The Da Vinci Code

Terrific, Langdon thought. My French TV debut will be on "Paris's Most Wanted." At least Jonas 
Faukman would be pleased; every time Langdon made the news, his book sales jumped.
"Is this man a good enough friend?" Sophie asked.
Langdon doubted Teabing was someone who watched television, especially at this hour, but still 
the question deserved consideration. Instinct told Langdon that Teabing would be totally 
trustworthy. An ideal safe harbor. Considering the circumstances, Teabing would probably trip 
over himself to help them as much as possible. Not only did he owe Langdon a favor, but Teabing 
was a Grail researcher, and Sophie claimed her grandfather was the actual Grand Master of the 
Priory of Sion. If Teabing heard that, he would salivate at the thought of helping them figure this 
out.
"Teabing could be a powerful ally," Langdon said. Depending on how much you want to tell him.
"Fache probably will be offering a monetary reward."
Langdon laughed. "Believe me, money is the last thing this guy needs." Leigh Teabing was 
wealthy in the way small countries were wealthy. A descendant of Britain's First Duke of 
Lancaster, Teabing had gotten his money the old-fashioned way—he'd inherited it. His estate 
outside of Paris was a seventeenth-century palace with two private lakes.
Langdon had first met Teabing several years ago through the British Broadcasting Corporation. 
Teabing had approached the BBC with a proposal for a historical documentary in which he would 
expose the explosive history of the Holy Grail to a mainstream television audience. The BBC 
producers loved Teabing's hot premise, his research, and his credentials, but they had concerns that 
the concept was so shocking and hard to swallow that the network might end up tarnishing its 
reputation for quality journalism. At Teabing's suggestion, the BBC solved its credibility fears by 
soliciting three cameos from respected historians from around the world, all of whom corroborated 
the stunning nature of the Holy Grail secret with their own research.
Langdon had been among those chosen.
The BBC had flown Langdon to Teabing's Paris estate for the filming. He sat before cameras in 
Teabing's opulent drawing room and shared his story, admitting his initial skepticism on hearing of 
the alternate Holy Grail story, then describing how years of research had persuaded him that the 
story was true. Finally, Langdon offered some of his own research—a series of symbologic 
connections that strongly supported the seemingly controversial claims.
When the program aired in Britain, despite its ensemble cast and well-documented evidence, the 
premise rubbed so hard against the grain of popular Christian thought that it instantly confronted a 
firestorm of hostility. It never aired in the States, but the repercussions echoed across the Atlantic. 

---

Shortly afterward, Langdon received a postcard from an old friend—the Catholic Bishop of 
Philadelphia. The card simply read: Et tu, Robert?
"Robert," Sophie asked, "you're certain we can trust this man?"
"Absolutely. We're colleagues, he doesn't need money, and I happen to know he despises the 
French authorities. The French government taxes him at absurd rates because he bought a historic 
landmark. He'll be in no hurry to cooperate with Fache."
Sophie stared out at the dark roadway. "If we go to him, how much do you want to tell him?"
Langdon looked unconcerned. "Believe me, Leigh Teabing knows more about the Priory of Sion 
and the Holy Grail than anyone on earth."
Sophie eyed him. "More than my grandfather?"
"I meant more than anyone outside the brotherhood."
"How do you know Teabing isn't a member of the brotherhood?"
"Teabing has spent his life trying to broadcast the truth about the Holy Grail. The Priory's oath is to 
keep its true nature hidden."
"Sounds to me like a conflict of interest."
Langdon understood her concerns. Saunière had given the cryptex directly to Sophie, and although 
she didn't know what it contained or what she was supposed to do with it, she was hesitant to 
involve a total stranger. Considering the information potentially enclosed, the instinct was probably 
a good one. "We don't need to tell Teabing about the keystone immediately. Or at all, even. His 
house will give us a place to hide and think, and maybe when we talk to him about the Grail, you'll 
start to have an idea why your grandfather gave this to you."
"Us," Sophie reminded.
Langdon felt a humble pride and wondered yet again why Saunière had included him.
"Do you know more or less where Mr. Teabing lives?" Sophie asked.
"His estate is called Château Villette."
Sophie turned with an incredulous look. "The Château Villette?"
"That's the one."

---

"Nice friends."
"You know the estate?"
"I've passed it. It's in the castle district. Twenty minutes from here."
Langdon frowned. "That far?"
"Yes, which will give you enough time to tell me what the Holy Grail really is."
Langdon paused. "I'll tell you at Teabing's. He and I specialize in different areas of the legend, so 
between the two of us, you'll get the full story." Langdon smiled. "Besides, the Grail has been 
Teabing's life, and hearing the story of the Holy Grail from Leigh Teabing will be like hearing the 
theory of relativity from Einstein himself."
"Let's hope Leigh doesn't mind late-night visitors."
"For the record, it's Sir Leigh." Langdon had made that mistake only once. "Teabing is quite a 
character. He was knighted by the Queen several years back after composing an extensive history 
on the House of York."
Sophie looked over. "You're kidding, right? We're going to visit a knight?"
Langdon gave an awkward smile. "We're on a Grail quest, Sophie. Who better to help us than a 
knight?"