how I've sought it."
"She's
telling the truth," Langdon said. "That's why we came to you tonight. To talk to you about
the keystone."
The manservant intervened now. "Leave, or I shall call the authorities."
"Leigh," Langdon whispered, "we know where it is."
Teabing's balance seemed to falter a bit.
Rémy now marched stiffly across the room. "Leave at once! Or I will forcibly—"
"Rémy!" Teabing spun, snapping at his servant. "Excuse us for a moment."
The servant's jaw dropped. "Sir? I must protest. These people are—"
"I'll handle this." Teabing pointed to the hallway.
After a moment of stunned silence, Rémy skulked out like a banished dog.
In the cool night breeze coming through the open doors, Teabing turned back to Sophie and
Langdon, his expression still wary. "This better be good. What do you know of the keystone?"
In the thick brush outside Teabing's study, Silas clutched his pistol
and gazed through the glass
doors. Only moments ago, he had circled the house and seen Langdon and the woman talking in
the large study. Before he could move in, a man on crutches entered, yelled at Langdon, threw
open
the doors, and demanded his guests leave.
Then the woman mentioned the keystone, and
everything changed. Shouts turned to whispers. Moods softened. And the glass doors were quickly
closed.
Now, as he huddled in the shadows, Silas peered through the glass.
The keystone is somewhere
inside the house. Silas could feel it.
Staying in the shadows, he inched closer to the glass, eager to hear what was being said. He would
give them five minutes. If they did not reveal where
they had placed the keystone, Silas would
have to enter and persuade them with force.
Inside the study, Langdon could sense their host's bewilderment.
"Grand Master?" Teabing choked, eyeing Sophie. "Jacques Saunière?"
Sophie nodded, seeing the shock in his eyes.
"But you could not possibly know that!"
"Jacques Saunière was my grandfather."
Teabing staggered back on his crutches, shooting a glance at Langdon, who nodded. Teabing
turned back to Sophie. "Miss Neveu, I am speechless.
If this is true, then I am truly sorry for your
loss. I should admit, for my research, I have kept lists of men in Paris whom I thought might be
good candidates for involvement in the Priory. Jacques Saunière was on that list along with many
others. But Grand Master, you say? It's hard to fathom." Teabing was
silent a moment and then
shook his head. "But it still makes no sense. Even if your grandfather
were the Priory Grand Master
and created the keystone himself, he would
never tell you how to find it. The keystone reveals the
pathway to the brotherhood's ultimate treasure. Granddaughter or not,
you are not eligible to
receive such knowledge."
"Mr. Saunière was dying when he passed on the information," Langdon said. "He had limited
options."
"He didn't
need options," Teabing argued. "There exist three
sénéchaux who also know the secret.
That is the beauty of their system. One will rise to Grand Master and they will induct a new
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