Page 16 of Artful Deceit
There really weren’t many places to hide a backpack, and she soon ran out of places to look. Crouching to peer under the bed, she spotted a suitcase and slid that out to undo the zip, but it was disappointingly empty.
Worried about being discovered, she pushed the suitcase back to its place and returned to the bathroom to flush the toilet and run the tap for a moment.
“Thanks so much,” she said, joining the women in the kitchen. “You’ve been really helpful.”
“Saffron says you live on the island,” Martha remarked while pouring boiling water into three mugs. “What do you do?”
“I run an ice cream shop on the promenade.”
“Oh! We were looking at that place this morning. Silas got very excited, didn’t he?”
“He’s a bit like an overgrown kid,” Saffron said gleefully. “He really doesn’t act like a thirty-year-old. Did I tell you I saw him climbing a tree the other day?”
“He’s a funny one,” Martha said and handed a mug to Lily.
They moved to sit at the table.
“What do you do when you’re not on art retreats?” Lily asked Saffron. “Do you make money from your art?”
“Gosh, no.” She grinned widely. “I’m not a proper artist – I just like trying different things. I don’t have a proper career, but I always find jobs when I need them.”
Martha frowned over her mug. “How did you afford this then? The retreat isn’t cheap.”
“I’d been staying with my aunt for a couple of months. I was saying I’d like to try my hand at painting, and she suggested I go on a retreat. She paid for it.”
“That’s generous.” Martha’s brow wrinkled. “Very lucky.”
“Yes!” Saffron beamed. “To be honest, I think she might have been looking for a way to get rid of me, but I’m lucky she was willing to pay for it. My mum always says I sail through life on good luck. I think she’s right – I don’t know if you believe in manifesting, but it’s like whatever I want, I think about it and somehow things work out.”
Martha rolled her eyes, and Lily couldn’t decide whether she found the notion absurd or didn’t like the thought of some people getting by on luck while others have to work.
“How does the retreat work?” Lily asked. “Do you have an itinerary for your stay?”
She sipped her tea while they filled her in on the schedule, which seemed to be split between working in the studio, and out on various excursions.
After finishing her drink, Martha declared she was going for a walk before their afternoon art session.
Saffron moved to wash the mugs.
“I think I’m going to lie outside for a bit,” she said, setting the last one on the draining board. “I love to lie on the ground and stare up at the clouds floating by. It’s a sort of meditation.”
“Sounds nice,” Lily said. It also sounded like her cue to leave, unless she could come up with an excuse to hang around for longer. Inviting herself to stare at clouds with Saffron probably wouldn’t be useful.
“Maybe I can check to see if Gideon is back now,” she said, following Saffron to the front door.
“That’s a good idea. If he’s here, he’ll show you his paintings. It’s the only time he speaks more than a few words at a time – talking about his pictures.”
A door in the hallway opened just as they were about to step outside.
“I thought I heard voices,” the man with a pointed grey goatee said.
“This is Lily,” Saffron said. “She has a friend interested in doing the retreat, so I’ve been giving her a tour. I couldn’t find Gideon.”
“Right.” He scratched at his silver hair. “I see.”
“So far I’ve heard glowing reports about the retreat,” Lily said, taking a few steps towards him. “Are you enjoying it?”
He kept a hand on the door, his body blocking the gap between the doorframe, making it impossible for Lily to see inside. “It’s good,” he said curtly. “I’d recommend it.”
