title: The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale
author:  Muriel Spark 
description: An election is held at the abbey of Crewe and the new lady abbess takes up her high office with implacable serenity. This is a satirical fantasy about ecclesiastical and other kinds of politics. The author has also written "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" and "Girls of Slender Means".
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  > > From hardheaded businesswoman...
  
  > > A lifetime of living in a man’s world has given sword-making-factory owner
  > Eleanor Blackwell some very definite opinions—particularly about the
  > duplicity of men!
  
  > > ...to blushing bride?
  
  > > Benjamin Grayson, Viscount Whittonstall, seems to be cut from a different
  > cloth—Eleanor responds to his touch with a passion normally reserved only
  > for fencing! She may be spectacularly unsuited to mix with aristocracy, but
  > Ben has different ideas when he plans to safeguard her business with a very
  > convenient proposal....
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  > > “Marry me.”
  
  > > Eleanor froze. A thousand disconnected thoughts flew through her brain. A
  > huge part of her screamed that this was the miracle she’d been longing for.
  > Lord Whittonstall had asked her to marry him. But she also knew she didn’t
  > want him offering out of pity. She had her pride. “I wasn’t begging you for
  > help. I was attempting to explain.”
  
  > > “