Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

which was presented to him—with a pencil as it were. The new government put the royal family under house arrest inTsarskoe Selo. In a concession to the conservatives, Prince George Lvov was elected Prime Minister. A landowner withthe intelligence of a village mayor.The war continued, the Germans controlled the Ukraine. The Russian army disintegrated on all fronts. Bands of mutinoussoldiers killed their officers and hid in the woods. Thousands streamed into Petrograd, swelling the left-wing radicals.The aristocracy began to leave the country, across the border to Finland, to Siberia, and to the Pacific Provinces. A fewrisked their lives and escaped across the Black Sea to Bulgaria and Greece.Alexandra slowly and systematically gave away clothes and household items to the refugees and homeless. She toldElisabeth that she was free to stay in their apartment or to go home, they would not be able to take her along on theirescape. In tears Elisabeth left for the Baltics by the end of March.One night Helena appeared with Alexeev. They announced that they had decided to get married. Alexandra wasoverwhelmed by the news. Helena had kept her growing relationship with Vitali very quiet. Alexeev joked that they hadeven planned their honeymoon. They would seek temporary refuge at the estate of relatives of Helena’s in easternRussia before trying to reach America by way of the Far East. Together they emptied Konrad’s last bottle of Georgiancognac.By April Alexandra, her family, and Vladimir were the only ones left among their close friends anxiously waiting for theCaucasian passes to open.In mid-April an unseasonable hot spell baked the South. Vladimir, restless and worried about Tamara and little Asmat,arrived at their apartment one night to say good-bye. He would take the train south early in the morning. God willing, theywould meet in Tiflis. He crossed himself three times.God had long ago abandoned his creation, this was the last time they saw Vladimir.62.They flee to Georgia1918In the small hours of a cold May night Alexandra, Konrad, and their two children reached Vladikavkas. To fight-offbandits, the train had carried an escort of heavily armed soldiers. Four days and nights had passed without mishap, butnow the train's engineer refused to take them further. The Chechens had blown up the bridges along the tracks to Baku.Vladikavkas was overcrowded with refugees and soldiers. They walked south out of town and hid in a small wood off theroad. Sophia and Otto fell asleep under one blanket.Konrad and Alexandra discussed the situation in whispers. Alexandra smoked a cigarette. For short moments its redglow would illuminate her face. In the distance the wheels of a locomotive screeched in repeated attempts to get a trainmoving on the rails. Shots rang sharply through the crisp morning.Tense, Konrad said. "We cannot walk across the mountains by ourselves, we need to join a group of people to defendourselves against bandits."Alexandra suggested that she would find a gun to take along.Konrad was aghast. "No, you will not, a gun would endanger us all. Maybe we can persuade or bribe a soldier toaccompany us. That would be much better. What do you want to do about Sophia, she cannot walk all the way."Alexandra drew one last time on her cigarette and tossed the butt in a luminous arc into the undergrowth. "We must findsomeone with a cart for her to sit on. We can walk. I will go into town and search for a horsecart to carry our luggage andSophia. Maybe I can share the vehicle with some trustworthy people."Konrad voiced his concern about her safety alone in town.She shrugged. "What should happen to me? With a little luck and my Georgian sixth sense I will find a cart. You will haveto be patient and not worry about me."Otto piped up. "Mummy, I will accompany you.""I thought you were asleep," said Alexandra.Otto was wide awake. "Sophia grabbed the blanket. I got cold and have listened to you for some time."They discussed Otto’s suggestion, and Alexandra decided that because of his age, he could be taken for a deserter andfor that reason should stay with Konrad guarding their belongings and Sophia.Alexandra got on her way and had soon disappeared.Konrad looked at their scanty baggage. Alexandra had insisted that they take very little. Each carried a backpack, which197