Sentence:  It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and <WSD>pretends</WSD> it's an amusing new fashion. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To claim, to allege, especially when falsely or as a form of deliberate deception. (from 14th c.)