Fermín Romero de Torres—Bernarda

Fermín Romero de Torres’s pursuit of Bernarda takes shape in a small, carefully staged bookshop encounter: she arrives looking for a present for her niece, and he descends from the shelves to become her extravagant guide, benefactor, and prospective escort. The scene turns his customary irreverence into a sincere attempt at intimacy, while Daniel Sempere quietly helps the pair make their way toward a first date at Els Quatre Gats.

The Visit to the Bookshop

One October afternoon, Bernarda appeared at the window of Sempere and Son while Daniel was minding the counter and Fermín Romero de Torres was perched on a ladder, arranging books on the highest shelf. Daniel welcomed her in. She embraced him, touched his head and shoulders as if checking that he had survived her absence intact, and remarked on how much he had grown. Her visit carried the warmth of an old friendship, but Daniel chose not to ask about Clara Barceló, even though Bernarda seemed to be waiting for the question.

Bernarda explained that she had wanted to visit for some time, though her work for Gustavo Barceló kept her busy. The immediate reason was her niece’s birthday the following day. She hoped to buy the girl a substantial book with plenty of writing and few illustrations, but began to explain that she did not know enough about books to choose one. Before Daniel could answer, a complete hardback set of Blasco Ibáñez’s works plunged from the top shelf and struck the floor with a crash. Fermín slid down after it, turning the mishap—or interruption—into his entrance.

Fermín’s Courtship

Fermín introduced himself as the bibliographic adviser to Sempere and Son and ceremoniously kissed Bernarda’s hand. When she protested that she was no madam, he elevated her to a marquise. His polished compliments sat comically beside his scruffy appearance and the broad, market-stall flourish of his tongue. Yet the extravagance was not merely a performance for Daniel: as he led Bernarda toward the children’s and young adults’ classics, Daniel saw that Fermín was looking at her with unguarded appetite, while Bernarda seemed overwhelmed by the attention.

He recommended an anthology featuring Emilio Salgari and the adventures of Sandokan, then offered Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island, praising its adventure and scientific content. Bernarda accepted his advice with some uncertainty and asked Daniel what he thought. Daniel deferred to Fermín as the shop’s resident expert, giving his friend room to continue the encounter. The exchange lets Fermín’s comic self-confidence serve a practical purpose: he makes Bernarda’s modest request into a shared occasion rather than a transaction conducted at arm’s length.

Daniel’s Part in the Invitation

Daniel first offered the book as a gift, but Bernarda insisted on paying because it was a present she wished to give her niece. Fermín then proposed a different gesture: she might let him pay in exchange for allowing him to invite her to afternoon tea. He told her that she would make him the happiest man in Barcelona. Bernarda was left speechless, and Daniel encouraged her to accept, promising to wrap the book while Fermín fetched his jacket.

The invitation exposes a more vulnerable side of Fermín’s gallantry. He hurried to the back room to comb his hair, splash on cologne, and put on his jacket; then, nervous as a child, he whispered to Daniel to ask where he should take Bernarda. Daniel slipped him a few duros from the till and recommended Els Quatre Gats, which he believed was a lucky place for romance. The borrowed money and the whispered request temper Fermín’s grand declarations with a plain dependence on his friend’s practical assistance.

A First Date and an Uncertain Hope

Daniel handed Bernarda the packet and winked at her. When she asked what she owed, he pretended he could not say because the book had no price and he would have to consult his father. The small lie allowed the gift to pass without reopening the question of payment. Fermín and Bernarda then left arm in arm, disappearing down Calle Santa Ana toward the proposed tea outing.

Daniel watched them go and hoped that someone on duty in heaven would, for once, grant the couple a lucky break. That wish gives the scene its quiet emotional weight: the pair’s departure is not presented as proof that their courtship will succeed, but as a chance they have managed to create together. Fermín, who had earlier mocked marriage alongside the army, the Church, and banking as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, is now nervously preparing to take Bernarda out. His courtship begins in the comic gap between that declared disdain for conventional attachments and the care he takes over a jacket, a few drops of cologne, and a place Daniel calls lucky for romance.