Unlike her ill-fated brother and his family, Olga’s story is one of resilience, sacrifice, and daring escape. Trapped in a loveless marriage to a reckless gambler—who harbours secrets of his own—she finds hope in the arms of a dashing army lieutenant. But before she can claim her own happiness, she must first endure the brutal realities of World War I, where she serves as a nurse on the frontlines.
As the Russian Empire teeters on the brink of collapse, the infamous Siberian mystic Rasputin tightens his grip on the imperial court, setting the stage for revolution. With the Bolsheviks seizing power and the Romanovs marked for death, Olga faces an impossible choice: risk everything to stay or flee into the unknown with her true love and their children.
Rich in historical detail and driven by an unforgettable heroine, Escape of the Grand Duchess is a sweeping riches-to-rags tale of survival, love, and the strength it takes to forge a new life in the face of unimaginable upheaval.
Excerpt
The motion of the train put us all to sleep. I awoke to find Niko purring like a cat with his head on my shoulder and Semyon standing over me, his permanent frown deeper than ever. “Madame, we have to leave the train.”
“What? No!” I said, loudly enough to wake Niko and make other passengers look our way. Nothing was going to make me leave that train.
He lowered his voice. “Quiet, please, madame. I have spoken to the driver. He told me there are Reds at the next station, and they will board to search the train. He says there is a long bend coming up, and he will slow the train so we can jump off. But we must hurry.”
I felt sick. Jump off and risk injury to my children or possibly fall into the hands of the Reds. Were they waiting for us? Or was it just a regular inspection? I didn’t know what would happen to Niko and me if they caught us, but I was sure they would take away our children, and we would never know what happened to them. I also suspected they would shoot the Cossacks who had helped us.
Nikolai gave me a nudge. “We have to trust him.” There was no choice. I nodded. Semyon sat down beside Mimka opposite us so he could lower his voice even further and told us how we would do it. It sounded dangerous. We would be risking broken limbs at the least. Semyon took Tikhon from me, and we all rose and went to the exit. Semyon and Irakli stood on the platform while the rest waited just inside. The slowing of the train was almost unnoticeable at first, but when I looked out of the window, I saw we were on a long bend. On one side, the embankment was steep, almost precipitous; on the other, less so and with trees growing close. When Semyon judged the train wasn’t going to slow down further, Irakli jumped off, rolled, got to his feet, and ran along side until he had caught up. Semyon handed Tikhon to him, and he fell away. My heart was in my mouth, but the transfer had gone smoothly.
Then it was Nikoloz’s turn. He jumped, rolled, got to his feet, and ran after the train as fast as he could, his rifle bobbing up and down on his back like a pump. He was heavy and not as agile as Irakli. He got within two arshin of the platform but was struggling to keep up. I heard him gasp out a word, and Semyon threw my baby. He was in the air, his covers flapping before Nikoloz caught him. I breathed again, and Semyon drew Nikolai forward.
“You will go next, sir, and then you can help your lady. Then your maid will go. You will all walk toward the head of the train until we are all together. Quickly now.”
Nikolai jumped, stumbled, but managed to remain on his feet and started running alongside.
“You now, madame,” Semyon said. “Close your eyes. Try to relax all your muscles. Don’t fight the ground. Let it take you.”
I was terrified. The only thing that made me jump was the fact that my family was outside the train, and I was still on it. I collided with the ground so hard it felt as if I had been hit by the train. Above me, tree branches against purple-bellied clouds. Beneath my clutching fingers, hard-packed snow. Before I could assess any injuries, Nikolai was kneeling beside me.
“Are you all right, my darling?” he asked breathlessly. “I don’t know. Am I?” “Let’s see. Face as beautiful as ever. Right arm appears to be in one piece, same with the left. Hips are still where they—”
“Oh, shut up, you fool. How are you?”
“Never better.”
“Help me up. Let’s hope my legs still work.”
On my feet, I took a few tentative steps and saw that the two Cossacks who jumped before us were walking together down the line. The two others with Mimka were close behind us. “They are fine,” Irakli shouted.
I took Tikhon from him. My son’s arms went around my neck and clung tightly. He was old enough to have been terrified by what had just happened to him. My other son was awake and smiled when he saw me. I believe he was seeing his lunch. As the train picked up speed again, I saw faces jammed at the windows staring out at the crazy people who had jumped off a moving train. We walked down the track until we were all together. The train disappeared around the curve after a blare from its whistle.
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Thank you for taking the time to host Escape of the Grand Duchess on your blog today. Your support, enthusiasm, and lovely posts have made this tour so special. 📖✨
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