A World of Expectations — Gayle Messick

BOOK ONE OF TWO BOOKS - THE ALLIANCE AND CONFRONTATION.
What if Fitzwilliam Darcy asked Charles Bingley to invite three of their Cambridge University friends to Netherfield Park and not his sisters? What if the invitation was a cover-up for Darcy's plan to establish a secret alliance? And once there, what if Darcy discovers he is not the only man at Netherfield Park who is impressed with Elizabeth Bennet's fine eyes? Fitzwilliam Darcy and Charles Bingley are joined by Lord Blake, Gerald Rawlings, and Stephen Kent at Netherfield Park where business is intermingled with romance and the men become opponents in a high stakes competition for money and control. With the help of an unnamed spy, a business rival is watching and preparing for the destruction of any alliance that emerges. Rivalry, alliances, romance, jealousy, and competition challenge the young men's friendships. Can men of differing backgrounds come adapt to the social and financial expectations of the emerging Industrial Revolution.