Eighteen year old Cutler Beckett climbed into the horse drawn carriage on a warm, spring, England morning. He had a small bouquet of tulips and lilies in his hands, bound by a white paper. He wore his best suit, the one that was dark blue with gold brocade like his father's Naval uniform. His dark brown hair was pulled back into a long ponytail with a black ribbon. He wanted to look dashing…more dashing than ever before. Today was a special day. He was going to confess love.

The coach started to pull away from his home. He started to sigh every few minutes and go over what he was going to say.

"Susan. I know we have been good friends for a long time…"

"Susan, I think it's time we take our relationship further…"

"Susan, I apologize if I seem forward but I…must speak my mind…"

Over and over again he mixed up words that wouldn't cause him to become extremely embarrassed in his head. He had never felt this way about anyone, but Susan had been his friend ever since he had moved to London. She was the only girl he had ever held an honest conversation with. Susan was his age. She was taller than most girls with light brown hair that was usually pulled up with ringlets hanging in front of her ears. She fancied light colored dresses like palm leaf green and rosy pink. Her eyes were sky blue that made her look almost blind. Her skin was a light tan because she loved to be outside. Basically she was the exact opposite of Cutler.

As the carriage pulled up the dirt drive to her manor, he let out the biggest sigh of the trip so far. Gripping his bouquet so hard that he thought the stems would snap, he stepped down out of the coach. He slowly walked up to the door as the carriage pulled away. He tried not to drag his feet in the dust, but he was so nervous that it was almost a subconscious action. He put the fist with the flowers in it behind his back as he knocked with the other. He rose onto the balls of his feet while he waited in the silence of morning for the door to open. Finally after about a minute, a tall man in a dark suit opened the door.

"Master Beckett, are you looking for Miss. Jackson?" he asked in a very low voice.

"Yes sir, is she here?" he asked nervously.

"She is. She's just finishing breakfast. She slept in today. Would you like me to get her?"

"Yes please!" The man shut the door and walked away. Beckett waited another minute for Susan. She opened the door and Beckett saw that she was still in her nightgown.

"Oh! Cutler!" she exclaimed in a tone that sounded surprised. "I thought you were coming later. I need to get changed, but please come in!" Beckett stepped inside with the flowers still hidden. He took a seat on a bench just inside the door. After Susan climbed the first few steps, she paused. "Aren't you coming?"

Beckett's ears reddened along with the rest of his face, but the charm of the young woman persuaded him to follow her. The man whom had answered the door shook his head before walking away.

Susan opened the door to her room. It had white molding around the windows and door. Her double wide window had a seat that was cushioned with red pillows that accented the rose prints on the walls. Her bed was a four poster with a pink canopy over it. There was an elegant armoire in the corner of the room that was used to hang anything fancy like her dresses. Everything was laced or was adorned in ribbon. Beckett forced a smile at everything feminine.

"You can take a seat on the bed," she said as she walked over to the armoire. He sat on the bed that was so high that he needed to jump a bit and his legs couldn't touch the ground.

"Um…these are for you Susan." He pulled the flowers out from behind his back. "You told me you loved lilies."

"Oh they're beautiful! Thank you so much!" She took a moment to smell the flowers before leaning over and pecking Beckett on the cheek. He smiled slightly as she giggled toward her water jug. She poured some icy water into an empty vase before she unwrapped the paper and put the flowers inside. She walked over to the closet again and pulled out a light blue dress. She flew behind her changing screen. Beckett pursed his lips, resisting temptation as she hung her nightgown over the screen.

"Don't think like that, Cutler!" he thought to himself. He quietly slapped himself across the face just before Susan came out in her dress. He stood up and fell a few inches.

"I've been saving this dress for a nice day," she said calmly. "Shall we go?" Beckett offered his elbow and replied

"We shall."

They walked all across town, weaving in and out of side allies and back roads to get away from the hustle and bustle of London. Next to her he felt like a small child holding onto his mother because of his height. He was the laughing stock of the family. He didn't know why he was so short, because everyone else in his family was average height or taller. When Susan was with him she never wore her heels, but her flats. If her parents would let her, she would wear no shoes, but that never worked out. When the two reached the shores, Susan stopped suddenly.

"Not them again!" she sighed. Cutler looked toward the shore because he had been looking at his feet. He let out a sigh as well. There were 3 boys running around on the shore, most likely waiting for their father's to finish up their duties on the ship that had just docked. Two of the boys were Cutler's age. One of them was a blonde and he was the leader of the group. The other older boy had dark brown hair and he was very broad shouldered. His Navy uniform was slightly dirty, so it was no doubt that he had just gotten back from a voyage. The younger boy was about 10 years old and he was the younger brother of the brown haired boy. The blonde boy stopped and he caught sight of Cutler and Susan.

"Well, well, well look who's here! Cutler brought his mother with him! Oh wait, that's Susan!" he mocked. Cutler started to walk behind Susan who was stomping toward the blonde boy.

"Get off him, Nathan!" she called to him.

"Ooh scary. How about no?" Cutler walked up in front of Nathan. "You do know that height makes the man, right? I mean look at James over here!" He called James over to him. "He's eight years younger than you and only an inch shorter!"

"Stop it, Nathan!"

"I told you not to interfere, wench!" He walked over to her and pushed her into the sand.

"Don't touch her!" Cutler screamed as he pulled out his sword and put it to Nathan's neck.

"Oh look! It's a sword half the size that you are! Your father's, no doubt." Cutler lowered his sword and slipped it back into his case.

"There is one benefit of being small, Nathan," Cutler said walking up to him.

"Oh is that so? What is it then? You can fit into an ice box?"

"No, it's hurts more when I do this." And at that moment, Cutler kneed Nathan in the fork of his legs and he fell to the ground in pain. Susan, who was still on the ground, looked at Cutler in shock. "Susan!" Cutler said as he offered out his hand. She quickly grabbed it and they started to run off. He ran faster than he ever thought he could.

"You coward!" Nathan called out.

"I don't see you chasing me!" Cutler called back. He saw Nathan get up and start running. Cutler quickly dragged Susan into a side ally. When the other three boys had run past them, they let out a huge breath of relief.

"Thank you so much for that! I have yet to meet a man who would stand up for me like that."

"You're…wait…did you just call me a man?" Cutler asked.

"Yes." Susan bowed her head and then looked at Cutler. He was smiling slightly. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. Cutler had never felt that feeling before.

"Thank you for this day," Cutler said.

"Thank you for everything."