When Schedoni leaves the room, Ellena compares the facts about her family provided by Bianchi and Schedoni. There are few contradictions, except for the fact that her father is alive, since Bianchi had long claimed that her parents died during her infancy. Upon seeing the dagger by her bed, Ellena assumes that Schedoni had prevented Spalatro from killing her.

In the meantime, Schedoni contemplates the irony of his attempts to separate Ellena and Vivaldi. If Ellena were to marry her lover, Schedoni would profit immensely given the wealth of the Vivaldi family. He makes plans to seek the consent of the marchesa while intending to have the young couple marry secretly if she refuses. The fact that he knows many of the marchesa’s secrets leads him to hope that she can be steered toward a speedy neutrality.

Schedoni, however, resolves to rectify the situation by releasing Vivaldi from the Inquisition whom he had consigned there out of fear that he would find Ellena and wreak vengeance. He was also seeking to avenge himself after being insulted by Vivaldi at the convent. Having seen a form of arrest for someone charged with heresy, Schedoni followed the same formula while hiring bravoes to impersonate Inquisition officers. However, Schedoni is not worried about Vivaldi’s fate, assuming that if an accuser does not show up at the Inquisition, he will be released. Moreover, Schedoni trusts that his own acquaintance with a Neapolitan man connected with the Holy Office will prove advantageous.

But his immediate concern is the problem of bringing Ellena back to Naples. Although Schedoni is not prepared to publicly acknowledge her as his daughter, he is reluctant to entrust her to anyone in the immediate vicinity. He decides to have Spalatro guide them through the Garganus forests and procure a layman’s habit afterward for the return to Naples with Ellena. At Zanti, Schedoni dismisses Spalatro, who is evidently disappointed. As the new guide takes them through another forest, Ellena thinks she sees Spalatro, whom she fears is following them. However, they arrive safely that night at a larger town, where Schedoni obtains a lay habit.