Beneath her black mourning veil, Alicky’s forehead creased in a frown. Sergei was the Governor-General of Moscow. Vladimir was Commander of the Imperial Guard. Alexis was the Grand Admiral of the Fleet. Paul, Nicky’s good-looking youngest uncle, was only eight years older than Nicky, and his not holding an important position was presumably why Sergei hadn’t mentioned him. She remembered Kindred Spirit Willy saying to her that when Nicky became Tsar, his uncles would try and dominate him and rule through him, and that Nicky needed her at his side to make sure they didn’t succeed in doing so.

‘Nicky will always be glad of your support, Sergei, and of Uncle Vladimir’s and Uncle Alexis’s, but the Tsar is answerable to no one but God and so needs no help in ruling. I remember you teaching me that when I was a child.’

It was so far from being the reaction he was expecting that Sergei’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Recovering himself swiftly, he said, ‘Forgive me, Alicky, but you haven’t yet been at Nicky’s side long enough to appreciate how completely ignorant he is of anything to do with affairs of state. Sasha believed he still had decades left in which to introduce Nicky to the business of ruling. It’s something he was tragically wrong about and, as a consequence, Nicky is totally unfamiliar with state papers and hasn’t even headed a committee. He knows no more than a child about the business of ruling.’

Her carriage, in which traditionally – as a bride-to-be – she was to ride in unaccompanied, had come to a halt in front of them. ‘Even though you are his uncle,’ Alicky said, moving to step into it, ‘that is not how you should now refer to Nicky. He isn’t a child. He is twenty-six. And as he is the Tsar, God will help him with whatever it is that he doesn’t yet know.’

And with great dignity, as if already an empress, she settled herself in the carriage. As it joined the long line of carriages now rolling away from the cathedral, Alicky kept her eyes fixed firmly forwards, resolutely not looking back to where Sergei was staring after her, a look of shocked disbelief on his face.

‘Who the devil does she think she is?’ Vladimir exploded, when Sergei told him of the reaction he had had from Alicky. ‘Does she have a lust for power? Because God help Russia if she has! How can a young woman from a tadpole-sized duchy like Hesse and by Rhine imagine she can give Nicky the help he’s going to need to rule the largest country on earth? The boy couldn’t even organize a coffin for his father’s funeral!’