Secret return from a lodging place (5)
I believe the answer is:
inner
'secret' is the definition.
(as in one's inner thoughts)
'return from a lodging place' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'from' could be 'in' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'in' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for inner that I've seen before include "Ring next to the bullseye" , "Archers know about this" , "Target next to the bull's-eye on a dart board" , "Nearer to the centre, deeper" , "may not satisfy this man" .)