Left a woman a note at the reception (5)
I believe the answer is:
levee
'the reception' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'left a woman a note' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'L' (common abbreviation).
'a woman' becomes 'Eve' (Eve is an example).
'a note' becomes 'e' (musical note).
'l'+'eve'+'e'='LEVEE'
'at' is the link.
(Other definitions for levee that I've seen before include "Riverside embankment" , "Morning reception once held by monarch" , "River bank reinforcement, particularly in the US" , "Gathering" , "Retaining embankment" .)