‘Then the answer is obvious, and Rasputin must no longer be on the scene.’ Languidly Felix rose to his feet. ‘No doubt, if you all put your heads together, you will come up with a solution, but Dmitri and I can’t stay to help. We have an assignation at the House of Fabergé. Dmitri is going to help me choose Irina’s Christmas gift.’

‘Am I?’ Dmitri asked as they left the palace in a horse-drawn sleigh.

‘No, of course not. Prince Felix Yusupov doesn’t go to the House of Fabergé. Monsieur Fabergé comes to Prince Felix Yusupov. We are now heading to my palace on the Moika in order that, over champagne, we can plot how we can make the family happy by disposing of Alicky’s mad monk. Poison, I think. Poison would do away with the sight of blood – and blood is so messy. Even a glimpse of it makes me feel faint.’

A week later Alicky’s daughter, Olga, said to her mother, ‘I think there’s a member of the family who is trying to build bridges with Grishka, Mama. Felix Yusupov has invited him to a late-night supper at the Moika Palace tonight, in order for him to meet Irina.’

‘How extraordinary!’ Felix wasn’t one of Alicky’s favourite people. He was too outrageous and bohemian, but his marriage to Nicky’s niece had made him family, and if he was extending the hand of friendship to Grishka, then she was willing to begin thinking differently about him. ‘Although I don’t think the invitation can have been for tonight,’ she added, ‘I happen to know that Irina is in the Crimea.’

‘Then I must have heard wrongly. It was Dmitri who told me. He’s on leave from his Cossack regiment. Do you know he’s been awarded the Cross of St George for gallantry in action? Uncle Paul must be very proud of him.’

The next day, when Alicky made her daily telephone call to Rasputin, she was told that the previous evening he had been Prince Yusupov’s supper guest and hadn’t been seen since he had left for the Moika Palace in one of the Prince’s chauffeur-driven Daimlers.

With Nicky at the Stavka, Alicky did what she had long been doing. She acted in his stead, telephoning the Chief of Police and demanding that he make a full and instant investigation.

His report, the next day, wasn’t reassuring.