Page 31 of Artful Deceit
She’d pushed her luck far enough for one day. Thankfully, the door opened quietly, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she was out in the hallway.
The silence was broken by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
Saffron stood in the kitchen doorway, hands on her hips as she stared at Lily.
Chapter Fifteen
Lily suspectedthe line about looking for her sunglasses wouldn’t cut it today. With Saffron glaring at her from the end of the hall, she stayed completely still, considering her move.
“Caught you,” Saffron whispered with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” Lily replied frantically.
“Don’t worry.” Her eyes softened. “Your secret is safe with me. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
Lily frowned, dazed.
“He’s old for you though, isn’t he?” Saffron remarked, her eyes shifting to Roland’s door.
Blinking rapidly, Lily walked along the hall. “Excuse me?”
“I mean, you’re both adults, so I say do what you want – I just wouldn’t have guessed it.”
“No!” Lily said, not stopping to think about the fact that she was about to blow her own cover. “That’s really not what was going on.”
“I promise I can be discreet,” Saffron said. “Us girls have to stick together. If anyone asks, I’ll say you’re here visiting me. Okay?”
“Umm… that would actually be great. Thank you.”
A door along the hall opened, and Martha walked out of her room. “Hello again,” she said shyly.
“Lily’s here to visit me,” Saffron announced. “We got on so well the other day. Some people just have an instant connection, don’t they? That’s what happened with us. I bet we’ll be friends for life. Don’t you think, Lily?”
Probably not.Lily nodded weakly.
“Would you like a cuppa?” Martha asked.
“I don’t want to put you to any trouble…”
“I’d like it if you stayed for a drink,” Martha replied. “I feel terrible about yesterday, and I hope you’ll let me apologise.”
With no idea what she was talking about, Lily waited, hoping she’d explain herself.
“It was nothing to do with you. I’m not even convinced I fully registered you were there. The phone call was intense, and I was focused on that. I realised afterwards how rude I’d been.”
“It’s fine,” Lily said. “I didn’t think much about it. I interrupted you, so it was probably my fault.”
“That’s kind of you to say.”
“Was it your husband on the phone?” Saffron asked. “Is everything okay? I’ll bet he’s missing you.”
“I think he is.” Martha moved to stare out of the window, apparently forgetting about making drinks. “I’ll be back home in a few days, and it’ll only be ten days altogether. You’d think he’d manage on his own for ten days, but he’s clingy.”
“That would drive me crazy,” Saffron said. “I’m such a free spirit – I could never put up with someone making demands of me. I bet you’re the same, Lily. Are you strictly a ‘no strings’ kind of person too?”
“I’m not sure I’d say that,” Lily mumbled, her stomach turning at the conclusion Saffron had reached about her and Roland. “How long have you been married?” she asked Martha.
“Far too long,” she muttered, then sighed heavily. “Twenty-six years.”
