What secrets did Mama Elena keep to herself?

Mama Elena:

But going through her bureau, they found the bottle of syrup of ipecac and they deduced that Mama Elena must have been taking it secretly.

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When Mama Elena's parents discovered the love that existed between their daughter and this mulatto, they were horrified and forced her into an immediate marriage with Juan De la Garza, Tita's father.

This action didn't succeed in stopping her from keeping up a secret correspondence with Jose' even after she was married, and it seemed that they hadn't limited themselves to that form of communication either, since according to the letters, Gertrudis was Jose's child and not her father's.