** spoiler alert ** Surprisingly a long and fairly complex read for such a short book. When Lilia goes travelling in Italy after the death of her husband, she quickly meets and marries a young Italian man, much to her in-law's disapproval. Her brother in law is sent to prevent the marriage, but too late. Lilia quickly realises, though, that her freedom isn't what she had hoped, and dies in childbirth. Next her in laws are sent to Italy to retrieve her son, with further tragic consequences. The 'fools rush in' part missing from the quote indicates that Lilia is a fool, and yet it is hard to see an alternative for her.