"A Study In Drowning" Book Club Readalong Day 3

As a reminder, from now on, our monthly discussions will be both here on the OwlCrate blog AND on The Nest! Go check out Amber's discussion that will be full of fun extras like bookish charades, shelf scavenger hunts and coloring pages!
 

On each day we'll read a section of A Study In Drowning both on the blog and in The Nest's group, and then discuss in the comments our theories and predictions. This means there will be spoilers for each section! Beware! 
 

Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER discussion for chapters 6-7 of A Study In Drowning, so make sure you read or are finished this section before continuing.
 

The next day, Effy feels more confident and goes up to the manor with her sketchpad and original design for Hiraeth.

Ianto is waiting for her and greets Effy, telling her that her skin is lovely, which is not at all exceptionally creepy coming from your middle-aged employer.

Effy ignores him and presents Ianto and Mr. Weatherall with her design for the house, which includes a costly demolition and restructuring.

Ianto is displeased and asks her to come with him upstairs. He takes her to a door that leads to a ruined platform facing the sea.

 It is beautiful and terrifying and a total insurance nightmare.

Ianto tells Effy of the Bay of Nine Bells and the Drowning, a series of horrible storms that chipped and ate away at the Southern coast about two hundred years prior.

He tells her that tearing down the house would be an act of blasphemy and that it must just be renovated where it stands.

Effy replies confidently that she's sure she can, and Ianto thanks her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

The revulsion I revulsed right there, besties. 

Ugh.

Effy is tossed backward into a memory of Corbenic's office and then awkwardly, and after way too long, Ianto lets go and tells her to wait there.

Effy doesn't wait because she's an intelligent girl and goes down the hall to Preston's room, looking at his belongings and snooping through his stuff.

She finds several books and papers, including Preston's thesis, with a damning title.

Then, Preston returns to his room and is angry with Effy for snooping. She snaps back at him, angry that he'd be writing about Myrddin in a negative way.

Effy accuses him of working for Argant, but Preston denies it. They argue about his work until he asks if Effy would help him, telling her she deserves to be at the literature college.

Preston offers to make her co-author on his paper. At first, Effy says no, telling him she'd contacted his adviser, Master Gosse, but he never replied.

Preston eventually convinces Effy, and they decide to work together, starting the next day.

Effy returns to the guest cottage but is unable to rest. She keeps thinking about Preston's page of notes repeating over and over - Effy. 
 

The next day, Effy and Preston pour over letters together as Preston discusses his theory about Myrddin's family.

Effy recites pieces of Angharad and Preston's works through his suspicions of Emrys, as his family was not literary and came from a fishing background.

Preston also tells Effy that there is no schoolhouse on Saltney, another reason that Emrys believes he may have been different from the author everyone thinks he is. Preston tells Effy that he believes Emrys committed literary forgery.

Effy doesn't believe him, but he continues, telling her that Ianto does not like him and that the only information, in the form of papers or letters that he's been able to find, was given to him by Mr. Weatherall.

He asks for Effy's help to search the house but tells her to be careful with Ianto.

Effy finally works up the courage to speak with Ianto, and he invites her for tea and immediately gets creepy yet again.

Asking her personal questions and inviting her to the pub.

Effy finds herself at the pub with Ianto and tries to order hot cider, but he gets them two glasses of scotch instead. Effy feigns tiny sips of the liquor, and Ianto orders steak and kidney pie.

He continues to question Ianto, asking about her connection with Preston and telling her to eat before calling her a pretty girl.

(insert retching sound here)

Ianto doesn't let up and continues to be a grade a creep. Eventually, Effy asks for blueprints for the house, and he gives them to her but also grabs her hand when he does.

He tells her, "Let's go," and they drive back to the house. As they climb the hill, Ianto continues to be a walking red flag. Effy is panicked, her pills wearing off, and when Ianto asks why she's there, she looks over to see him as the Fair King. Terrified, Effy hurls herself from the car.

That was a lot, friends. I hope Effy has a better next day. See you tomorrow!