Alana Bennett: What She's Up to Now!

By Lisa A. Lawrence

Alana was featured in the August 2003 of High Maintenance with a specific focus on the wonderful re-creations she made for the Franklin Mint Scarlett O'Hara® doll.  Now that Alana has pretty much done every outfit from the movie, including some that were made for the movie but never even used, she has shifted her focus elsewhere.  Lucky for us Princess Diana collectors, she's started doing re-creations of Diana's gowns!  While she's just recently started doing these,  some of them are sold out already... but I've got several of them!

She's also started designing for Cissy! 

Last Fall or so, Alana contacted me about entering the Perfect Pattern Contest.  She would be making outfits from a particular pattern and wanted to know if I would write the story to accompany the pictures.  I thought, "Sure, I'm a writer."  So I told her yes. I looked at the pattern to see what she was going to be making and instantly I had an idea about what to write.  About a month before the contest deadline, Alana wanted to know how the story was going.  I told her, "Oh, I haven't even started it... I can do it at the last minute. No worries!"  Two weeks later, Alana contacted me.  OK, OK... I'll write the story and ease her mind that I'm not going to flake out on her.

So I copied her pictures onto a webpage where I could look at them all at once.  I sat there.  The story I had planned to write just wouldn't appear on my monitor.  Not a single word. After about an hour, it suddenly dawned on me: "I don't write fiction!"  I write interviews. I've written legal briefs, legal articles, a legal research guide, a book on fashion on the internet, all kinds of articles on fashion.  I write about facts... I don't make things up.  Well, it was late at night and I had promised Alana I'd have a story to her by the next day.  This was not really a revelation I wanted to make at bedtime.  So, I threw it up to God.  OK, God, I screwed up.  I don't write fiction but Alana needs this to enter the contest.  You write it!

Inspiration hit!  Looking at the clothes, they reminded me of something from the Nicholas and Alexandra era.  I did a Yahoo! Search and went to a Nicholas website.  I read for about 3 minutes.  Then the whole story popped into my head.  I couldn't write it fast enough.  Still, I was nervous about it. I hoped Alana wouldn't hate it.

I emailed the story to Alana the next day. She LOVED it!  OK, I was off the hook.  I had come through for her. Or God had, anyway.  After the voting took place, Alana informed me that we won second place.  Second place?  I thought God could write better than that! 
 

Here's the story:

  Almost an Empress, Forever a Queen

Tatiana sat on her lounge, holding the roses and a note from her lost love, Nicholas, Emperor of Russia.  Heartbroken, she softly wept as she read his note.

Tatiana, my first love.
You must know how it grieves me to bid you this final farewell.
While history will recall this day, the day of  my wedding to Alexandra, as a
moment of great joy, you and I alone
will know the truth that remains in our hearts.

As the ruler of Russia, my allegiance to the Russian Orthodox Church
must remain unblemished.  Similarly, I applaud your own decision
to remain faithful to the Lutheran Church. 
Let it bring comfort to us that only our faith in God
was strong enough to ultimately keep us apart.

My marriage to your cousin Alexandra, after her own decision to convert
to Russian Orthodoxy, will bring much needed consistency to
Mother Russia.  I pray that the one-quarter blood you share
with your cousin will allow me to eventually
transfer to her at least a small amount of my passion for you.

I am grateful for your decision to remain in exile in London. 
Knowing you are not nearby will help me to remain faithful, as I must be,
to your cousin.  While we will never be able to speak again,
you can be sure that my love for you remains as steadfast as ever. 
In the future, you will hear of news that will confirm this. 
It will be my final tribute to our love.  
Forever, Nicholas II

While many of Europe's royal families were in Russia, attending the wedding of Nicholas and Alexandra, Tatiana was required to attend a celebratory reception with the lesser royals who gathered in London.  Duty bound to attend, she put on the gown she had been wearing when she had first met Nicholas.  She wore the crown he had sent to her just days earlier, declaring her to be "Queen of His Heart."

News of the Russian Royal wedding continued to circulate throughout the continent for months, eventually carrying with it the rumors of Alexandra's first confinement.  As the world awaited a royal heir to the Russian throne, Tatiana escaped to a tiny seaside resort in the South of France.  Away from the news, she slowly began to heal. 

Through the years, Tatiana's love for Nicholas remained strong but her faith in God allowed her to live a peaceful, happy life.  Nicholas and Alexandra created a strong family and were dedicated to one another.  Three years after their marriage, Tatiana heard news that confirmed she was not forgotten.  The royal couple named their second daughter "Tatiana."  Nicholas had kept his promise to make a final tribute to his first love.  She knew he would.

Over the years, Tatiana grew into a refined, giving woman.  She redirected the energy of her lost love into creating numerous charities and working tirelessly for the sick and homeless.   While her love for Nicholas never faded, it did grow into a deeper, more mature love that also encompassed Alexandra and their five children.  She prayed for the health and happiness of the royal family even while news of Russian unrest continued to escalate.  Twenty-two years after their romance ended, Tatiana was crushed to hear that the entire Romanov Dynasty had come to a tragic end.  Nicholas and his family had been executed.  Tatiana lived the remainder of her life strengthened by her faith, continuing her numerous charities  and comforted by her little dog, "Nicky."