The Grace Year

The guards come to collect the grace year girls, and the march home begins. Along the way, Tierney sees the red flowers along the path, and she thinks about how the flowers—just like change—are small and happen in increments. She thinks about the punishment that awaits her in Garner County and about her family, and she hopes that “[her] treachery will be nothing but a distant memory” in time (368). When they reach the outskirts, Tierney sees a woman who looks like Ryker’s mother, and the woman shows Tierney a red flower pinned to her tunic. The guard pulls Tierney along and says that she’s property of the county now.

The girls’ arrival reveals “the bloodiest season in grace year history” (370). Michael and the other men approach their brides, and to Gertie’s relief, Mr. Fallow has died. Tierney removes her cloak and reveals a “swollen belly” to the entire county (372). The crowd is outraged, and Michael is shocked. Michael lies to the crowd and says that the child is his. He claims that Tierney used her magic to come to him in his dreams. The grace year girls surround Tierney in solidarity, and Michael marries Tierney by putting a black ribbon in her hair.