Serafina and the Twisted Staff: Chapters 22–34

by Robert Beatty
In this second book of the series, Serafina, now accepted by the Vanderbilts and allied with their nephew, encounters a presence that tests her connections to both high society and the shape-shifting cats of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–21, Chapters 22–34, Chapters 35–52
40 words 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. uncanny
    surpassing the ordinary or normal
    He had an uncanny stealth to him. She had not heard him or sensed him in any way.
  2. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    She noticed the taut muscles of his back as he moved.
  3. grouse
    popular game bird having a plump body and feathered legs
    The brownish chickenlike bird he was calling a drummer looked like what the folks at Biltmore called a grouse, a game bird known for thumping its chest with its wings.
  4. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    He pulled his lips back from his teeth and uttered three guttural sounds.
  5. fissure
    a long narrow opening
    She tried to stay fierce and strong, for his benefit if not her own, but seeing Waysa’s pain cleaved a fissure in her heart as deep as wounds of old.
  6. affliction
    a cause of great suffering and distress
    They were forever mountain lions. And she was forever human. They shared the same affliction: to always be what they were born.
  7. salve
    anything that remedies, heals, or soothes
    Talking to Waysa was easy. It felt like a salve on the wounds of her heart.
  8. subterfuge
    something intended to misrepresent the nature of an activity
    “He’s a conjurer of the dark arts. He does not fight with tooth and claw like you and me. He does not fight straight on. He uses subterfuge and deceit to weave his way. He flies silent. He watches like an owl and keeps himself hidden at a safe distance. He concentrates his power into weapons and then sends in his demons to do his bidding.”
  9. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    “‘Stay bold!’ your father used to say when the others lost heart. It has been the mantra of the catamounts ever since. ‘Stay bold!’”
  10. bastion
    a stronghold for shelter during a battle
    We shall find new territory in those distant mountains, a place bright and free, and we shall guard it well. The Great Smoky Mountains will be the last bastion of our kindred, Serafina, the last homeland for those few of us who have survived.
  11. flourish
    grow vigorously
    It was hard to imagine now, years later, with Mr. Olmsted’s young forest flourishing all around them, but when Mr. Vanderbilt and Mr. Olmsted first came to this area, most of the trees had been cut down, the farms had been spoiled, and the terrain had been what her pa called a scald—treeless, ruined land.
  12. squatter
    someone who lives on a property without right or title
    As Mr. Olmsted made his way through the forest, she realized that he must be heading out toward the Squatter’s Clearing, one of the few remaining areas of the estate that had not yet been planted with either garden, farm, or forest.
  13. reproach
    a mild rebuke or criticism
    He had no reproach, no anger, nothing but love and concern for her.
  14. gist
    the choicest or most vital part of some idea or experience
    She didn’t mean that she had literally seen a ghost, but it was the only way she could get to the gist of it. A man, a haint, a demon, a spirit—she had no idea what he truly was, but she knew he would come.
  15. gaggle
    a large, disorganized group of people
    Serafina prowled from spot to spot, avoiding a gaggle of housemaids and then sneaking past a pair of footmen, one of whom had a bandaged hand from her bite a few days before.
  16. menagerie
    a collection of live animals for study or display
    Few people seemed to notice them, but she had always been fascinated by the menagerie of Gothic carvings that adorned the house—weird dragons and chimeras, sea horses and sea serpents, bearded men and fanged beasts, strange girls with wings, mysterious figures in cloak and hood, and a hundred other fantastical creatures of the imagination.
  17. pergola
    a framework that supports climbing plants
    She ran down the steps to the long, wisteria-covered Pergola that bordered the South Terrace, a flat, open, grass-covered courtyard with a picturesque view of the river valley and the mountains beyond.
  18. parasol
    a handheld collapsible source of shade
    She carried a matching parasol casually over her shoulder to protect herself from the sun.
