Letter from Jerónima de Camargo to Francisco de Cepeda.
The author express her deep love to her lover, her unhappiness for her marriage, and his desire to see her lover soon.
In 1623, a secret lawsuit was brought against Pedro Vélez de Guevara, husband of Jerónima de Camargo, for having tried to assassinate his wife's lover, Francisco de Cepeda, after having found a letter that his wife had just written to her lover. While he was reading the letter, his wife took shelter in a convent. He then went to Viana, where he tricked Francisco de Cepeda out of his house, and, from a hideout, shot him with a harquebus. He then tried to finish him off with a sword and a hunting knife, but the cries of Francisco de Cepeda alerted his neighbours, who came to help him.
When interrogated, Pedro Vélez revealed the suspects he already had about his wife before reading the letter. He had also spoke about the matter with his confessor, who had advised him to be prudent. He had listened to this advice, for the good of their three sons and for the noble kinship of his wife. However, in 1622 Francisco de Cepeda had been prohibited to go to Valladolid and to his lover's house, because, although he was a relative of Pedro Vélez, he was already suspected to maintain a relationship with Jerónima de Camargo, and the mother of Pedro Vélez had discovered that he had stayed in the house of his son while this was absent. For all these reasons, also Francisco de Cepeda was imprisoned, because he had violated his banishment. He was soon freed from prison because of his wounds, but his banishment from Valladolid was confirmed.
