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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

I turned to her, taking her hands in mine. “No. Thank you,” I said, beginning to cry as well. Luisa rushed into the room with fresh tears on her cheeks. “Enough of that. No more tears!” She carried a basket filled with small pink flowers and ribbon.

Luisa pulled and twisted my hair up with the bows and flowers, making me feel like a princess. Never in my life had I felt so special. On our way out the door, Luisa gasped. “Oh, I almost forgot!” She grabbed a long box tied with a large white ribbon that sat on my table. “Here,” she said, shoving it toward me.

Nestled inside, wrapped in thin paper, rested a delicate lace veil yellowed with age, trimmed with an embroidered leaf pattern that took my breath away. It was so fragile that I was afraid to touch it. Luisa gently placed it over my head, where it lay gracefully. The faint smell of lavender lingered in the lace. “Your ‘something borrowed,’” she explained. “I wore it on my wedding day, as did my mother and grandmother.”

Tears started to well in my eyes again, but before I could say anything, Luisa stopped me. “The coach is here. If we don’t leave now, we’ll never get to the church.”

The great stone cathedral loomed over us as we exited the carriage. Squinting in the sun, I could barely make out the outline of the statue of San Felipe staring down at us, giving his blessing to those who passed by. Feliciana’s husband stood outside waiting for us. When we approached, he looked bashful. “I…I thought since Feliciana was playing your mother that maybe I could walk you down the aisle.” He looked up at me, slightly scared. “That’s of course if you don’t mind.”

“I would be honored. Now, let’s get me married.”

My heart skipped a beat and my breath caught in my throat when I saw José standing at the altar. He fidgeted with his suit, moving from one foot to the other. But when he turned to look at me all nervousness stopped. A peace fell over him as he watched me walk slowly up the aisle. A smile spread across his face as his shoulders relaxed. José stilled as his eyes locked with mine. His spine straightened, making him look taller as I approached.

Had it only been two years since I met him? It felt like a lifetime ago that I stumbled into Hector and Manuela’s parlor. So much had happened. So much lost. So much gained. Yet here we were, just as in love, tied together by Destiny and now by God. I chose José Garibaldi and I would continue to choose him until my dying day, no matter where he took me.

Thirty

Thirty

May 1841