  19. warble
    sing or play with trills
    As Serafina fumed over Lady Rowena’s horrible suggestion, Braeden whistled a low warbling call.
  20. jaunty
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    Lady Rowena now wore what looked like a girl’s hiking outfit from a grand shop in London, with a formfitting buttoned jacket, a long dark skirt, and jaunty leather ankle boots.
  21. assuage
    cause to be more favorably inclined
    “Why have you come back here after what you did?”
    “Rowena,” Braeden said, lifting his hand to assuage her.
  22. emphatically
    without question and beyond doubt
    “It wasn’t your fault, Braeden,” Serafina said emphatically.
  23. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    The aloofness and disdain that had always been Rowena’s armor had broken down a little bit and molded into something else.
  24. intrigue
    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
    The girl was a walking encyclopedia of house gossip and intrigue.
  25. ethereal
    characterized by lightness and insubstantiality
    The house was softly lit with candles placed here and there on the mantels and tables, which gave the rooms an almost ethereal feeling.
  26. coiffure
    the arrangement of the hair
    Her dark hair had been swept up and arranged into the most elaborate coiffure Serafina had ever seen.
  27. gilded
    rich and superior in quality
    As the last of the gilded ladies and gentlemen upstairs retired to their bedrooms for the evening, and as the servants cleaned up the Banquet Hall, Serafina led Braeden through the back rooms of the basement.
  28. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “Come sit down here on the bed. I can see you’re mulling over somethin’.”
  29. gall
    the trait of being rude and impertinent
    He came in late, went straight up to his room, tracking mud all the way, which poor Betsy had to clean up before Mrs. King saw it in the morning, and then he rang his bell. He had the gall to demand his dinner be brought up to him in his room.
  30. bounty
    the property of being richly abundant or plentiful
    “We’re going to make it so beautiful at Biltmore that no one will ever know what it was like before. You and your family and your guests will be able to enjoy the bounty of nature for years to come.”
  31. furtive
    secret and sly
    Serafina thought she should reveal herself to Rowena, but there was something furtive about the girl’s movements, so she crouched down and watched her.
  32. ratchet
    move by degrees in one direction only
    Serafina crept along the railing, but before she could get to a better vantage point, she heard a faint metallic ratcheting, a turning sound, and then a distinct click.
  33. emboss
    raise in a relief
    The ridges of the roof were capped with ornate copper trim embossed with patterns of oak leaves, acorns, and George Vanderbilt’s gold-gilded initials burning bright in the moonlit night.
  34. profusion
    the property of being extremely abundant
    Lady Rowena’s dress, which was decorated with a profusion of silk taffeta roses, was so long and cumbersome that when she tried to clamber through the opening, her legs became entangled.
  35. cumbersome
    difficult to handle or use, especially because of size or weight
    Lady Rowena’s dress, which was decorated with a profusion of silk taffeta roses, was so long and cumbersome that when she tried to clamber through the opening, her legs became entangled.
  36. astride
    with one leg on each side
    She no longer rode sidesaddle, but astride, the pretense of courtly daintiness set aside.
  37. courtly
    refined or imposing in manner or appearance
    She no longer rode sidesaddle, but astride, the pretense of courtly daintiness set aside.
  38. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    He was a large, commanding man with a gruff voice and stout demeanor, and looked like he had spent most of his life in a saddle.
  39. brindled
    having a gray or brown streak or a patchy coloring
    The trackers—two rugged-looking men in heavy coats—traveled on foot like she did, holding a pack of six Plott hounds: large and lanky black and brindled dogs that had been bred for hunting bear in these mountains since the seventeen hundreds.
  40. confounded
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    But as she led the search party up the mountain toward the stand of pines where the cages were located, the trackers looked confounded. Their dogs had their noses to the ground but seemed confused, barking and agitated, and sniffing all around.
Created on Wed Apr 10 16:11:36 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Apr 13 17:10:19 EDT 2024)

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