Xenia was on a cruise with her husband William in the West Indies at the time of Anna's arrival in New York. She had arranged for Anna to stay with Annie Burr Jennings, a friend of Xenia's who lived in a Park Avenue townhouse. Upon her return, Xenia sneaked unannounced into Annie Jennings's crowded salon to observe Anna. After watching Anna offer her hand to Gleb Botkin, Xenia declared that she knew she was watching an equal. She stated, "It was so matter-of-course, so unforced--in no way a theatrical gesture. With it she radiated a natural grandeur and I was impressed on the spot."