Does anyone else feel that Nicholas is just too much the wonderboy? Clever, kind, good-looking, photographic memory, athletic, instantly at home on a ship, sings well, immediately liked by all who meet him from pages and lords to sailors and falconers, good with the hawks, never moans, always tries his best, - and as we're about to find out, excellent at tumbling and acting.
In her own time Nicola is a bit of a wonderchild but at least she has some things that she can't do as well as other people. All of Nicholas' attributes can be found in Nicola and Lawrie, but at least then they're shared between two people.
Perhaps this is an adult criticism. I never read these books as a child. Do children rather like the main character in a book to be a complete hero in every way?