Mitchell Prescott, the fourth Earl of Rockford sees Alanna at a ball, standing tall above the crowd with red highlights shining through her rich mahogany hair, and immediately decides she's the woman he wants to marry. The biggest obstacle to his plan is Alanna's decision to devote herself to educating underprivileged children. He launches a campaign worthy of the generals who defeated Napoleon. He shows interest in her school and furnishes school supplies, which softens Alanna's heart, but the nature of his proposal is awkward if not offensive.