Wife who leads a double life- Owns her own cottage without husband knowing

I read this book in 2003/4. I had found it in the "sales" bin.

I am not sure if it was a romance. Changed me in the way i keep secrets and do finances. I remember very little about the book other than:

-Wife is unhappily? married....maybe bored.
-She pretends she gets together with a group of women twice/three? times a week but,
-In reality she goes to spend time in her secret cottage by herself.
-NOT SURE but I think the husband finds out in the end and burns her cottage.

Please, if anyone could help. I would love to read it again.

Probably not it but All He Ever Wanted is what I thought of--a very long time since I read it but I think I remember the wife in it finding a secret place to live; as well, it begins with a fire IIRC, though can't remember whether it ends with one. Good luck.

There's a Doris Lessing story called To Room 19 in which a dissatisfied housewife is slipping into mental illness and rents a room where she goes to sit by herself for hours a day. It's definitely not a romance. Her husband ends up finding out, she lies and says she's having an affair, and she goes there to kill herself.

thanks for the responses. I am going to look for both suggestions and get back to you. "All He Ever Wanted" sounds familiar.

Again, i'm surprised to have any suggestions.

Cheers.

bluepiano, You got it right!, thanks so much. Re-read it and it was much better this time around. You guys amaze me.

Delighted to hear it. Thanks for letting us know.