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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

He just shook his head. “Always prepare for the worst, tesoro mio. It may not happen, but we will survive even if it does.”

Now as I stood on that crumbling embankment watching José lead a group of men toward us, I began to feel sick. Nothing was going as planned and I could feel a pain, sharp like a knife, cutting through my right temple. I winced, placing my hand to the side of my head. Closing my eyes, I could see a multitude of stars burst before my lids.

The men had abandoned the horses and swiftly marched toward us. When all fifteen hundred of us had gathered on the property José climbed upon the nearest ledge and called out to them. “Soldiers, I release you from your duty to follow me, and leave you free to return to your homes. But remember that although the Roman war for independence has ended, Italy remains in shameful slavery.” He waited, but none of the men left. “Very well. We stay in the woods, north of the road. We make no noise unless you want to be a special guest of the French.” Without further warning he moved forward, expecting the rest of us to follow. Silently we walked as the orange rays of the sun filtered through the leaves. Only after we had traveled for miles and the deep blackness of night had set in around us did we stop. I curled up next to a tree and slept. I didn’t wait for José. I couldn’t.

I awoke to José shaking me gently. When I turned to look at him, he put a finger to his lips and beckoned for me to follow him. We stood well within the tree line as we gazed down to the road below. It was infested by the French. Silently we gathered up our small group and crept away, finding our way to the river. I was relieved when our soldiers suggested they would take the boats from a nearby house so that we could sail instead of walk. My limbs ached with exhaustion and my headache had expanded. The pain had spread behind my eyes, stretching from temple to temple. My vision crackled around the edges.

As our boat sliced through the calm water, I could feel the blackness attempting to creep into my sight. “Sir, we are going to need to go ashore,” one of the weathered soldiers said. “There are shallows ahead; we won’t be able to make it through.”

“Very well.” José gave the signal and the men diverted the boats to the shore. Once we reached dry land I stepped out and felt my legs begin to shake. The world swam in front of me. Reaching for a large rock, I tried to steady myself. “Anita!” José rushed to my side. “Are you all right?”