On the way down from Beth Sebohn�s office, Bertram had tried to maintain a business-like air. He walked a few steps ahead of her and preceded her into every room and corridor, as he was supposed to. He found that having her out of sight helped him keep his mind on what he was supposed to be doing � protecting her.
Once he�d verified that the cafeteria was safe, however, he could no longer keep her out of sight. Now he nibbled on a muffin and watched as she ate a sandwich. He was surprised at himself for his uncharacteristic behavior. He�d worked closely with female Wardens in the past and been able to keep it professional. What was different about Beth? Why was he suddenly forgetting all the rules set forth by his superiors and thinking with his heart instead of his head?
Bertram noticed as a man stepped into the cafeteria and immediately headed in their direction. He locked eyes with the man, trying to ascertain if he was a threat. Bertram decided that the man was probably safe just as he called out Beth�s name.
Bertram saw Beth smile and relaxed a little. It was clear from her expression that she knew him quite well. The man crossed the room in a few steps and came to stand beside the table. �Who�s this?� he asked, seeming to notice Silverwebb for the first time.
�Bertram,� Beth replied, smiling brightly. �He�s gonna protect me, from the Gladiolans.�
Bertram nodded in agreement with the statement, but kept his eyes on the man standing in front of him. His mind ran through the members of the President�s staff. This man must be Jesse Levine, the Deputy Chief of Staff.
�Oh, right,� Jesse said in response to Beth�s introduction, as though the thought had just occurred to him. �You and Jody were getting threats.� Beth nodded and the man turned to Bertram. �How long�s this gonna be for?�
Bertram�s eyes narrowed. He realized Beth and this man were close friends � in fact they had known each other for quite a while � but Silverwebb decided that he didn�t really like him very much. �We don�t know, sir,� he said stiffly. As he said the words, a thought occurred to Bertram. Could it possibly be that he was jealous of the relationship this man had with Beth? Blinking in surprise at the thought, he added in a more gentle tone, �As long as it takes.�
Jesse smiled. �Good,� he stated. �Cause we really care about Beth.� Turning to the woman, he added, �And we wouldn�t want anything to happen to her.�
�We care about Jody, too.� Beth chided gently.
Bertram suppressed a smile as he glanced over at her. Jesse made a joke and Beth responded by rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
Bertram turned back to Jesse, hoping to reassure him that both of his friends would be safe. �Michael is very competent, just rather�� he paused, as he searched for the best word to describe his co-worker. �Earthy?� he said, after a few moments. Bertram turned back to Beth and noticed that she had turned to look at him, while he�d spoke. He was so surprised by her scrutiny that he couldn�t hide the blush that quickly rose in his cheeks.
�Jody�s a nice guy, once you get past his grumpy exterior,� Jesse stated.
�Boy,� Beth said, chuckling. �That�ll be an�interesting match.�
Bertram nodded and smiled as Jesse agreed, �I�ll say. They�ll either hate each other or get along famously.�
Moments later, the pair made their way back up to Beth�s office. �What are you going to do now?� she asked curiously.
Bertram shrugged and sat down in a chair across from her. �Watch your back while you�re working, Mistress Beth,� he answered softly. �Just pretend that I�m not even here.�
The woman looked a bit dubiously at him for a moment, then sat down and began writing on a legal pad.
How goes it? Bertram heard in his head.
Silverwebb glanced over at Beth; then peered through the glass window that separated her office from Master Jody�s. It�s going fine so far, he sent back. What about you and your protectee?
Bertram chuckled softly when he saw Michael roll his eyes. Grouchy old curmudgeon keeps telling me to leave him be, the other replied.
Bertram smirked and looked away from Michael for a moment. We shouldn�t be chatting like this, he sent back. We�re only supposed to do this in case of an emergency.
I know, Michael replied. But I�m bored out of my skull!
Bertram scowled. It�s a good thing to be bored when it means that there�s no danger to your protectee, he thought.
Whatever, Michael replied. So, what�s with you and Miss Sebohn?
What do you mean?
Bertram sensed disbelief as Michael replied, You act shy of her any time she glances your way.
I do not, Bertram answered. He glanced over at the woman and blushed as she looked up from her work and smiled.
You�re blushing, teased Michael.
Shut up! Bertram replied.
Beth looked at him curiously. �You seem worlds away, Bertram. Is something wrong?�
Bertram�s eyes grew wide. �No, Mistress Beth. Nothing�s wrong,� he assured her. �I was just�conferring with one of my colleagues.�
�How?� Beth asked, looking confused.
Bertram smiled and replied, �When you become a Watch Warden, they link you telepathically with the rest of the Watch Wardens. That way, if there is a threat to your protectee, you can warn others in the area and get help if need be.�
�Magic?� Beth asked, in surprise.
Bertram looked down and shook his head. �No, ma�am,� he answered, smiling slightly. �It�s a psychic link.� A mischievous grin came to his face, as he added, �There�s no such thing as magic.�
Beth rolled her eyes and looked back down at her papers, confirming for Bertram that she was one of the few Equisetans he�d met that actually did believe in magic. Being from Shynonia, the Silverwebb family had always openly acknowledged the existence of magic. However, most people from this realm thought such things were utter nonsense.
Anything that couldn�t be explained, except through magic, was termed an anomaly and ignored. It was a rather close-minded point of view, but there was no way around it in this society. In fact, having grown up there, enough of the idea had taken hold in his mind that magic made him uncomfortable to say the least. Even knowing of its existance, he generally would deny that it, feeling more at ease in the nundame world.
