She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened. This was no time for a show of weakness.

She blinked several times and looked out the window again. The faint outline of the coast in the distance indicated she was already inside Meridia’s territorial waters. What she didn’t understand was why her father was sending her here or how he expected to get her ashore without the world knowing exactly where she was. She hated not having control of her life.

How she wished she could have joined her sisters at the hideaway in the Swiss Alps. Unfortunately, fear that someone might try to follow her there was enough of a deterrent to cause her father to make other arrangements for her. Now, here she was with a destination in mind but no idea what she was supposed to do when she got there.

Her father’s declaration that he was sending her away had come only an hour after the gunshots had ceased. Amidst the confusion of the guests leaving the palace, Cassie had been escorted out a side entrance and taken to her father’s yacht, where she’d spent a restless night in her stateroom while waiting for the proper crew to be assembled for today’s journey.

Cassie wasn’t sure how many people on board knew of her presence, but so far, she had seen only her private steward. As much as she often craved privacy, this wasn’t what she’d had in mind.

For thirty hours, she had remained in her stateroom with nothing to do but relive the memories. She had managed a few hours’ sleep yesterday afternoon and into the evening, but when the sun had gone down, she had showered and changed into a simple pair of navy slacks and a tan button-up shirt. With her long hair hanging loose, she supposed she looked as common as anyone else. But she wasn’t common, and she never would be, no matter where her father sent her to hide.

She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders, reminding herself of her duty. She was the oldest, the royal heir. It wasn’t only her father’s job to keep her family safe. It was hers too. If that meant spending a few weeks in a foreign land, then that was what she would do.

The engines stopped, the yacht’s forward progress slowing. A sailboat crossed into view and approached from the port side.

Her heartbeat quickened, and she stood. They were still at least a half mile from shore. Why were they stopping? Was something wrong with the boat, or was she being set up again?

She hurried to the door and opened it to find her guard raising a hand to knock, a porter beside him. “Your Highness, your escort has arrived.”

Cassie eyed the porter, a balding man in his forties. “My escort?”

“Another vessel will take you on the next leg of your journey,” he explained. “Your father was explicit in his instructions that no one from Sereno know your end destination.”