Temerity: (noun): the quality of being confident and unafraid of danger or punishment especially in a way that seems rude or foolish

From the story “A Rose for Emily”; “A few of the ladies had the temerity to call, but were not received, and the only sign of life about the palace was the Negro man-a young man then–going in and out with a market basket.”

Now the sentence is clear to me that after Emily’s father death she also departed from her love due to which she kept herself in isolation. So only few ladies attempted to call her inorder to show sympathy, or give the company, but Emily didn’t responded them.