Most Ardently: Chapters 11-15

by Gabe Cole Novoa
In this retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Oliver Bennet struggles to balance the need to hide his identity with the desire to be freely himself, a conundrum made more difficult as he falls in love with Darcy.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1-5, Chapters 6-10, Chapters 11-15, Chapters 16-21, Chapters 22-Epilogue
15 words 18 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. grandeur
    the quality of being magnificent or splendid
    Once they’d arrived at Netherfield and followed the crowd to the ballroom, Oliver was taken by the grandeur of the room.
  2. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    It wasn’t an opportunity he had often, and he wouldn’t squander it.
  3. apt
    being of striking appropriateness and relevance
    “An apt observation. Thankfully he seems to be the variety of chatty that only wants to hear himself speak.”
  4. benign
    pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence
    “I made a terrible error in judgment, I’m afraid. I received an invitation for the Netherfield Ball and thought it completely benign, as one does. But I now fear my invitation was sent for much more sinister ends.”
  5. heinous
    extremely wicked or deeply criminal
    He wasn’t sure why Wickham would make up such a heinous story — after all, it wasn’t like Oliver was someone important whose opinion of Darcy mattered on a societal level.
  6. furtive
    secret and sly
    Kitty and Lydia sat at the farthest corner of the table away from them, whispering to each other between shooting furtive glances at Wickham, who was listening politely as he ate to Mr. Collins droning on endlessly.
  7. cordial
    politely warm and friendly
    He knew for a fact that he’d been less than cordial with Wickham, and that Wickham had taken it personally.
  8. respite
    an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
    He saw himself trapped in a suffocating dress with a busk biting into his chest and drowning in petticoats; Mr. Collins, referring to Oliver as his wife, calling him Elizabeth endlessly, speaking to Oliver all day every day without any chance of respite...
  9. confounded
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    He appeared confounded instead, for reasons Oliver couldn’t fathom.
  10. resounding
    characterized by loud, deep sound
    And with that he finally turned away and strode out, the door swishing closed behind him with a resounding thunk.
  11. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    “How inconsequential my nerves must be to you! You cannot go on like this—if you refuse every man you meet, you will never marry at all!”
  12. ultimatum
    a final peremptory demand
    “I’m afraid an unfortunate ultimatum is before you,” Mr. Bennet declared.
  13. incensed
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    “Well, she stopped insisting, at any rate. She’s still incensed.”
  14. destitute
    poor enough to need help from others
    “I’d rather be destitute than married to a man like Collins,” Oliver grumbled.
  15. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    It was all so clandestine, which, oddly, crowded some of his anxiety with excitement.
Created on Fri Aug 29 04:38:22 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Oct 13 14:22:20 EDT 2025)

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