15/28 June 1914

Alexei was well enough today that Papa decided the rest of us could go hiking. Tatiana stayed on the yacht with Mama and Anya because Mama always likes to have one of us around. (I think Tatiana agreed so she could flirt with her officer.)

Early this morning the launch delivered Papa and Olga and Mashka and me to a little island, where we spent the day picking berries. Mashka accused me of eating more berries than I put in the basket, but that is absolutely untrue.

When we got back to the yacht, Mama was in the lounge, playing piano duets with Anya. Mashka brought her a bunch of wildflowers, and I made up a story about a bear chasing us in the berry patch and acted it out for her, taking the part of the bear.

“There was no bear, Anastasia,” Tatiana said. And when I asked how she knew, since she wasn’t there, she said she was watching the whole time through the telescope.