Serafina and the Twisted Staff: Chapters 7–12

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. inscription
    letters engraved or carved on something
    Serafina read the inscription on the pedestal.
    OUR CHARACTER ISN’T DEFINED BY THE BATTLES WE WIN OR LOSE, BUT BY THE BATTLES WE DARE TO FIGHT.
  2. guise
    an artful or simulated semblance
    In what guise would this new stranger arrive and slither his way into Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt’s home?
  3. cravat
    a scarf or band of cloth worn around the neck
    Braeden was wearing his usual brown tweed hacking jacket and vest, with a white shirt and beige cravat.
  4. lapel
    a fold of fabric below the collar of a coat or jacket
    She wore a fitted emerald-green velvet riding jacket with an upturned collar, triangular lapels, and turn-back cuffs.
  5. imposition
    an uncalled-for burden
    She thought about approaching them, but maybe interrupting Braeden and the girl would be a rude, unwelcome imposition.
  6. accoutrement
    accessory or supplementary item of clothing
    It seemed like all the fancy folk liked to carry some sort of cane or walking stick or other accoutrement whenever they went outside, but she preferred to have her hands free at all times.
  7. feign
    give a false appearance of
    A highfalutin fashion plate like her would certainly know how to ride a horse, but she seemed to be pretending that she didn’t. Why would she do that? Why would she feign helplessness?
  8. ploy
    a maneuver in a game, conversation, or situation
    Seemingly unmoved by the girl’s ploy, Braeden walked over to his horse without further comment.
  9. bridle
    headgear for a horse
    A week ago, he had explained to Serafina that he didn’t use a bridle and reins to control his horse but signaled the speed and direction he wanted to go by adjusting the pressure and angle of his legs.
  10. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
    “Actually, I thought we might do a bit of high-speed racing,” Braeden said facetiously.
  11. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    “I would race you,” she replied haughtily, “but I might get a speck of mud on my skirt from my horse kicking up dirt into your face as I passed you.”
  12. foreboding
    ominously prophetic
    The wilds of North Carolina must seem a dark and foreboding place to a civilized girl like her.
  13. lacquer
    coat with varnish
    The horse stalls consisted of lacquered oak boards trimmed in black railing with curving black grills along the top.
  14. inkling
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    Her pa had found her in the forest the night she was born, so she reckoned he must have had an inkling of what she was, but he didn’t like dark talk of demons and shifters and things that go bump in the night.
  15. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    Serafina could hear the anger seething in her pa’s voice. He was riled up that someone had done his little girl harm.
  16. shindig
    a large and noisy party of people
    “Did they say it was a supper or a shindig, Pa?” Serafina said, getting confused, and realizing as she said it that the Vanderbilts didn’t have events by either of those names.
  17. scour
    examine minutely
    She scoured the house from top to bottom, but there was no sign of the stranger she’d seen with Mr. Vanderbilt or anyone else who seemed like they might have been the second passenger in the carriage.
  18. swoon
    pass out from weakness or physical or emotional distress
    The dress had longish sleeves that covered most of the punctures and scratches on her arms, and a close-fitting collar that hid at least part of the gruesome cut on her throat. So at least the fancy ladies at the shindig or the supper, or whatever it was, wouldn’t swoon at the corpsy sight of her.
  19. trowel
    a small hand tool with a handle and metal blade
    When you eat your supper, you need to use your forks. You see here? These screwdrivers are your forks. The mortar trowel there is your spoon. And my whittlin’ blade is your dinner knife.
  20. etiquette
    rules governing socially acceptable behavior
    She didn’t normally enjoy her pa’s etiquette lessons, but it felt kind of good to be home, safe and sound, suffering through yet another one.
  21. notion
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    As her pa schooled her in the fineries of supper etiquette, she got the notion that he’d never actually sat at the table with the Vanderbilts.
  22. rudiment
    the elementary stage of any subject
    “Look, you’ve got a friend in the young master now, and that’s a good’n. But if you’re gonna be his friend for long, you need to learn the rudiments.”
    “The rudiments?”
    “How to behave like a daytime girl.”
  23. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    “Thank you, miss,” the maid said, but instead of then leaving, she froze, transfixed, as she studied Serafina’s streaked hair and odd clothing.
  24. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “And you’re going to help me?” she asked tentatively.
  25. guile
    shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
    As she looked at Essie more closely, it seemed to her that she had a gentle face, without any deceit or guile, and a warm, friendly smile.
  26. skittish
    unpredictably excitable, especially of horses
    Essie caught her breath, startled by Serafina’s quick movement.
    “You’re a mite skittish, aren’t ya?”
  27. denizen
    a person who inhabits a particular place
    A window set into the room’s roof-slanted wall provided something that Serafina, a denizen of the basement, seldom beheld from this height: a mesmerizing westward view across the Blue Ridge Mountains.
  28. curdle
    go bad or sour
    Sometimes they say he causes mischief around the cabin, curdled milk and dead chickens in the yard.
  29. fathom
    come to understand
    “Here? Why?” Serafina asked, unable to fathom the mysterious connection.
  30. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Sunshine poured down through the arched dome of ornate beams that held the Winter Garden’s glass ceiling aloft.
  31. chiffon
    a sheer fabric of silk or rayon
    The two citizens of the upstairs had changed out of their riding outfits—he into his afternoon black coat, trousers, and tie, and she into a sky-blue dress with a narrow-waist corset, capped puffy sleeves, and silk chiffon covering her forearms.
  32. tress
    (usually plural) a long lock of hair
    The girl’s chestnut-red tresses were piled high on her head, swept back in soft, neat waves, held in place by a twined wooden shawl pin, then spilling down on one side in twisted rolls, sausage curls so tight and perfectly formed they reminded Serafina of coiled springs in her pa’s workshop.
  33. cameo
    engraving or carving in low relief on a stone
    She wore finely wrought, dangling silver earrings and a black velvet ribbon choker necklace with a cameo pendant.
  34. vagrant
    a wanderer with no established residence or means of support
    The girl was a newcomer, still trying to find her place to fit in, and now here was the one boy she knew whispering with some strange, shaggy-haired, tooth-marked vagrant.
  35. baleful
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    “Maybe we can glue it,” Braeden said, dropping to his knees and trying to pick up the shards as Lady Rowena Fox-Pemberton stared balefully at Serafina and shook her head as if to say, I knew you didn’t belong in the house.
  36. poised
    in full control of your faculties
    Lady Rowena just stared at her, taking it all in, too smart and well poised to actually smile, but seeming to be on the edge of it.
  37. conservatory
    a greenhouse in which plants are arranged
    “I’ll take Lady Rowena for a walk to the Conservatory,” Mrs. Vanderbilt said.
  38. matron
    a married woman who is staid and dignified
    Mrs. King had been running Biltmore for years, even before Mr. Vanderbilt married and Mrs. Vanderbilt arrived. As Serafina followed the matron through the Entrance Hall, she wiped her teary eyes and tried to think about what her pa would tell her at this moment.
  39. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    As she and Braeden plodded along behind Mrs. King, Serafina looked over at Braeden.
  40. stalwart
    dependable
    When she glanced at Braeden, it was clear that he was as confused as she was. But the stalwart Mrs. King appeared undeterred.
Created on Wed Apr 10 16:11:16 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Apr 13 16:12:24 EDT 2024)

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