Author's Note: This is the story that came to mind one evening when my father and I were have a conversation about P&P that went something like this:

Dad: So, let me get this straight. Bingley...he was the one that ran off with Lydia?
Me: (exasperated sigh) No, Dad. Mr. Bingley married Jane. Remember? Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, Lydia? Mr. Wickham ran off with Lydia.
Dad: Ok, then, Charlotte Lucas was Lady Catherine's daughter?
Me: No, Dad. Charlotte Lucas married Mr. Collins. Lady Catherine's daughter was Anne de Bourgh.

And so on...pretty soon I got to thinking what life would be like if Mr. Darcy was the bumbling clergyman and Mr. Wickham's lady love did turn out to be Caroline Bingley. I just couldn't resist myself when I thought of Lady Catherine in Charlotte Lucas' position and this is what I came up with - it's just a condensed retelling of P&P...with a few differences.

Lydia Bennet walked down the aisle of the church arm-in-arm with her older sister, Caroline Bingley. Both were to be married that day and both were as happy as they could ever imagine. Lydia reflected upon the many rocky months it had taken for her to reach this happy point and realized that, though she had many regrets, she would not have changed her rough course to the altar for anything. It had taught her many valuable lessons and made her the happiest of women, as she was about to become Mrs. William Collins.

Lydia recalled the first time she had ever met Mr. Collins. It had been at an assembly in Hertfordshire. His great friend, Mr. George Wickham and Mr. Wickham's sister, Charlotte Lucas, who had great hopes of being Mrs. William Collins, herself, had accompanied him. Lydia had immediately liked Mr. Wickham, but found Mr. Collins proud and disagreeable. He had even slighted her! However, it had been obvious to her that Caroline was well on her way to forming a serious attachment with Mr. Wickham.

A few weeks later, Mr. Wickham had thrown a ball at his estate of Netherfield. Lydia had been accompanied by her father, Mr. Charles Bingley's, cousin. He was a clergyman by the name of Fitzwilliam Darcy and seemed a verbose and absurd sort of man, who talked a great deal of the patronage of Lady Jane Bennet. Lydia listened to his monotonous conversation all night long, much to her displeasure. Her younger sister, Elizabeth, also embarrassed the family by playing the pianoforte very ill without having been invited to play at all.

Soon after that night, Mr. Wickham had quitted the neighborhood and Caroline had been extremely melancholy. Lydia's plight was not made any easier by the proposal offered her by Mr. Darcy. She promptly refused him, thereby inciting the wrath of her mother, Anne de Bourgh, whose dearest wish was to see all five of her daughters married. Mr. Darcy soon recovered his feelings, however, and proposed to the Bennets' neighbor and Lydia's best friend, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

During the months following this startling development, Lydia had been thrown much into the company of a Colonel Fitzwilliam, a soldier living in Meryton, whom she believed cruelly abused by the haughty Mr. Collins. In Colonel Fitzwilliam's character Lydia had been most unhappily deceived. She thought him amiable and honorable, but was later informed by Mr. Collins of his cold, desolate character.

After the wedding of Lady Catherine and Mr. Darcy, Lydia visited them in Kent with Lady Catherine's family. Though Lydia could never imagine happiness in life with Mr. Darcy, her friend seemed quite content. Lydia was even introduced to the illustrious Lady Jane Bennet, who she found officious and garrulous. During her visit, Mr. Collins and his cousin, Mr. Bennet, paid a visit to their aunt, Lady Jane, at her great estate at Rosings Park. Throughout the visit, she found Mr. Bennet continually more amiable and Mr. Collins continually more proud. In fact, the more she was inclined to approve of the one, the more she disapproved of the other.

One day, Lydia received a call from Mr. Collins. Lady Catherine and Mr. Darcy were out, so they were left quite alone. Shockingly, Mr. Collins revealed to Lydia how "ardently he admired and loved her." He followed this revelation with a description of the scruples he had overcome in regard to her inferior connections and shameful family. Lydia, incensed by his insults, angrily told him how she thought him disagreeable, proud, haughty and definitely the last man on Earth that she could ever marry, in view of his cruel treatment of Colonel Fitzwilliam. Mr. Collins left in anger.

However, the next day, Lydia received a letter from William Collins, detailing to her the whole of his connection with Colonel Fitzwilliam. In truth, Lydia could see that Mr. Collins had been the one much abused by Colonel Fitzwilliam. The Colonel had once tried to elope with Mr. Collins' only sister, Mary Bennet.

Lydia immediately felt some shame for her conduct the day before, but her heart did not soften towards Mr. Collins until some months later when she was touring Derbyshire with her aunt and uncle. Understanding the Collins family to be away from home, Lydia and her aunt and uncle toured the family home of Pemberley. While strolling through the grounds, they unexpectedly met with Mr. Collins himself. Lydia found him much changed since their last meeting. His false dignity and pride had vanished and left complete amiability in their place. They dined one night at Pemberley, in the company of Mr. Wickham, Charlotte Lucas, and Mr. Collins' sister, Mary.

The next day, just as Mr. Collins had come to call on Lydia, she received dreadful news from Caroline. Her reckless younger sister, Georgiana, had eloped with Colonel Fitzwilliam. Lydia set off immediately for Hertfordshire with her aunt and uncle.

When she arrived at Longbourn, she found the whole house in uproar. Georgiana and Fitzwilliam were in London, but they had not been discovered. Many tense days passed until they received word that Georgiana had been recovered and Fitzwilliam forced to marry her.

It was not until some time later that Lydia gained the knowledge that it had been Mr. Collins who recovered her sister and had paid the Colonel's debts in order that he might marry Georgiana. When Mr. Wickham and his party, including Mr. Collins, returned to Netherfield, Lydia was determined to thank Mr. Collins for his generous gesture and to apologize for her previous prejudice.

Before she was given the chance, however, Mr. Collins returned to London. Mr. Wickham called early one morning and, upon being left alone with Caroline, proposed. The entire Bennet family was quite ecstatic, especially Anne de Bourgh. The next day, Lady Jane Bennet came to call on Lydia, telling her that if Mr. Collins were to propose that she would not be accepted into the Collins family because of her inferior connections. Lydia vehemently defied Lady Jane and the latter drove off in quite a huff. > The next day brought Mr. Collins, returned from town. He proposed to her for a second time and Lydia's answer was quite different, realizing his true generous nature. Now, on her wedding day, which was to be shared by her dearest sister, Lydia was quite content with the course her courtship had taken, having learned valuable lessons in pride and prejudice.

Cast of Characters:

Pride and Prejudice	An Alternate Point of View
Jane Bennet	Caroline Bingley
Elizabeth Bennet	Lydia Bennet
Mary Bennet	Elizabeth Bennet
Lydia Bennet	Georgiana Darcy
Mr. Bennet	Charles Bingley
Mrs. Bennet	Anne de Bourgh
Fitzwilliam Darcy	William Collins
Georgiana Darcy	Mary Bennet
Caroline Bingley	Charlotte Lucas
Charles Bingley	George Wickham
George Wickham	Colonel Fitzwilliam
Lady Catherine de Bourgh	Jane Bennet
Colonel Fitzwilliam	Mr. Bennet
Mr. Collins	Fitzwilliam Darcy
Charlotte Lucas	Lady Catherine de Bourgh