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Back The Woman in Red Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Epigraph
  4. Prologue
  5. Part One
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Ten
  16. Eleven
  17. Twelve
  18. Thirteen
  19. Part Two
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-One
  28. Twenty-Two
  29. Twenty-Three
  30. Twenty-Four
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Part Three
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. Twenty-Nine
  37. Thirty
  38. Thirty-One
  39. Thirty-Two
  40. Thirty-Three
  41. Thirty-Four
  42. Thirty-Five
  43. Thirty-Six
  44. Thirty-Seven
  45. Thirty-Eight
  46. Thirty-Nine
  47. Forty
  48. Forty-One
  49. Forty-Two
  50. Part Four
  51. Forty-Three
  52. Forty-Four
  53. Forty-Five
  54. Forty-Six
  55. Forty-Seven
  56. Forty-Eight
  57. Forty-Nine
  58. Fifty
  59. Fifty-One
  60. Fifty-Two
  61. Fifty-Three
  62. Epilogue
  63. Author’s Note
  64. Acknowledgments
  65. Discover More
  66. Reading Group Guide
  67. Discussion Questions
  68. ESSAY FROMDIANA GIOVINAZZO
  69. Antoinette’s Sister
  70. Chapter One
  71. Chapter Two
  72. About the Author
  73. Praise forThe Woman in Red

I struggled to keep our son warm in the sling. At one point during our ascent José stopped me. He stripped off his poncho and took Menotti from me. “Here, let me carry him for a while.” He strapped the child to him and then covered himself and our baby with the poncho. Periodically, as we continued to climb, he lifted the collar so that he could breathe warmth over our son.

At night José and I placed the baby in between us to shield him from the wind that flowed through our feeble tent. Sleep didn’t come easily. I still shivered uncontrollably as fat water drops plunked randomly onto my forehead. Our attempts to keep Menotti warm didn’t work very well, and he shivered and cried almost all night. I both dreaded and looked forward to morning.

At the break of dawn, we picked up our little camp and started our descent at an increased speed. The rains paused, and we wanted to move as fast as possible while the weather was good. The descent was muddy, causing many to slip and fall. Carrying my son the way José had, I felt better about keeping Menotti warm and safe as I used the trees to guide me.

Halfway down the mountain, the rains began again. I was relieved only briefly by a flat plateau until José made us stop. The whispers began, and I wove through our company to the front. There were remnants of an Imperial army ambush. An abandoned camp, fires long since drowned by the torrential rain. The officers talked among themselves as they raided the supplies that had been left behind. We were going to need to be more diligent. I looked at the carcass of the camp. Even the Brazilian army couldn’t withstand the harsh mountain weather. I at least had more strength than they did.

We trudged along but stopped again as a river came into view. It swelled with the rains. The current was so strong that little waves rippled dangerously. As I cast my eyes over the water, I began to lose hope. José sent scouts north and south to find a bridge or even some shallows so that we could cross the swiftly moving current. I eyed the water suspiciously. I had encountered similar rivers when I rode with the gauchos. Knowing the danger to ourselves and our cattle, we would always find a different way to get to the other side, even if it meant an extra day in the wilderness. A river like this meant the loss of cattle and life.