Mistaken Mistress
The annual Saxon's Folly masked ball was already in full swing when Alyssa Blake crept up the cobbled drive.
"Walk tall," she whispered to herself as she skirted the shadows between the rows of parked Mercedes and Daimler cars. "Look like you belong."
The winery's historic homestead came into sight, brightly lit against the dark sky. A triple-storey white Victorian building that had withstood more than a century of fires, floods and even an infamous Hawkes Bay earthquake. With every step the music grew louder, even though Alyssa couldn't yet see the partygoers.
At the top of the stone stairs a large uniformed man blocked the double, wooden front doors. Alyssa came to a halt.
Butler?
Or guard?
She wavered for a moment, her heartbeat quickening as her eyes scanned the building.
Don't panic.
"I've lost my invitation." She practised the timeworn excuse to herself under her breath. It sounded lame. Particularly as she'd never received one of the sought-after silver-embossed, midnight-blue invitations. If the guard took the time to check, he wouldn't find her on the guest list. But would he check?
Perhaps she could sashay past with a smile? What was the ... read full excerpt from Mistaken Mistress ebook
