Follow My Leader: The Boys of Templeton

On a damp early‑spring morning, three fourteen‑year‑old boys step out of Mountjoy Preparatory, bundled in ulsters, gloves and top hats, ready for a journey that feels both ordinary and momentous. Their teacher, Mrs Ashford, hands them parcels of sandwiches and a stern reminder to stay dry, while a waggonette rattles toward the road that will carry them to the mysterious Templeton School. The boys exchange nervous jokes and half‑remembered histories, their banter a thin veil over the anxiety of leaving the familiar behind.

The destination is the entrance exam that will decide whether they may join the ranks of the nation’s elite public‑school pupils. As the carriage rolls onward, each boy wrestles with his own doubts—Richardson’s quick wit, Heathcote’s quiet confidence, and Coote’s restless curiosity—forming a bond that steadies them against the unknown. Their adventure promises a blend of youthful camaraderie, the pressure of tradition, and the first taste of the challenges that lie ahead.