Georgiana noticed the blue sash Richard Edgeworth wore.
Many people wore one to formal occasions. Perhaps her gaze lingered on it a little too long, because Edgeworth could not help lowering his head to look as well.
"Is something wrong?" Edgeworth asked, trying to inspect the sash for stains.
"I heard about... the Orange Order," Georgiana said cautiously.
Edgeworth's fingers moved away from the garter-blue sash.
"They contributed quite a bit to this union between Ireland and England," Georgiana said.
"But I am not one of them." Edgeworth smiled. "I do not know William III of Orange."
Georgiana did not answer. Lupe had said something much the same in the billiard room yesterday.
"There is also a statue of King William on College Green. Since 1740, the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne River, a parade has been held every year on King William's birthday, including in 1779," Edgeworth said. "But there was some unrest that time. Someone hung banners from the statue, and others carried weapons."
"1779?" Padma asked.
"The Irish also joined the American Revolutionary War, Miss Patil. That parade was held by the Irish Volunteers who were about to depart for North America," Edgeworth said politely to Padma, who had come from a foreign land. "After the war ended, they returned to Ireland and became an important force in protecting Dublin and making up for the shortage of police."
In 1689, Parliament of the United Kingdom declared that James II had abdicated the throne, but James II fled to Ireland to seek supporters. In 1690, William III, who had gained the British crown through his marriage to Mary II, led 35,000 Dutch Blue Guards in a landing in Ireland and defeated James II's army, forcing James II to flee into exile in France once more.