The prize roses

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Clara had tended her roses since the first pale shoots appeared in February. On the morning of the village show, she entered the hall and saw the prize card fastened to Mr Benton’s crimson blooms. She approached him at once and declared that the judges had made a proper choice. The smile she offered was bright and brittle as spun sugar. Then she asked the attendant to wrap her own roses and carry them home.

From this extract, identify the phrase suggesting that Clara’s cheerful response is not genuine.