathing separately where they each would go to a different small bathhouse where they would disrobe and bath in the shallow part of the river. Then, they went back for lunch and made sure they were on time or they would be reprimanded for tardiness. Their uncle would determine what their afternoon activities would be. She and Dmitri ate much and moved for coffee either of 2 places - on the terrace or the balcony.
The children were warned of being reprimanded if they did not find a subject to talk about at lunch. Usually at luncheons, there were usually 15-20 persons. Marie had felt that was the most painful part of the day.
After the luncheons, her uncle would retire to another room to rest. Her aunt would join other ladies and embroider - where often a reader would read a book about to them. Books tended to be British and authors were chosen cautiously.
As for the children’s activities, they took a small, lower carriage ride with ponies. Sometimes they would drive over to a neighbors who were great friends of the family and give them tea and cakes. Their excursions were done frequently in the summer but not during bad weather seasons. Another activity would be to forage for mushrooms and berries.
On the 5th of July was an annual fête in the uncle’s name, Saint Serge. He organized a lottery for the peasants and personnel of the estate. Guests arrived the night before and then the next day began with mass and then a luncheon followed. The attendees were parish clergy, the district authority, and neighbors. After lunch, the lottery was drawn. In a field, the ceremony took place. The heat was intense and a military orchestra played waltzes and polkas. Her Uncle wore an elegant white summer tunic and talked with those in the crowd. The guests would receive a signal as to when they could return to the house where they would fall into wicker arm chairs around the tables where tea was served under the trees.
Saint Ella’s day was celebrated near the end of July - a parochial holiday and festival for the whole village to attend. Merchants built booths along the main street, where merry-go-rounds, swings, tents for traveling shows and photographers were placed. Peasants came in their carts and wagons. After lunch, they all would make purchases. Her uncle and aunt would make sure to buy from each merchant. Servants walked with large baskets which they filled rapidly. Items purchased included liners, printed calicoes, handkerchiefs and shawls, earthenware, glassware, ribbons, and sweets. It was customary to make gifts, though many objects were purchased. Marie and
Dmitri were given money to buy presents and souvenirs for all - and would throw caramels, sunflower seeds and peanuts in the air with the peasants nearby to catch. In the evening after dinner, they would go back to the fair and ride the merry-go-round. Light was created through the use of greased pans and candles in bottles. Through the crowds Marie could hear the sounds of accordions, peasants’ voices, and women’s laughter.
Toward the middle of August, they always left Ilinskoie, went across the river to Usovo as the house heating was more modern there. The house was brick and grey stone in the English manner. It was not particularly pretty, yet it was spacious and comfortable. This home had a large winter garden forming all of one wing and filled with flowers and tropical plants. That was the last stage of the summer - the last weeks of vacation. There in the woods, she would hunt for nuts and bring back in sacks. Eventually the berries and fruits had all been plucked and the mushroom gathered. As the evenings became longer, the more they did inside the house.
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