A knock on the window succeeded in gaining the attention of both people. Bertram looked up to see Jody beckoning Beth and pointing toward the hallway. Scowling, he turned to the woman. �What does he want?� he asked softly.
�It�s time for evening staff,� Beth explained, as she gathered her things.
Bertram nodded and got to his feet, to precede her down the hall and into Lee Cameron�s office. �Hello, sir,� Bertram said softly, as he peered in.
�Who are you?� the older man asked.
�Bertram Silverwebb, sir,� he replied. �I�ve been assigned as head of Miss Sebohn�s security detail until such time as the threat against her is deemed null.�
�Oh,� Lee said. �So�um, how does this work?� The older man stood and watched as Bertram entered the office and beckoned Beth in.
�Like that,� Bertram answered softly. �I�ll just stand here. Pretend that I�m not in the room.�
Lee nodded and smiled, as Michael and Jody repeated the process. Michael took up position on the opposite side of the room from Bertram and leaned on the wall. Bertram smiled slightly. The door beside Michael opened in the office of Lee�s secretary. However, the door he had positioned himself by opened into the Oval Office.
Bertram silently hoped that they wouldn�t have to discuss something with President Franklin. Going into the imposing room was one thing when he was with Eric, but to go in by himself � as he would if they had something to discuss with Franklin � was another matter entirely.
CJ came in, followed by Jesse and the four senior staff members quickly ran through any concerns that had come up during the day and discussed a few bits of good news that they had learned. Bertram watched the scene outside Lee�s office window and listened in his mind for any warnings from the other Wardens stationed around the Executive Mansion.
As the meeting came to a close, Lee introduced Bertram and Michael to CJ and Jesse. �They�ll be shadowing Beth and Jody until the people behind the Equisetans Against Bardic Influence are stopped,� he explained.
�Or at least until they stop threatening us,� Jody added.
CJ nodded and said, �Well, nice to meet you both.�
�Thank you, sir,� Bertram replied softly. �It�s an honor to meet you as well.�
Jesse smiled and said, �Well, we�re going out to one of the local bars to unwind. Would you � can you come?�
Sweeney glanced at Jody, who nodded; then he turned back to Jesse. �Sure,� he said, nodding. �I�m just not allowed to drink on duty.�
Beth frowned. �I have to finish the speech for that thing,� she explained. �Then I�ll probably just go on home.�
�Okay,� Jesse said. �See you tomorrow.�
CJ opened the door and waved Beth through, but Bertram caught her by the arm and pulled her back. �Sorry, Mistress Beth,� he said, releasing her. �But it�s very important that you get into the habit of allowing me to precede you through all doorways. You don�t know what might be out there and we don�t want anything to happen to you.�
�Alright,� she said softly, her eyes wide with fright.
Bertram hadn�t meant to frighten her, but the sooner she got used to staying behind him, the better off she�d be in the long run. �Did I hurt you?� he asked gently. When she shook her head, he nodded and peered out into the hallway. �All clear,� he announced to the occupants of the room.
Beth stepped into the hallway and the two returned to her office. Several hours later, she finally closed her notebook, straightened the things on her desk and stood up. Turning to Bertram, she said, �So, I�m ready to go. What we do now?�
Bertram smiled and got to his feet, saying, �Now we go, Mistress Beth.�
She looked at him a bit uncertainly and said, �I usually walk. Would you rather I took a carriage?�
�No, that�s fine,� he answered nodding and moving toward the doorway. �I just have to be on the street side of the walk,� he explained. Turning back to her, he added, �I also have to walk a bit ahead of you.�
Beth picked up her cloak from the rack near the door and asked, �Who�s going to watch me at home? You?�
�Yes,� Bertram replied, nodding succinctly. �I�ll be in the room adjacent to yours. You�ll still have privacy. There�s already an alarm system set up between the two suites.�
While he�d been speaking, Beth had moved closer to him, and the doorway. As he finished, she began to step through, until he held up a hand to forestall her. �Right,� she said, blushing a little and grinning. �You first.�
Bertram grinned. �Yes, not to be ungentlemanly,� he said, continuing down the hallway, after glancing around. �Anyway, there are alarm triggers on the windows and the door leading into your suite.� He paused and looked at her over his shoulder. Still trying to reassure her, he added, �There are also manual triggers in each room.�
They soon reached the street and began the short walk toward the hotel that Beth called home. Bertram smiled a little when he remembered Eric telling him about the arrangement earlier in the day.
Miss Sebohn probably thinks that I had to move all my belongings in order to do this assignment. In actuality, Bertram had been living in that suite since he moved to Dee Cee. Michael had needed to change living arrangements in order to protect Jody better, but he had not.
Out of habit, Bertram kept his eyes moving and kept his ears open. He could tell that, while she had started out somewhat tense, Beth had relaxed while she�d walked along the street with him. He peered at her over his shoulder and noticed that she was smiling. He nodded and smiled as well. At least now she�s comfortable with me, he thought. She needs to trust me and feel safe around me if I�m going to be effective at this assignment.
As they entered the hotel, Bertram led the way up to her room and opened the door for her. After peering around, he decided it was safe and beckoned her inside. �Goodnight, Mistress Beth,� he said softly. �Call me if you need me.�
�Goodnight, Bertram,� she replied. Smiling at him, as he stepped out, she said, �Thank you.�
Bertram nodded and shut the door. He headed back over to his suite and rubbed his eyes. Yes, indeed, he thought. This would be an assignment like no other he�d ever had.
End