Chapter summaries A Study in Drowning Ava Reid

Chapter 10 (Nine) – The Hidden Diary and the Photographs

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Effy wakes from nightmares of the Fairy King. She meets Preston at Hiraeth, who gives her coffee after a brief argument. They decide to search Ianto’s private rooms while he is at church. Inside the dusty, silent wing of the house, they find Ianto’s bedroom and discover a secret room behind a movable bookshelf. In the room is a dented tin box stamped “PROPERTY OF E. MYRDDIN.” Effy smashes the box open. Inside are a leather notebook (Myrddin’s diary) and a dozen photographs of a young pale-haired girl posed nude on a chaise. The back of one photo reads, “I will love you to ruination,” in Myrddin’s handwriting. They read diary entries from 188 and 191, which show Myrddin’s misogynistic view (“a woman’s mind is too frivolous”) and mention Colin Blackmar delivering “Angharad” to him. Ianto returns unexpectedly, carrying a wet musket and accusing them of exploiting his hospitality. After he leaves, Effy works on sketches but cannot stop thinking about the photographs. She later overhears Ianto talking to himself, saying he had to bring her back, suggesting he may be speaking to the ghost.

Key Events

  • Effy wakes from violent nightmares, takes two sleeping pills.
  • She meets Preston; they argue but reconcile over coffee.
  • They enter Ianto’s private chambers and find a secret room behind a bookcase.
  • Effy smashes the tin box to retrieve Myrddin’s diary and photographs.
  • Diaries reveal Myrddin’s contempt for women and the delivery of “Angharad” by Colin Blackmar.
  • Ianto returns, confronts them with a musket; Preston hides the diary.
  • Effy overhears Ianto speaking to someone unseen about having to bring her back.

Character Development

  • Effy Sayre: Her disillusionment with Myrddin deepens as she confronts evidence of his misogyny and possible exploitation. She grows more trusting of Preston, acknowledging affection for him, yet her fear of the supernatural (the ghost, the Fairy King) intensifies.
  • Preston Héloury: His skepticism is challenged by the discovery; he becomes a collaborator rather than an adversary, showing vulnerability when he reveals his own father’s death. His admiration for Effy’s memory and resolve grows.
  • Ianto Myrddin: Remains enigmatic and threatening. His sudden return, the musket, and his strange monologue suggest he is hiding something—possibly a relationship with the ghost or his father’s crimes.
  • Emrys Myrddin: The diary contradicts the heroic author image, portraying him as a misogynist who may not have written Angharad himself.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Hidden Truths: The secret room, locked box, and buried diary symbolize the effort to conceal unsavory aspects of Myrddin’s legacy.
  • Misogyny and Creation: Myrddin’s diary entry “a woman’s mind is too frivolous” directly clashes with the strength of Angharad, raising the question of whether a sexist man could write a feminist heroine.
  • The Sea and Drowning: The stillness of the private wing is compared to a shipwreck; Ianto’s dripping clothes and the “drowned” atmosphere reinforce the motif of immersion in secrets.
  • Trust and Camaraderie: Effy and Preston move from antagonism to mutual reliance, with Preston’s line “I would bet on us” marking a turning point.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 10 delivers the novel’s first major physical evidence of possible fraud: Myrddin’s diary and the photographs. It shifts Effy’s internal conflict from blind devotion to critical doubt. The discovery also deepens the mystery surrounding Ianto and the ghost, while the growing trust between Effy and Preston alters the emotional landscape of the story. The diary’s revelation about Blackmar adds a new layer to the question of who really wrote Angharad.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does Myrddin’s 30 January 189 diary entry reveal about his attitude toward women, and why does this upset Effy?
Myrddin writes that “a woman’s mind is too frivolous” to appreciate serious work, comparing Blackmar’s daughter unfavorably to her own poetic ambitions. Effy is stung because she admires Angharad as a shrewd, strong character; the entry forces her to consider that Myrddin may have held misogynistic beliefs that contradict the heroines he created.

2. How does the discovery of the photographs affect Effy and Preston’s relationship?
The shared secret and the vulnerability of viewing the disturbing images bring them closer. Preston shows concern for Effy’s raw knees, and Effy notes that she doesn’t mind sharing the find with him. Preston’s later statement, “I would bet on us,” signals a shift from rivalry to partnership and nascent affection.

3. What does Ianto’s overheard monologue (“Had to get out—I didn’t have a choice… I had to bring her back”) suggest about his involvement with the supernatural or his father’s past?
The phrasing implies Ianto is speaking to an unseen presence—likely the ghost—and that he feels compelled to act against his will, possibly bringing Effy (the “her”) to Hiraeth for a purpose connected to the Fairy King or his father. The reference to mountain ash and the house having a “hold on him” reinforces the idea that Ianto is caught between the mundane and the magical.

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