I wouldn't lie to her though - I'd just prefer not to bring the subject up unless she asks. If she brings it up, I will definintely tell the truth. In fact, we had a massive fall-out about a year ago, because I felt she was making a lot of undermining comments towards me. She wasn't in a happy place at the time. When I politely called her out on this, she hit the roof, and we stopped talking for about five months. Eventually she apologised, and we made it up. There are no more undermining comments and our friendship is stronger.
A similar process happened with another friend several years ago over a different issue, although in that case we just had a massive row, and after that our friendship was much stronger. She had a tendency to emotional blackmail and was accusing me of not always answering the phone to her - which was true, as she loved to talk for hours on the phone, several nights a week, and I didn't have time for that. I told her very firmly that if she wanted to stay friends with me she would have to accept that, or we could say goodbye right away. Our friendship became much more adult, rational and stronger from that moment on - but I noticed that the emotional blackmail continued in her relationships with other mutual friends, because they would tell me this. They didn't discuss the issue squarely with her. Sometimes you have to say a few home truths to improve a friendship, but it can make things unpleasant for a while.
Yup, very thought-provoking post!