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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

“You did? We have so many injured, I didn’t think—” José put a finger to my lips.

“They were vicious, but we proved to be the better force.”

I grabbed a rag and began to wipe the blood off him. “Are you wounded?”

“Nothing to concern yourself with.” His gaze passed over me to the injured that filled the sanctuary. “Take care of our men for now. I have business to attend to, but be ready to move. We are going to occupy a fortress.” His hand cupped my cheek. “Once we have settled in, we’ll have some time for ourselves.” He turned back to the men and clapped his hands. “Tonight we celebrate, for Rome is ours!”

Soldiers soon arrived to help my company move the patients and their things. Initially, I stayed close, supervising the course of action, but soon I became more of a hindrance than a help. I found my horse and made my way to the fortress.

I found José wiping his neck with a damp towel as he gave orders to the men around him, who were busy moving boxes onto carts.

“Tesoro mio, you have escaped!” he exclaimed with a broad smile. The blood that had covered his face was gone. He wore an old white shirt that hung loosely on his large frame. The bloody edge of a bandage poked out from underneath.

“José,” I scolded, pulling him to me and lifting up his shirt, “you are injured.”

“It’s merely a flesh wound.” His hands went to my belly. “Has he moved much lately?”

“Not really,” I said. “But I get a reassuring kick here and there. He lets me know he’s still with us.”

“Good.” José smiled. “Good.”

Fifty-Two

Fifty-Two

July 1849

In the months that we occupied Rome, José was in his prime. He gave orders as we all settled into our new roles. I was getting closer to my time and didn’t argue when José asked me to rest. Unlike with my other pregnancies, I felt an unending exhaustion. If it weren’t for the blasted maid waking me up at regular intervals to try to feed me, I would’ve slept for days. My sleep was troubled, littered with horrible dreams that kept getting worse.

I opened my eyes one unusually sunny afternoon to find someone standing there in the middle of the rays. As my eyes began to focus, I saw my father standing before me. “Olá, filha.”