"A String in the Harp" by Nancy Bond, Chapters 5–9

The Morgan family reunites in Wales for Christmas while still mourning the mother's sudden death a year ago. Inclement weather, uncomfortable accommodations, and strained relationships threaten the family's holiday, until the Morgans must work together to protect a valuable artifact—a harp key with unique properties.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–19
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. obliquely
    not in a direct or straightforward manner
    “You’re making lists just like Aunt Beth,” Becky observed across a pile of breakfast dishes the day after Llechwedd Melyn. “I thought she was the only one of us who did it.”
    David lifted his head from the essay he was marking. “So she always has been. Must be a latent family characteristic passed obliquely through the females.”
  2. mottled
    having spots or patches of color
    Beyond the River Dovey the hills reappeared, mottled with sun patches and distance, looking like a painted backdrop.
  3. broach
    bring up a topic for discussion
    As it was, Becky was the first to worry. She kept well out of his arguments with David and Jen, so it was she who first concluded that there might be more to Peter’s odd behavior than just being difficult. She broached it to Jen when they were alone, doing their last-minute shopping in Borth.
  4. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    His companion this time was not Aneirin, but a gangly, near-grown boy, as brown and careless as he, flung on his stomach near Taliesin, watching fish flick in the shallows.
  5. shrewdly
    in a wise or thoughtful manner
    When he spoke, he silenced those with whom he stood. Taliesin guessed that their fate lay in this man’s hands. His small eyes gleamed shrewdly under a tangle of hair and great black eyebrows.
  6. irreconcilable
    impossible to bring into accord
    She had never before seen her father and her brother so totally opposed, so irreconcilable.
  7. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “Maybe it’s just harder for Peter,” suggested Jen tentatively.
    “Harder?” David leaned back in his chair. “My God, do you think it’s been easy for me? Suddenly, I’ve got the three of you to cope with on my own as well as losing Anne.”
  8. burnished
    made smooth and bright by or as if by rubbing
    After all, how long ago was hundreds of years? Gwilym had said sixth century, but that would have been 500. Imagination couldn’t stretch that far, and yet vast pieces of time lay all around: in the sand underfoot, the shaping of the sea, the burnished hills, the Bog.
  9. blustery
    blowing in violent and abrupt bursts
    After lunch and a period of contented collapse, Peter grew restless; he felt the need to be out in the blustery afternoon and walking again.
  10. lilt
    a jaunty rhythm in music or speech
    When Mrs. Rhys left the room, the silence was overwhelming. It wasn’t that she spoke fast, but she seemed to build up great momentum as she went. Her voice had a lilt to it that was not Welsh.
  11. rivet
    direct one's attention on something
    Jen, sitting beside Peter, heard her brother catch his breath sharply. His gaze was riveted on Howell Roberts’s hands.
  12. chagrin
    a feeling of annoyance or distress due to disappointment or failure
    To Gwilym’s chagrin, Becky was the first to spot the dipper. She poked him hard in the ribs and pointed to the neat dark bird with its white bib, bobbing up and down on a rock across the stream.
  13. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
    Peter was sitting by himself on a fallen stone, watching Becky and Rhian divide the uneaten lunch into five more or less equal portions. His face was inscrutable in the half-light. He was concentrating on the feeling Jen was fighting so hard against, trying to understand it.
  14. sullenly
    in a manner showing a brooding ill humor
    "...After this, Peter, you will not go anywhere outside this house without telling me first. Not Jen, or Becky, but me. Do you understand?”
    Peter nodded sullenly.
  15. unabated
    continuing at full strength or intensity
    All night the wind continued to scream unabated. The curtains in the front bedroom stayed shut, but neither Jen nor Becky slept well.
Created on Tue Feb 17 20:25:14 EST 2026 (updated Fri Feb 20 21:35:56 EST 2026)

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