QV to VMH:
Feb 2 1887: 'It is impossible for me to tell you waht a shock your letter gave me! Indeed I felt quite ill--for I am so deeply hurt at Irene's condut
towards me wh. is neither kind grateful or straightforward. I spoke to her on the subject not long before she left, & said I
don't say it is never be, only
don't bind yourself before he goes away on a long voyage--but say you cannot as yet give a promise. And she
assured me
again & again that she wld
never do that!...The least she cld have done wld be to telegraph
at once to me: 'Henry is coming after all'. But to
learn it from the papers
1st, is too much....I am very fond of Henry, but he has behaved
very badly abt Sandro & Liko too--& says
very improper things to his Mother. You say you feel sure I will rejoice at
her happiness. But that is
just what I do
not feel sure of. Henry is not at all strong, the Empress hates
all connected with your family NOW. Dear Mama did
not wish such a marriage for any of you, as little as a
Russian one, &
her wishes have been totally disregarded...I had other
hopes & wishes for Irene [I wonder what] but
my wishes & hopes seem
never to be fulfilled so it is useless for me to look forward any more.--I see the advantages wh. possibly may be derived from this union; the very fact that Henry will become the Brother-in-Law of Ludwig who is Brother to Sandro--must have a good influence. I remember now that in speaking to Sandro abt. it [I'm sure H & I would've appreciated that

] & saying how I disliked the idea, he seemed rather to favour it....I will write to Irene myself--when I have recd. her 2nd letter. I shall tell her just the same--It reminds me of Ella's & Serge's marriage (wh. I grieve over
as much as ever) & that
you were made to announce it to me as (I suspect)
no one else liked to do it, just after she had
declared she wld
not accept him!!....I darely hope for better things for lovely Alicky tho' I still have lingering hopes left there!...Papa & you shld. never have left them together & I fear she was driven into a corner. [Based on their engagement photo, a corner she was happily backed into IMO ]
All the italics (which in letters took the form of multiple underlinings) shows how agitated she was. Poor Victoria having to be the conduit! And Henry gets some short-shrift here since he had braved Berlin's displeasure by attending Henry & Beatrice's wedding (where Irene was a bridesmaid) despite Berlin's feelings regarded Henry's morganatic origins.