Later that evening Hotch was lying on his cot reading (Tales of a Wayside Inn, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) with the now familiar tiger cat curled up by his side. As far as he was concerned, the walk down to the dock had been a success. As several of the men had already told him, the only permanent structure there was the dock itself. However, 586 had confirmed that from time to time large white ships were visible on the horizon.
"They are always way, way out there," she said gesturing. "I've heard that there are people on them, but I don't know for sure. Besides, where would they be going?"
Hotch let the comment go as he had the feeling that the concept of a vacation wasn't something that she would understand.
However, he had also discovered that in addition to being an intelligent young woman 586 was also a very good conversationalist. During the course of the afternoon they had discussed a multitude of subjects and her knowledge had proved to be almost encyclopedic.
He was half-way through the Prelude to the Tales when the door to his cell burst open and when he looked up he saw 586 standing there.
"What - ?" Hotch, startled, started to stand up. "Are you - ?"
Marry Me!" 586 burst out. "Marry Me!" She looked at him hopefully.
"Excuse me?" Hotch wasn't sure he was hearing right. "You are asking me to marry you?"
"Yes!" the response was immediate and emphatic. "I talked with Mistress and she agrees that it is a good idea. So?" She looked expectantly at Hotch.
"I don't even know you," Hotch protested. "I don't know that much about you."
"I was born on the island, I already have a son, I don't live in the women's dorm because I have earned the right to have my own room, and it is time for me to have a second child," was the response. "What else do you want to know?"
"There's more to it that just that," Hotch responded patiently. "You don't know anything about me. And, why me? There are lots of other men on the island. Besides, I didn't think that the people on the island got married."
"Most don't," 586 conceded. "Or they wait until they are really, really old. However, I am one of the ones who has earned the right to get married whenever I want to – and I want to."
"And I want you," she continued stubbornly. "If you want to get to know me, why don't you court me? Isn't that what people do when they want to get to know each other?"
"Court you?" Hotch repeated. "How can I do that when I am confined in here?" He gestured to the four walls surrounding him.
"I've already spoken with Mistress," 586 told him. "And, if you agree to consider marrying me, you will be moved into the men's dorm."
"The men's dorm," Hotch repeated thoughtfully. He had seen the large room with dividers between the several groups of cots, each with its own shelf and dresser. And, he was thinking about how easy it would be to just sneak away from the building - If only he could figure out where he needed to go to get off the island.
"Let me speak with Mistress," was his careful suggestion. "Let me find out what she has in mind. Also, there are several issues I would need to clarify with her."
"Okay," 586 responded happily. "I'll make arrangements for you to speak with her first thing tomorrow morning. It shouldn't take too long."
"And, you can bring the cat, too," she added nodding at the creature lying on his cot. "I think I'd like having a cat."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
After breakfast the next morning, Hotch went looking for Mistress's office. Following 586's directions, he walked along a flagstone path through a tangle of bushes and into a clearing dominated by a large Victorian-style home, complete with wraparound porch. When he walked through the front door of the house, he found himself in a foyer with a staircase directly in front of him and doorways on either side, leading to other rooms. Through the doorway on his right, he could see a man sitting at a desk examining a stack of papers, so he walked into that room.
"Good morning, you must be 751," the man looked up with a smile. "Mistress has been expecting you. If you'll come with me?" He stood up and began leading the way to the room located directly behind him.
"By the way," he added looking over his shoulder. "I don't believe we have met. I'm 539, Mistress's Assistant in Charge of Accounting."
He opened the door. "Seven fifty seventy one is here to see you," he announced.
"Go right in," he told Hotch as he moved to one side so Hotch could go through the doorway.
When he walked through the door, Hotch found himself in an office with furnishings reminiscent of the early 1900's. As he looked around he realized there was no sign of a telephone, a computer, a copier, or any other electronic office equipment. He wondered how Mistress could run an operation the size of Farm #3 without any of those.
