Jeremiah de Saint-Amour had a secret lover who lived in the old slave quarter. This woman, who is biracial (referred to as a “mulatta” in the novel), is deeply devoted to Jeremiah and abides by his post-suicide instructions, demonstrating her love to him by moving on with her life as he told her to. Although Dr. Urbino considers the woman unprincipled because she does not go to Jeremiah’s funeral (which Jeremiah forbade her to do), Fermina Daza tells her husband that this is actually a proof of love. This constitutes a moment in which the differences in Fermina and Dr. Urbino’s conceptions of love are brought to life.