The Unseen Guest: Chapters 12–13

by Maryrose Wood
In the third book of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, governess Miss Penelope Lumley and the wolf-children Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia must go on the hunt for an escaped ostrich. Along the way the children are reunited with their wolf family, and Penelope discovers some of the Ashton family's secrets.

Here are links to our lists for the book:

Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–8, Chapters 9–11, Chapters 12–13, Chapter 14–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. notorious
    known widely and usually unfavorably
    “A séance! How perfectly entertaining! Why, they are all the rage. Just last month Lady Furbisher hosted a spiritualist at one of her notorious dinner parties —or do I mean legendary? I always get those two mixed up. In any case, it was a sensation! Everyone’s fortune was told in secret. They say one of Lady Furbisher’s daughters fainted when she heard what the fortune-teller had to say. Hmm, I think I like this one.”
  2. outlandish
    noticeably or extremely unconventional or unusual
    It went on that way for some time, with Lady Constance trying on one outlandish hat after another and making poor Margaret scream by pretending to see ghosts.
  3. steadfast
    firm and dependable especially in loyalty
    That night, after the children were tucked in and she was near bedtime herself, she could not concentrate on her own book, but instead found herself conjuring up an assortment of flattering definitions for the acronym SHD, which, of course, stood for Simon Harley-Dickinson, “but in Simon’s case might just as easily mean Steadfast, Humane, and Dependable,” she thought.
  4. scant
    less than the correct or legal or full amount
    She was tired, to be sure, but there was still a great deal of plotting and planning to do regarding this séance, and scant time in which to do it.
  5. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    She even had a fleeting worry about what she ought to wear for Simon’s arrival.
  6. superstitious
    showing faith in magic and ignorance of the laws of nature
    The very thought made her shiver, for as much as Penelope liked to think of herself as scientifically minded, with finely honed powers of deduction and a sensible Swanburne-trained head on her shoulders, in fact she was just as superstitious as the next person.
  7. calisthenics
    light exercises designed to promote general fitness
    “Have you lost your mind, miss? This is a carriage road; it’s no place to be doing your morning calisthenics. Move along, now.”
  8. victuals
    a source of food or nourishment
    “But now the admiral plans to make Bertha into a champion ostrich racer, and then, when her racing days are through, turn her into...” She searched for a kind way to say it, but the best word she could come up with was “Victuals. With onion sauce.”
  9. flowery
    marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with details
    He has proposed marriage to her in the most flowery terms, but I am sure he is only after her fortune.
  10. agnostic
    someone who is doubtful or noncommittal about something
    “I remain agnostic on that point. If anyone can, Madame Ionesco can, that much I will say. But that doesn’t mean anyone can, does it?”
  11. understudy
    an actor able to replace a regular performer when required
    Therefore I propose that someone with a keen sense of the theatrical, a talent for mimicry and improvising dialogue—a playwright, perhaps?—be engaged as an understudy to the ghost, as it were.”
  12. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    He snorted in disdain and looked at her with his changeable, cockeyed stare.
  13. ambassador
    a diplomat of the highest rank
    “Think of her as an ambassador from the Realm Invisible,” she said, as if this selfsame Realm were nothing more than a midsized European nation that just happened to be populated with the spirits of the dead.
  14. meditative
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    Instead of answering these questions directly, Madame finished her meal and announced her pressing need for a glass of sherry and a meditative nap, so she might commune with the spirits in earnest.
  15. commune
    share or interact intimately with
    Instead of answering these questions directly, Madame finished her meal and announced her pressing need for a glass of sherry and a meditative nap, so she might commune with the spirits in earnest.
  16. obelisk
    a stone pillar tapering towards a pyramidal top
    It was nicknamed the Egyptian Room because of the decor, which included a glass table held up by a pair of lifelike sculpted cheetahs (complete with painted-on spots), an antique clock that did not run but was in the shape of an obelisk, and a portrait of Cleopatra hanging above the washbasin.
  17. infernal
    characteristic of or resembling Hell
    “I must think of something, anything, to keep my mind off this infernal waiting!”
  18. grudgingly
    in a reluctant manner
    By now Lord Fredrick had grudgingly agreed to meet the soothsayer, for he had been roundly scolded by his wife.
  19. momentous
    of very great significance
    Instead, she planned to stay in “private contemplation, out of respect for the momentous events which are about to occur.”
  20. placidly
    in a quiet and tranquil manner
    She nodded in the direction of the housekeeper, who stood placidly in a corner.
  21. claptrap
    foolish, empty, or pompous talk or writing
    “It’s all superstitious claptrap anyway, dear. Let’s do what the woman says and get it over with.”
  22. entail
    impose, involve, or imply as a necessary result
    Penelope could not quite bring herself to explain the more ghoulish aspects of what a séance might entail, for then the children would never have fallen asleep at all, so she let them think what they would.
  23. wraithlike
    lacking in substance
    Smudge pots of incense released plumes of scented smoke that drifted, wraithlike, along the floor.
  24. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
    Lord Fredrick pointed his weapon every which way, causing a cacophony of shouts and screams to rise from the assembled guests.
  25. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    Everyone was too surprised to speak except Lady Constance, who was adamant about performing her duties as a hostess, despite the fact that she was swinging from a chandelier and had only recently stopped screaming.
Created on Fri Nov 22 09:00:22 EST 2024 (updated Mon Jan 27 19:57:59 EST 2025)

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