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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

Father Lorenzo nodded his head. “I see, I see.” He put his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Well, the purpose of a marriage is to produce children, children to serve God. You didn’t have this with Manoel, however; it would appear that you have more of a Christian marriage with Giuseppe Garibaldi.” He took his hand from his face and looked at me. “If you were a man, I would be able to dissolve your first marriage, but as you know I can’t.”

“If I were a man I would have been allowed to do a great many things, Father.”

Father Lorenzo gave me a sad smile. “As you know, your situation is complicated.”

“I did what was necessary for my and my child’s well-being.”

Father Lorenzo held up a hand. “Dona Anita, I am not testing you for sainthood. The Lord knows, none of us, myself included, are worthy of that. From everything that I have been told about you I feel only admiration. You have braved so much, but what I am worried about is making sure that you and your innocent child are taken care of. Tell me, Dona Feliciana has been like a mother to you, has she not?”

“Yes, better than my own mother.”

“Good. Well, I have a document signed by Dona Feliciana saying that she is your mother and that you are free to marry. I have taken the liberty of preparing the paperwork necessary to marry you and Don José. However, given that it is Lent and I am too close to the situation, I have asked a friend, Father Pablo, to come. He doesn’t know anything about you or your past. All he knows is that he is marrying two people in love.”

He handed me a handkerchief to wipe the tears that began to escape. “You have friends, Dona Anita, and we’ll make sure you and your family are taken care of.”

Twenty-Nine

Twenty-Nine

April 1841

The entirety of the wedding preparations took us only three weeks. My dress was simple, pale yellow with a tasteful V neckline edged with small ruffles. The bodice came to a point at my waist, which, according to Luisa, made me look taller.

What made me fall in love with the dress was the intricate embroidery of ocean waves just above the hem of the skirt, which Luisa said looked Roman. It cost us a small fortune. It was extravagant, unnecessary, and everything I didn’t know that I had always wanted in a piece of clothing.

I looked at Feliciana through the mirror behind me as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. “You are so beautiful!” she exclaimed through her tears, clasping her hands together. “This is what I always envisioned having a daughter would be like. Thank you.”