On the other side of the room her sister Irène also looked as if she had been smitten by a Henry, although this time by a fully royal one, Prince Heinrich of Prussia – Kindred Spirit Willy’s younger brother. Alicky wondered if it was always like this at weddings; as if simply being at a wedding induced romantic thoughts in guests who had not yet taken the plunge. Certainly it was the best occasion to see, in the flesh, possible future marriage partners, for there was no question of marrying outside the exclusive caste of which they were all members. This meant there was a very narrow selection field, and it became even narrower when dynastic and political alliances were taken into account. Vicky was very fortunate in marrying a man she was in love with, and of whom Granny Queen approved; and Alicky hoped that when Ella and Sergei’s engagement was announced, Granny Queen was going to be similarly pleased at the prospect of Sergei as a grandson-in-law.

All the main speeches had long since been made and there was a ripple of surprise as her father again rose to his feet and footmen flooded the room, recharging the champagne flutes. Not since their mother died had Alicky ever seen her father looking so pleased with life.

‘Your Majesty,’ he beamed towards Granny Queen, ‘on this wonderfully happy occasion allow me to announce another joyful event, the engagement of my daughter, Ella, to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov.’

There was a second of stunned silence and then – with the exception of the Hohenzollern contingent, who were well aware that Willy had asked Ella several times to marry him and had been spurned every time, which was, to them, the equivalent of their country being spurned; and of Granny Queen, who had a face like thunder – the room erupted in a storm of congratulations. A Romanov wedding meant a St Petersburg wedding; and a St Petersburg wedding meant another Royal Mob get-together – this time on a scale of almost impossible-to-imagine splendour and lavishness.

Alicky watched in pleasure as Aunt Marie rushed to Ella’s side, hugging her and telling her how pleased she was that Ella was about to become a Romanov. Missy and Ducky were jumping up and down and squealing that she would now be their aunt as well as their cousin. Every red-blooded male in the family was lining up to tell Sergei that he was a damned lucky fellow and, as Ella was far and away the most beautiful girl in the room, meaning it. And then Alicky saw Lady Ely, Queen Victoria’s lady-in-waiting, cross the room towards Ella and speak to her. Almost instantly Ella excused herself from her well-wishers and, as Granny Queen swept from the room, Ella – accompanied by their now apprehensive-looking father – followed swiftly in her wake.