The first week of June made the Romanov girls sad, for it was their older sister Tatiana's birthday. Her first birthday separated from her sisters. Although it made the girls sad, news during dinner one night made them much happier.
"I have some excellent news for you," Grandmama announced, smiling.
"Your Auntie Xenia and eleven-year-old cousin Vasili are arriving in England. They are coming to stay with us here!"
Maria dropped her fork. Anastasia's mouth fell open. Both girls erupted with cries of joy. They hadn't seen them in what seemed like forever.
"When will they arrive?" Maria asked anxiously as she retrieved her dropped fork from the ground.
"Clumsy fool." Anastasia snickered under her breath. Maria slapped her sister's arm.
"By Friday. You've got five days till then."
"That's far too long!" Anastasia exclaimed.
"You'll just have to wait!" Grandmama smiled.
The next five days dragged on slowly. The girls wondered if Friday was ever going to come. They couldn't even sleep at night because of their excitement. Finally, Friday morning dawned. The girls rode in one of the house's cars to Plymouth docks where they awaited a small steamer ship.
The sisters stood hand in hand as the ship prepared to let them off. After a few minutes, they spotted Xenia and Vasili walking down the boat's landing.
Overwhelmed with joy, Maria and Anastasia sprinted down the long cement dock. They both ran to Xenia first, almost knocking her down as they attacked her in a hug.
"My girls. My lovely girls." Xenia whispered in her niece's ears. The hug went on for about a minute until the girls stepped back.
"You don't know how much we've missed you!" Maria wiped her eyes.
They then hugged Vasili who was thrilled to see his cousins once again.
After a long drive home, the cars finally pulled past Sandringham's gates. Xenia gasped at the house as she stepped out of the vehicle.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Anastasia laughed.
For the rest of the day, the sisters were glued to their aunt, always by her side. They showed their guests around the house. They led them through the parterres, the statue garden, the cottages, and finally, the courtyard.
After a day of exploring, the family sat smiling at dinner while Xenia talked about what had happened since she had seen her nieces last.
"Where is Uncle Alexander?" Maria asked as she took a sip of wine.
"Oh, off in Paris. He left Crimea before we did."
"Did you stay at Livadia?" Anastasia asked, her eyes wide.
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"I miss it so much. The sea, the sky, the salt scented air, the rolling hills!" Maria closed her eyes, trying to remember everything.
Visions of beautiful memories spent there lingered in the youngest Romanov's head.
Anastasia more than ever wanted to go back.