It wasn't uncommon for men to question the legitimacy of Sweeney's tales nor was it uncommon for him to embellish them just a touch for the sake of great storytelling. At the same time, he never liked to hear someone challenge him. Someone who obviously had no appreciation for a good tale nor a sense of humor on them.
He turned his head, as did most of the other men who had been listening to him, and looked straight at the young woman. Figured it would be a woman. The men would likely go home armed with masturbatory fantasy material to tweak and change as they saw fit. This woman was going to just chide him.
It was with that reason that Sweeney decided to question her statement rather than outright get defensive. “Beg yer pardon?”