Ambitions By Audrey Howard

Their friendship brought them success. Love made them rivals.

Lucy Hemingway and Rose O'Malley could not have had more different origins - Lucy's was full of privilege, as befitted the daughter of Liverpool's richest shipping magnate, while Rose's was as difficult as only the life of a poor Irish immigrant could be.

Their friendship was as powerful as it was unlikely. From the early days of childhood, they faced a sometimes hostile world together. Their united strength helped them build a business empire that was a model to the world of men they challenged.

But, ultimately, their empire and their friendship were brought to the point of destruction - by the love each of them had for the same man.