He gave her the biggest shit eating grin when she called him a gentleman. Dress him, teach him all the manners a man could never remember and he could play the part, but he never really liked it. Those were games other people could play, he would much rather watch. And this was no different.
"Oh, Marietta," he said with a shake of his head, "I can't tell you what I gain out of this whole ordeal. That would be revealing my hand." It was good. This was good. Getting away from his family and falling back into who Zacharias Smith should always be rather than what the world had currently warped him into it. He would certainly never admit it, but he appreciated and even cared for Marietta and her company a great deal. "Although a noble attempt."
"Now, are we going to eat? You might even luck out and get some more intelligence for your grand schemes."