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Susan Howatch
ULTIMATE PRIZES
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Harper An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd 1989
Copyright © Leaftree Ltd 1989
The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constrains in operation at the time of publication
Source ISBN: 9780006496915
Ebook Edition © JUNE 2012 ISBN: 9780007396429 Version: 2018-10-08
From the reviews:
‘This superbly intricate ecclesiastical tale … irresistible’
Church Times
‘A fascinating story’
Publishers Weekly
‘Howatch writes thrillers of the heart and mind … everything in a Howatch novel cuts close to the bone and is of vital concern’
New Woman
‘A mesmerising storyteller’
Daily Telegraph
‘One of the most original novelists writing today’
Cosmopolitan
‘She is a deft storyteller, and her writing has depth, grace and pace’
Sunday Times
CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT
PART ONE: CRISIS
PART TWO: UNDER JUDGEMENT
PART THREE: SALVATION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
‘It is in the failure to achieve integration … that personalities too often make shipwreck, either breaking down (physically or mentally) under the strain of conflict or abandoning any real desire for an effective synthesis.’
CHARLES E. RAVEN
Regius Professor of Divinity, Cambridge,1932–1950 The Creator Spirit
‘Many of us have a hard fight to control our passions …’
CHARLES E. RAVEN
Regius Professor of Divinity, Cambridge, 1932–1950 The Creator Spirit
I
The most appalling feature of the morning after I nearly committed adultery was my lack of surprise. I was scared out of my wits, racked