"Seven fifty one," Mistress smiled at him from where she was sitting behind an oversized desk. "I've been expecting you. Please, sit down." She gestured towards the visitors' chairs positioned in front of the desk.
"You don't have a coffee cup," Hotch blurted out.
"A coffee cup?" Mistress questioned. "No, I guess not. Is that important?" She gave Hotch a puzzled look.
"It's just that everyone I have ever worked with has had a coffee cup on their desk," Hotch explained. "And, you don't. Now that I think of it, I haven't seen any coffee since I have been on the island. And, no tea, either."
"Coffee and tea would need to be imported," Mistress explained. "And I try to keep things like that to a minimum. If times got tough, we would have to eliminate them and people wouldn't be too happy about it."
"Times have been tough in the past?" Hotch questioned curiously.
"They aren't now," Mistress told him. "The past several years' harvests have been very, very good. However, I remember times when I was growing up when I will swear that Cook was boiling grass to provide food for us. Good times don't always last and I need to remember that and plan for it."
"You are in charge of budgeting for the farm," Hotch guessed.
"Among other things," Mistress confirmed. "I'm the one who keeps track of how many credits we have at the mercantile. And, all the hard decisions on what we need and/or can afford to buy are made by me."
"Now," she continued. "I assume you are here because you have some questions for me."
"Five eighty six wants to marry me," Hotch stated flatly. "And she says you agree with her – That you say it is okay."
"That's one way of putting it," Mistress replied thoughtfully.
"I don't know for sure, but I assume there is quite an age difference," Hotch began his arguments.
"There is," Mistress agreed. "However, in the case of 586 that is probably a good thing. She needs some stability in her life. She has quite a tendency to go off on tangents and she needs someone who will anchor her and encourage her to see things as they are, not as she wishes they were. I think you could be that person."
"Could be," Hotch latched onto her words. "In other words, you have some doubts."
"You two hardly know each other," Mistress beat him to his next argument. "And, I think you need time to become acquainted before any decision is reached – In her words, you need to court her."
"Court her," Hotch repeated. "That is what she said. But, I'm not even sure I like her!"
"Then take the time to find out," Mistress advised. "You might learn something about yourself in the process."
"If I do agree to court her," Hotch began. "What about my other – Duties?"
"If you are interested in getting to know 586," Mistress told him. "You will be moved into the men's dorm. However, be warned that you will be under the scrutiny of the other men living there. And, while you will continue with your carpentry work, you will be relieved of your other 'duties' and also will not be part of the men's rotation. However, if things don't work out between you and 586, that will change."
"And, if we marry?" Hotch asked.
"If you and 586 marry, you will be in an exclusive relationship," Mistress replied. "And you will no longer be required to spend your evenings with any other women."
"Okay," Hotch said thoughtfully. "I am willing to get to know 586. She seems to be nice and she is definitely intelligent. Also, she does want to marry me."
"Good," Mistress smiled at him. "Let me get with 433. He's in charge of the men's dorm and will be responsible for making room for you there. And, in the meantime, why don't you go tell 586 of your decision?"
As Hotch stood up to leave, he looked around. "I am surprised to see this house here," he said. "This is where you work?"
"The house was built for the original owners of the island," Mistress explained. "I work from here as did the farm manager before me and the farm manager before him. My husband and I live upstairs and my assistant, 539, also has a room here."
"Five eighty six said she has her own room?" Hotch asked curiously.
"She has earned that right," Mistress told him. "It's located in a wing of the women's dorm building. However, if she eventually agrees to succeed me as farm manager, she will get rooms here in the house."
"She has said, and you just said, that 586 earned the right to a room," Hotch echoed the phrase. "What exactly does that mean?"
"When a member of our farm has made a significant contribution to the overall welfare of the group," Mistress explained. "They are rewarded. And, as you have probably noticed, 586 has made several such contributions. So, she has been assigned her own room and has also been given the privilege of being allowed to make her own decision about which man she wants to be paired with."
"What about me?" Hotch asked.
"The jury is still out on that," was the thoughtful rely.