The Grand duchess of nowhere

the long version

Perhaps there is one great love in everyone's life. For Princess Victoria Melita, or Ducky, hers was a Romanov, a member of the doomed Russian monarchy. Born a British Princess, Ducky's father was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Victoria's second son. Her mother was Grand Duchess Marie, the daughter of Tsar Alexander II. As an adult, Ducky is confined in an unhappy marriage. Desperate for a new life, she begins to look for something more and this new adventure leads her far beyond England's bounds, from Malta to the French Rivera, Finland and St Petersburg. As Russia unravels in 1917 and the Romanov dynasty falls, Ducky - now reunited with her Romanov love - is right at the heart of it. The life of her family in danger, she must act bravely to stand a chance of escape.