Is it considered a lie for a wife to tell her husband that her friend did not visit her, in order to conceal a surprise she has prepared for him, and is this considered a permissible lie?

We thank the questioner for her effort to please her husband, and she will be rewarded for this feeling. Lying is not permissible except for a benefit that cannot be achieved otherwise, and we do not see that lying for what was mentioned in the question is permissible.