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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

“Tell me, Anita, what makes a wife? Hmm? She takes care of her husband both emotionally and physically. She is his rock. She supports him no matter what. She is his partner in building a future.” He removed his shirt, wiping his soiled face as he did. “Marriage is only a piece of paper. It shouldn’t matter, as long as we know what we are to each other.”

“But the priests—”

“Those priests know nothing!” José paused, composing himself. “Tell me, what does a priest know of having someone other than yourself hold control over your very being? What do they know of loving someone so much it feels like your heart is walking around outside of yourself and if anything were to happen to her, you don’t…” His voice caught. “You can’t imagine continuing on without her.”

“Priests love the whole world,” I said.

José climbed onto the bed next to me. His eyes focused on my lips. “Sometimes a whole world is no bigger than one person.” He kissed me so passionately I felt like I was going to melt into him.

Fifteen

Fifteen

As we moved to the south, the pine trees that I knew in Santa Catarina faded away. Large trees whose tops expanded outward like overgrown parasols shaded us from the beating sun. Humid tropical air filled my lungs.

We made our way up steep ravines, slipping on moss and rocks. As we continued to climb, breathing became a chore. It didn’t matter how much air I sucked into my lungs, it never felt like enough. Moving took more energy than normal; every movement was an exertion of grand proportions. It felt as if Vacaria were a whole other continent. We reached the plains just at the top of the first set of mountains. Sweeping valleys below us took our breath away, but we had more climbing to do.

When the men could barely move a muscle, José pushed forward, encouraging them. He was jovial and made us all want to continue to follow him. “At the top of this mountain we will be victorious! Remember, men, this is training at its finest! We’ll be the fittest regiment in all Rio Grande do Sul.”

José thrived on adventure. He lived for the next battle. The potential for glory fed his soul.

On the eve of crossing into Vacaria, General Terceira approached me as I prepared a humble supper for José and myself while José was entertaining his soldiers.

“Dona Anita, I was wondering if I could have a few moments of your time.”

“Of course, General, how may I be of assistance to you?” I wiped my hands on my skirt as I turned from our campfire to face him.

“I understand that you like to think of yourself as a soldier of sorts.”

“I suppose you could say that.”