". . .I miss-" Susan broke off with a sigh. "There was a time this would have been easy, but handing him a bouquet of withered flowers is unlikely to be understood, here."

"I miss solving such problems with a sword in the face." Peter said cheerfully from his place stretched out on her bed, and Susan turned a harsh look on him.

"You were never supposed to do that," Susan said pointedly, though she was losing the battle with her giggles . . . and it wasn't entirely untempting, thinking of the rude boy who had given her a bouquet including violets, pincushion flowers, and lavender and claimed to mean them, "not in court."

In the Victorian language of the flowers withered flowers represent rejected love; violets represent modest love and faithfulness; pincushion flowers represent mourning, unfortunate love, and widowhood; lavender represents distrust - Susan's suitor does not know the language of the flowers, one supposes. >.>