Nick and Cecily go to a nearby inn to wait for Will Shakespeare to arrive to get them. Unfortunately, while there they see Gregory Goole enter the building, looking for them. Leading Cecily out of the inn, Nick desperately asks a carrier whom he overheard say he was heading out of town if they can hitch a ride with him. As it turns out, the carrier actually lives close to Stratford and knows Nick's father slightly. He offers to take the children all the way to Stratford once he's delivered his supplies. The two children hop on his wagon, escaping Goole and London.
Will Shakespeare and Nick go to Gaston Carew's house to get Cecily but find the house deserted, the servants fled. They find out that Carew's erstwhile henchman, Gregory Goole, showed up, packed his belongings and left, taking Cecily with him. Nick and Shakespeare spend several days searching London for a sign of Cecily, to no avail. Then, on the third day while Shakespeare is working on his play, Nick catches sight of Goole at a distance. Unable to summon Will, Nick gives chase and eventually catches up with Goole who is dragging a frightened Cecily along with him. Nick confronts Gregory who grabs hold of him and starts dragging him along, too. He creepily seems to have plans to sell the two children. Nick manages to attract the attention of some men passing by, asking them for help. Goole tries to push past the men, saying that he's the children's father but Nick calls him a liar and in the ensuing scuffle, the children get away and Goole flees the scene. Nick and Cecily go to a nearby inn to wait for Will Shakespeare to arrive to get them. Unfortunately, while there they see Gregory Goole enter the building, looking for them. Leading Cecily out of the inn, Nick desperately asks a carrier whom he overheard say he was heading out of town if they can hitch a ride with him. As it turns out, the carrier actually lives close to Stratford and knows Nick's father slightly. He offers to take the children all the way to Stratford once he's delivered his supplies. The two children hop on his wagon, escaping Goole and London. After a trip to Oxford where Nick puts his voice training to good work, singing for their supper at a local inn, the carrier takes the children on to Stratford. Nick arrives with Cecily at the door of his parents' cottage almost a year after he left for- he thought- a day playing hooky from school. His father comes to the door and Nick greets him joyously. His happiness is not returned. When Nick disappeared, his father searched for him and was told that his son had gone off with a troupe of actors. Assuming Nick went willingly, his father- never a very pleasant person- has become completely embittered. He calls Nick a "stage-playing, vagabond rogue" and orders him from his door. Nick is frozen in shock, unable to move until a frightened Cecily leads him away. (To Be Continued...)
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