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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

Time folded in on itself as I galloped through town. Had it been minutes or an hour? I couldn’t tell. I was only concerned with delivering José’s message. When I made it to Canabarro’s camp I jumped from my horse just as he came to a stop. I dodged and bobbed through groups of people rushing about loading provisions to be taken away. I stopped and looked at this quizzically. Why are they leaving? I found my way to Canabarro’s tent, where I was stopped by a large soldier.

“No women in the general’s tent.”

“I come bearing a message from José Garibaldi.”

“I don’t care if you come with a message from the president of the republic himself.” The man grinned down at me.

I pulled my sword. “I will run you through. I have a mission and I aim to complete it.”

Canabarro stuck his head out of the tent. “What is all this commotion?” He looked to the soldier first, then let his gaze travel along the sword and up to my face. “Ah, Anita, I should have known. Well, stop wasting time and get in here.”

I sheathed my sword and looked smugly back at the soldier. “You should really find better help.”

“Wartime.” Canabarro shrugged. His desk was littered with papers and miniature wooden soldiers. Standing around it were several other men in officers’ uniforms. Their faces were creased with worry, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. “What news do you have of Garibaldi and his legion?”

“We can barely hold off the attack from the navy. Garibaldi asks for more men.”

“I can’t send them.”

“What do you mean you can’t send them? We are sorely outnumbered and are at a severe disadvantage.”

“I can’t send them because I don’t have them,” Canabarro responded. “The whole Imperial army has descended on Laguna.” He waved a hand over the map covered with small wooden ships and toy soldiers.

“What are we to do?”

Canabarro sighed as he continued to study the map in front of him. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Not taking his eyes from the map, he swiped a handkerchief over his face. “Burn the ships.”

I looked back at him in horror.

“Burn the ships and fall back. We’ll rendezvous in Rio Grande do Sul, with whatever we are able to get away with. Laguna is lost.”

*  *  *

I pulled my horse to a halt as the harbor came back into view. I allowed the horse to step back in trepidation as my breath caught. José’s ship looked like it had taken more than its fair share of cannon fire since I left. I got down and slapped the horse on his haunch to let him run to safety.