The Brightwood Code: Chapters 20-26

by Monica Hesse
In this historical novel, a young woman is forced to relive her recent past as a switchboard operator on the front lines of WWI when she begins to receive mysterious, threatening telephone calls at work.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1-6, Chapters 7-12, Chapters 13-19, Chapters 20-26, Chapters 27-35
15 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cavalier
    showing a lack of concern or seriousness
    But I can’t mimic his cavalier tone.
  2. unseemly
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
    I know at some level that the act of poring over the files is unseemly.
  3. visceral
    relating to or affecting the internal organs
    “Why?” I ask again, and I move my skirt away from his pants, because that brushing of cloth feels too visceral now, because I don’t yet know whether I want the tingle it left on my leg.
  4. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    “Edda,” he says, and my name breaks in his mouth; it comes out guttural and raw.
  5. plaintively
    in a manner expressing sorrow
    “Edda, please,” he says plaintively, searching my face.
  6. elated
    full of high-spirited delight
    I was too elated by what had happened earlier that day to notice how absolutely exhausted I was.
  7. cloying
    overly sweet
    My drink was tangerine-colored and fresh-looking, but when I took a sip it burned as it went down my throat—brandy, I thought, sweetened with something cloying.
  8. farce
    an event or situation that is absurd, empty, or insincere
    The last hour of my shift is a farce.
  9. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    He tilts his head, bemused.
  10. demure
    suggestive of modesty or reserve
    A golden necklace with a cross that does not belong to me has been artfully draped on the bureau next to a pair of demure white gloves and a jar of cold cream.
  11. overt
    open and observable; not secret or hidden
    “Nothing overt,” Luc told me.
  12. caustic
    harsh or corrosive in tone
    It’s becoming caustic and accusatory, and I don’t understand how or why it’s happening this way.
  13. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    I shouldn’t put her off, I admonish myself.
  14. extemporaneous
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    When we reached the end of our sloppy, extemporaneous dance I started to perform a ridiculous curtsy that felt appropriate to the pantomime we’d been doing, but Luc held out his hand again.
  15. chivalrous
    attentive and honorable like an ideal knight
    He made a chivalrous gesture toward the switchboard—and with an inhuman scream, the first sound I’d been able to make, I dove toward the switchboard and seized my headset.
Created on Mon Jan 05 08:40:46 EST 2026 (updated Wed Jan 07 07:31:39 EST 2026)

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