Raoul shifted in the plastic chair and wondered what the hell the princess was up to. The CCTV feed he’d hacked into gave him a clear view of the café she was sitting in but no clue as to why she was there.

It had been a well planned escapade, that much was true. And she’d made the most of the chronic idiocy of the cretin assigned to her at the time. He’d been fired as soon as he’d lost track of her that morning. Subsequent review of other CCTV footage, in the hotel and the shops where the princess had bought progressively cheaper, more generic clothing, showed a man getting far too familiar with the person he was meant to be protecting, and a young woman clearly feeling threatened.

Raoul hadn’t been allowed to dismember him, so he’d settled for a quiet word in the ears of the CEOs of several major personal security companies. If he couldn’t wreck the man’s face, he’d settle for wrecking his career.

There were two teenage boys at a table near the princess who were clearly leering at her. He wanted to punch them too, but since the princess didn’t seem bothered, he settled for scowling at the screen and imagining their expressions if they did try to make a move and he found it necessary to intervene. Not that the princess would appreciate it. She was enjoying herself.

He sighed, she didn’t get to be free very often. Always in company, always under observation. Even now. What the hell was she doing here?

She turned and waved at someone. Raoul could only see her back, she’d just walked in. Before he could switch camera views, the person crossed the café and enveloped the princess, his princess, in a hug.

Was she safe? What if they had a knife? He was half out of his chair before his brain caught up with his eyes. It was Nanny Jane. Dear lord, she’d come all this way, made all this effort to meet up with her old nanny.

If she’d just said something, he’d have made the calls, had the woman driven up to the city, or flown to wherever the princess wanted. But no, she had to sneak away and meet up in this strange little country town.

Why? What was going on? Raoul pinched the bridge of his nose. Jean-Claude was bad enough, but his shenanigans were predictable. The princess was normally so compliant. What had driven this meeting?