Lelia refuses to see her biological father and moves in with Fedele

Lelia Camin’s refusal to see her biological father after Marcello Trento’s death is both a personal repudiation and a practical struggle over who may direct her life. Although Marcello has named her his universal heir, she is still a minor, and Girolamo da Camin’s sudden arrival threatens to turn grief and inheritance into a contest over paternal authority. Donna Fedele gives her refuge, but the move does not settle the conflict: Lelia’s safety remains entangled with her age, her father’s consent, and the question of where she can live.

Death and the Inheritance

The crisis begins in the immediate aftermath of Marcello Trento’s death. His agent sends word that he is coming from Vicenza with a notary, while Donna Fedele asks whether any relatives should be notified. Teresina recalls Marcello’s repeated instruction that distant cousins not be troubled if he died. The contrast is pointed: he had wished to spare remote family members, yet the person who soon asserts a claim on Lelia’s future is the father she does not want to see.

The will is opened before the local magistrate in Schio. The agent’s letter reports that Lelia Camin is Marcello’s universal heir and that Teresina receives a lifetime allowance of five lire a day, exempt from tax. It also conveys a telegram from Padova, signed by Girolamo da Camin, who declares himself Lelia’s father, calls her a minor, and announces that he is coming that evening. The agent adds that Lelia has acknowledged her parentage and said she is twenty years and a few months old, whereas Marcello had believed her older. Her inheritance is therefore clear, but her age—and the authority that age leaves with her father—is not.

Donna Fedele learns that Lelia has refused to see Girolamo da Camin and has endured a severe crisis. Lelia does not attend Marcello’s funeral; a violent migraine keeps her in bed for the whole day. Donna Fedele attends in her place and sees the father there. The refusal is not presented as a simple dispute over manners: Lelia has lost the person she regarded as her protector just as her biological father appears to reclaim a role in her life.

Refusal and Refuge

Donna Fedele takes Lelia into her own home after Girolamo da Camin asks her to fetch the girl. When Donna Fedele later explains the situation to Massimo Alberti, she emphasizes both Lelia’s refusal and the distress surrounding it. Her account makes the change of residence concrete: after the funeral, Lelia is with her, not at the Montanina villa and not with her father.

Lelia’s response to the priests who come after Marcello’s death intensifies the separation from the household she has just lost. She is angry that the archpriest and chaplain speak coldly about Marcello’s sudden death despite the life of charity and the sacraments Donna Fedele recalls; the archpriest also raises the needs of his church, apparently addressing the presumed heir. When the chaplain asks whether Massimo is still at the villa, Lelia answers that he is, although he has already left. Her irritation is sharpened by her knowledge of rumors about Massimo’s supposed Milanese affairs, but Donna Fedele recognizes that Lelia herself does not fully understand all the sources of her anger.

Lelia tells herself that her duty had been to remain with Marcello to the end; now that he is gone, she believes there is no place for her at the Montanina villa. She wants to shut herself in his room and leave the house after the funeral. Donna Fedele tries to lead her toward other considerations, but, seeing how distressed she is, does not press the argument. Lelia gives her a silent kiss before going back to Marcello’s room. Donna Fedele, exhausted and unable to go looking for Teresina, waits in the salon and eventually asks the servant to find her. She explains that Lelia intends to leave after the funeral and hopes that she will come to stay with her, at least for a time.

The Father’s Visit

The eventual meeting is arranged by Donna Fedele, who had previously insisted that Lelia receive her father if he asked to see her. Girolamo da Camin approaches the Villino delle Rose with an outward show of deference. The narration discloses, however, that his purposes are bound up with the Trento estate and his own financial difficulties: he hopes to extract as much movable property as possible before Lelia reaches adulthood, then obtain a generous allowance from her. He also fears that the lawyer Molesin wants to bring Lelia into his own household in order to control the estate. Girolamo da Camin cannot easily choose between keeping his daughter and remaining with Gorlago, with whom he is still attached despite their quarrels and infidelity.

Before Lelia appears, Girolamo da Camin speaks haltingly to Donna Fedele and repeatedly says that he does not wish to disturb her. He asks to see Lelia, and Donna Fedele agrees to have her called. Lelia receives him standing, rigid and unsmiling. He kisses her on both cheeks; she shudders but allows it, remaining stiff as a statue. She does not invite him to sit, and he does not dare take a chair. He praises Donna Fedele’s planned journey to Turin and produces a packet of ten-lire notes, presenting them as money for Lelia and promising to account for his handling of her property once the situation changes. The scene gives visible form to the imbalance beneath his deferential manner: he approaches as a father, but also as a man already thinking about her money.

Consequences and Continuing Dependence

The refusal and move to Donna Fedele’s home do not make Lelia independent. Months remain before she will be of age, and the people trying to protect her still have to reckon with her father’s legal and practical authority. Later, Donna Fedele tells Massimo that Lelia is living in her home and recounts how the girl refused to see her father. When Lelia is later in Valsolda, Donna Fedele insists that she cannot remain there and plans to take her to Turin. Lelia objects that she would rather not return to Velo, where she feels horror at the prospect, and asks to be allowed to stay elsewhere until she comes of age.

Donna Fedele considers leaving her with a cousin at Santhià, if Girolamo da Camin permits it. They agree that Donna Fedele will rest for the day, see a doctor the next morning, and, if cleared to travel, take Lelia to Turin. A telegram will summon the cousin to receive Lelia at Santhià, while Eufemia continues with her; letters sent to Lelia at San Mamette are to be redirected. Donna Fedele finally yields on the question of paternal permission. She judges that Girolamo da Camin has always been deferential to her, that the cousins’ home is safe, and that Lelia abhors returning to Velo. The initial refuge thus develops into a negotiated plan for another temporary home. Lelia’s refusal is decisive as an act of separation, but its consequences remain provisional until she can claim adult independence.