Page 46 of Artful Deceit
“Sorry. I remembered I’d left a batch of ice cream out on the counter. I thought maybe I could salvage it.”
“Any luck?”
“No.” She ran her fingers through the sand. “I can’t believe I did that. Such a waste.”
“It could’ve been worse,” Saffron said, then reached for the striped tote bag when a phone rang. “That’s Martha’s phone,” she said, reaching into the bag. “It’s her husband calling. She always panics about missing his calls. Do you think I should answer it?”
She didn’t give Lily a chance to respond, but pressed to accept the call.
“Hello,” she said brightly. “This is Saffron. Martha is swimming, but she’ll be right back.” A silence. “I’m another guest at the art retreat.” She rolled her eyes at Lily. “The art retreat,” she said louder, as though he might be hearing impaired. “Yes. The one on the Isles of Scilly.” Moving the phone from her ear, she frowned at it. “I think he hung up. Didn’t sound at all friendly. It makes me really sad that Martha has such a terrible relationship.”
“What are you doing with my phone?” Martha asked, water dripping from her as she approached in her swimsuit.
“Your husband called, and I know you panic about missing his calls, so I answered it.”
“You answered my phone?” Martha paled as she wrapped a towel around herself.
“I thought I could say hello and keep him on the phone until you got back, but he didn’t sound very happy.”
“What did you say?” Martha said, with a hand covering half of her face.
“Just that I was also on the art retreat. He got weird after that.”
Lily hooked her arms around her bent knees, thinking back to Martha’s call when she claimed not to be able to get the video to work. “He doesn’t know where you are, does he?” she asked.
Shaking her head, Martha lowered herself onto the sand. “He wouldn’t approve. I told him I’m visiting my sister. I made up a bunch of lies about how she was ill and needed some help for a week or two. He wasn’t even happy about that, but he could hardly say no. Not when I told him Janet had offered to pay for my train fare and that she’d pay for all my food and everything. He’s a bit of a stickler about money, you see.”
Lily nodded. She got the picture pretty clearly.
“What am I going to say to him now?” Martha closed her eyes briefly. “I’ll have to come clean.”
“I’m sorry,” Saffron said. “I had no idea. Have I made things really bad for you? Is he a violent man?”
“No. He’d never physically hurt me. It’s the emotional and mental stuff. He’s very controlling.”
“Can’t you leave him?” Saffron asked, toying with the beads on her chunky necklace. “He sounds awful.”
“He controls the money. That’s why I never felt I could leave. I can’t access the bank accounts.”
“How did you pay for the retreat?” Saffron asked, shock clear in her voice.
“I’ve been saving for years. He gives me cash for the shopping and other stuff. So I saved the change. Just little bits here and there, but it all adds up. I opened a secret bank account using my sister’s address and have been squirrelling money away. I didn’t even know what I was saving it for. In the back of my mind, I thought maybe I’d be brave enough to leave him one day.”
She paused, her bottom lip quivering. “When I retired, I suggested a holiday might be nice, but he didn’t like the idea. So Idecided to do something just for me. I used my savings, and I lied to Gregory about where I was going.”
“How awful,” Saffron muttered.
“I’ve had a lovely time,” Martha said. “And I keep thinking, maybe I don’t need to go back to him.” Her eyes brightened as she looked up at Saffron. “You’ve inspired me with all your stories of your adventures. You make me think I could have adventures too. Maybe I won’t be sailing off into the sunset like you,” she said, eyes flashing with amusement. “But I could do something with my life.”
“You could do anything you want,” Saffron said, then rooted in her wicker bag for a pair of oversized sunglasses.
“Did Saffron tell you about her next adventure?” Martha asked Lily.
Lily gave a confused shrug. “No.”
“I totally forgot!” Saffron said. “I’m going on a sailing trip.”
“Really?” Lily asked, not fully concentrating as she pondered Martha’s situation. She didn’t seem like a thief, but desperate times could push people to act out of character. And it really sounded as though she was desperate.
