THE DONNA OF SERRO DO FRIO

Everything would indicate that the only reason Chica da Silva's relationship with João Fernandes was not completely conventional was that the hierarchical society of the period impeded legal matrimony between individuals from such different backgrounds or social conditions. Though omitted from the contractor's entail and wills, Chica was never far from his thoughts after his return to Portugal, as can be seen from the zealous care he dispensed to their children, for whom he strove to establish the best possible footing in life. Eager to introduce his sons at court, the chief judge knew he would have to hide their origins, which his contemporaries would have considered illegitimate and ignoble. It was therefore essential that he push his relationship with the former slave to the back of his memory and hide it from future generations, as proved the case in Simão Pires Sardinha's de genere process for admittance into the Order of Christ. Leaving Chica out of his legacy was in no way a sign that she had slipped from his thoughts or his gratitude; indeed, by endeavoring to ennoble their children before the elitist society of the Realm, João Fernandes was, from a distance, also indirectly protecting Chica, whom he had left in Tejuco with a considerable patrimony.