Notes

clerk: a person who works in an office, dealing with records or performing general office duties: /klɝːk/
dowry: in some societies, an amount of money or property that a woman's parents give to the man she marries /ˈdaʊ.ri/
adorn: to add something decorative to a person or thing: /əˈdɔːn/
finesse: great skill or style: /fɪˈnes/
suppleness: the quality of being able to bend easily or be bent easily: /ˈsʌp.əl.nəs/
incessantly: in a way that never stops, especially when this is annoying or unpleasant: /ɪnˈses.ənt.li/
delicacy: something especially rare or expensive that is good to eat: /ˈdel.ə.kə.si/
shabby: looking old and in bad condition because of being used for a long time or not being cared for: /ˈʃæb.i/
ante-chamber(anteroom): a small room, especially a waiting room, that leads into a larger, more important room: /ˈæn.t̬i.ruːm/ /ˈæn.t̬i.rʊm/
bric-a-brac: small decorative objects of various types and of no great value: /ˈbrɪk.ə.bræk/
coquettish: trying to attract attention by pretending to be sexually interested in someone, in a pleasant but not serious way: /koʊˈket̬.ɪʃ/
tapestry: a piece of cloth with a pattern or picture that is created by sewing or weaving different coloured threads onto a special type of strong cloth /ˈtæp.ə.stri/
gallantry: polite and kind behaviour towards women, especially when in public: /ˈɡæl.ən.tri/
sphinx:
trout:
frock:
convent:
chagrin:
spitefully: in a way that shows you want to annoy, upset, or hurt another person, because you feel angry towards them:
stupefied:
in dismay:
stammer:
vexation:
vex:
poverty-laden:
homage: deep respect and often praise shown for a person or god:
retain: to keep or continue to have something:
vestibule:
bewilderment:
harrow: