Neverwhere

Richard and the Marquis are not getting along as they travel the sewer tunnels. Richard insists that angels don’t exist, and the Marquis mocks him, saying there’s no such thing as London Below either. Door leads them to a passage filled with light behind a locked door at the end of the tunnel, and they come out at an Upside subway station in Islington, which Richard internally asserts is named after a pub, not an angel. There’s a man playing the saxophone on the platform; Richard realizes the man can see them. The Marquis starts bargaining with the man—named Lear—for a timetable. In exchange, the Marquis offers Lear a reel of music that would “charm the coins from the pockets of anyone who heard it” (150), passed down from Merlin’s master. Lear answers that this would be worth more than a timetable, and the Marquis indicates that he would accept Lear owing him a future favor. He also warns Lear not to rely too heavily on the reel.

From the gap at the edge of the platform, where Richard is standing, a smoky tentacle whips up and grabs his ankle, pulling him toward the rails. Hunter saves him, beating it back with a staff, and Richard is left with welts popping up around his ankle. The Marquis announces that they can catch the Earl’s Court train in a half hour, and Richard points out that Earl’s Court isn’t on the same line serviced by Islington. The Marquis snidely remarks that it must be refreshing to be so ignorant. As the Earl’s Court train—which is completely dark inside—approaches, Richard overhears the Marquis tell Door, “…the Earl might not be entirely pleased to see me” (156). The Marquis knocks, and the door opens to reveal glowing fires and people. Door and her companions enter the Earl’s Court.

Back in the abandoned hospital, Mr. Croup complains to Mr. Vandemar about their employer and expresses his desire to kill him once they’ve been paid. Their employer then calls, and Mr. Croup tells him of Varney’s failure and subsequent death. Their employer calls them unprofessional and Mr. Croup launches into a litany of their accomplishments: the burning of Troy, the Black Plague’s arrival in Flanders, torture, and several high-profile assassinations. Mr. Croup complains that they’re not using their considerable skills to kill Door, but their employer insists that, for now, they can only scare her.

Door announces that she and her companions are requesting an audience with the Earl. As he beckons her forward, he commands his jester to entertain Door’s companions. The jester makes fun of Richard’s Scottish accent, and when the Marquis introduces himself, the jester teases him about his presence since the Earl had banished him as a thief, body snatcher, and traitor. Seeing the Marquis, the Earl begins to shake with anger. His guards try to arrest the Marquis, but Door stands up for him, saving his life by reminding the Earl of his friendship with her late father. Still, the Earl insists that the Marquis can’t be among his court, so the latter leaves, telling Door that they’ll meet up at the next market. Afterward, the Marquis approaches Lear again, who has overused the melody the Marquis gave him; people are practically tearing him apart trying to give him money. The Marquis plays a melody that acts as a counter-charm and then asks for a favor: He wants Lear to steal a piece of a T’ang Dynasty sculpture.

The Earl decides to help Door and her companions and confers with them in the library in the adjoining train carriage. Door asks how they can get to Islington, and he tells her there are two ways. One is a quick way only open to members of Door’s family, but it can only be used once; the other way is long and dangerous. The Earl hits on Door, telling her she should stay with him. When he touches her hair, Hunter is ready to come to her defense, but Door waves her off. Finally, the Earl tells Door she has to use the Angelus. He gives her a scroll that contains everything she needs to know and offers to drop them off where they have to go—the British Museum station. Richard insists the station doesn’t exist, but soon they arrive at the museum.

The Marquis de Carabas goes to see Old Bailey, wanting information about an animal figurine he pocketed in Lord Portico’s study; in exchange, Old Bailey demands shoes, a balaclava helmet, and gloves. He tells the Marquis that the obsidian figurine is the Great Beast of London, an animal—perhaps a pig—from the reign of Charles I that lived in the sewers and grew larger and meaner over the centuries. Old Bailey brings up the box the Marquis gave him earlier, asking if he’s going to take it back. The Marquis tells him that he’ll retrieve it in the end and that he hopes Old Bailey won’t need to use it before then. 

Door, Hunter, and Richard move through the museum station, which Door explains was shut down in the 1930s. They meet a rat named Miss Whiskers, and Richard expresses his remorse for the loss of Anaesthesia. Miss Whiskers thanks him for his concern and says that sometimes those taken in tribute come back. Door starts to lead the trio into the museum when Hunter stops her and says she can only guard her in London Below. Instead, Richard accompanies Door, and they run right into Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar as they enter a storage space in the museum. The men tell them that someone has betrayed them and then let them run away. Door and Richard sneak into the museum, unseen by a line of guests attending a gala event at the museum. They start looking for the Angelus, which is described simply as having a picture of an angel on it. The scroll the Earl gave Door also says that this artifact is located in the Early English room of the museum.

Meanwhile, Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar continue to complain, both about the lack of violence their assignment requires and their employer, whom they refer to as “the governor” (190).

While Jessica oversees the gala for her job, she thinks about how it would be nice to have a boyfriend with whom to visit the museum galleries. Her boss, Mr. Stockton, is running late, which holds up the event because he insists on viewing the exhibition first because he sponsored it; it’s called “Angels Over England.” There are about 100 high-profile guests impatiently waiting for it to start, and Jessica’s assistant, Clarence, lets them in, even though Jessica tells him not to. 

Richard and Door move about unhindered by security, and Door tells Richard that they have to go into the room where the party is. Richard sees Jessica and panics, but Door assures him that unless he talks to her, Jessica won’t even notice he’s there. Door proceeds to raid the food table. Jessica does notice them, however. She can’t place why or how, so she asks Clarence who they are; he doesn’t know but he supposes they’re journalists. Before Jessica can think about it for too long, she hears from Mr. Stockton, who says he is about to arrive. Door goes to examine the angels and, unable to help himself, Richard talks to Jessica, revealing intimate details and telling her they’ve been engaged for a year and a half. She walks away unsettled and tells Clarence to call security before forgetting about having seen Richard at all.

Mr. Stockton gives a speech while Clarence tries to get security to notice Richard, and at the end, he unveils a majestic door with an angel carved on it that Door recognizes as the Angelus. The security guards, finally spotting him, grab Richard, so Door distracts them by going on stage and screaming into the microphone. Richard runs to Door, grabbing her hand while she touches the Angelus with her other hand, and they’re transported to a hall where they meet Islington.

The chapter’s final passage shows the Marquis de Carabas meeting with Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar at the abandoned hospital.