Lucrezia Petroni was a veritable Roman she-wolf, passionate alike in love and vengeance; she endured all, but pardoned nothing.
Some days after this, the Abbe Guerra arrived at the Cenci palace to carry out what had been arranged.

Rich, young, noble, and handsome, everything would seem to promise him success; yet he was rudely dismissed by Francesco.

The first refusal did not daunt him; he returned to the charge a second time and yet a third, insisting upon the suitableness of such a union.

At length Francesco, losing patience, told this obstinate lover that a reason existed why Beatrice could be neither his wife nor any other man's.

Guerra demanded what this reason was.