Terrible Tsarinas

opinion on the question, for the first time. Summarizing the gen-

eral opinion, he declared in his beautiful, deep voice, “If we drag

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our feet now, we will only bring about a great misfortune. I feel it

in my soul — we are on the verge of great chaos, destruction, per-

haps even the ruin of the fatherland!” La Chétardie and Lestocq

agreed, vociferously. There was no way out, now. Her back to the

wall, Elizabeth Petrovna sighed and reluctantly acquiesced:

“Alright, since if you push me to do it.” And, not even completing

her sentence, she made vague gesture and left it to fate to decide

the rest.

Without a moment’s hesitation, now, Lestocq and La

Chétardie assigned roles; Her Highness would have to go to the

gvardeitsy in person to enlist them in her aid. And just then, a dele-

gation of grenadiers from the Guard, led by Sergeant Grünstein,

had just turned up at the Summer Palace to request an audience

with the tsarevna: these men confirmed that they, too, had just

received orders to leave for the Finnish border. In extremis, the in-

surrectionists were condemned to succeed. Every minute lost

would decrease their chances. Faced with the most crucial deci-

sion in her life, Elizabeth withdrew to her own room.

Before jumping into the breach, she knelt down before the

icons and swore to revoke the death penalty all across Russia,

should they succeed in their enterprise. In the next room her par-

tisans, gathered around Alexis Razumovsky, fretted over these

delays. She wasn’t going to change her mind again, was she? At

the end of his patience, La Chétardie returned to his embassy.

When Elizabeth reappeared, standing tall, radiant and

proud, Armand Lestocq placed a cross of silver in her hands, pro-

nounced a few more words of encouragement, draped around her

neck the cord of the Order of Saint Catherine, and pushed her out

the door. A sleigh was waiting. Elizabeth took her seat, with

Lestocq; Razumovsky and Saltykov settled into a second sleigh,

while Vorontsov and Shuvalov rode along on horseback. Behind

them came Grünstein and ten grenadiers. The entire group set

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One Anna after Another

out, in the night, toward the barracks of the Preobrazhensky

Regiment. They halted briefly in front of the French embassy,

where Elizabeth sought to inform her “accomplice” La Chétardie

that the dénouement was at hand; but a secretary affirmed that

His Excellence was not in. Understanding that this absence was

essentially diplomatic, intended to clear the ambassador in case of

failure, the tsarevna did not insist. She merely relayed the mes-

sage, via an embassy attaché, that she was “dashing to glory under

the aegis of France.” And to her merit she affirmed, loud and clear,

that the French government had just refused her the 2,000 rubles

that she had asked for, as a last resort, from La Chétardie.

Arriving at the barracks, the plotters ran into a sentinel

whom no one had had time to forewarn; doing his duty, he

pounded out an alarm on his drum. Quick as lightning, Lestocq

slashed the drum with his sword, while Grünstein’s grenadiers

hurried to inform their comrades of the patriotic act that was ex-

pected of them. The officers, who lodged in the city, nearby, were

also alerted. Within minutes, several hundred men formed up,

ready for action. Gathering her courage, Elizabeth stepped down

from the sleigh and addressed them in a tone of affectionate com-

mand. She had prepared her speech well.

“Do you recognize me? Do you know whose daughter I am?”

“Da, matushka!” the soldiers answered in unison.

“They plan to send me to a monastery. Will you follow me,

to prevent that?”

“We are ready, matushka! We will kill them all!

“If you speak of killing, I must withdraw! I do not want any-

one killed!”

This magnanimous answer disconcerted the gvardeitsy. How

could anyone ask them to fight, while sparing the enemy? Was

the tsarevna less sure of her rights than they had thought? Under-

standing that she had disappointed them with her tolerance, she

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held up the silver cross that she had received from Lestocq and

exclaimed: “I swear to die for you! Swear to do as much for me,

but without spilling any blood unnecessarily!” That was a promise

the gvardeitsy could give without reserve. They swore their fealty

in a thunder of enthusiasm and advanced, in turn, to kiss the cross

that she held out to them like the priests do in church. Seeing

that the final obstacle had just come down, Elizabeth embraced

with her gaze the regiment lined up before her, its officers and its

men, took a deep breath and declares in a prophetic voice: “Let us

go forth and bring joy to our fatherland!” Then she mounted the

sleigh once more and the horses sprang forward.

Three hundred silent men followed the matushka along the

still-deserted Nevsky Prospect, heading for the Winter Palace.

Passing by the Admiralty, she thought that the great sound of