This chapter describes events the following day when the friends make an error of judgement and returne to Machynlleth the following day.

The Welsh Mountain Ram 25

Briony... Betrayed wife and mother.
Sion... Her eight-year-old son.
Ellairy... Her nine-month--old daughter.
Arfon... Brionys’ abusive and unfaithful husband.
Dave Cadwalloder... Welsh bachelor hill-farmer.
Jenny and Lassie... Daves’ sheepdog bitches.
Laddie... Daves’ sheepdog.
Jessica and Pansy... Daves’ sows.
Angel... Daves’ mare.
Gabriella (Gabby)... Angels’ foal (Gift to Sion.)
Elsbeth... Briony’s sister.
Daphne... Daves’ ‘girlfriend’
Cledwyn... Farmer further down the valley (Neighbour.)
Blodwen... Cledwyn’s daughter.
Rachel... Daphne’s TV friend.
Shirley... Rachels’ GG wife.
Fajita... The maid.
James & Tara... Rachel’s teenaged children (16 & 15)
Billy and Janet... Manager and accountant at Daphne’s club.
Terry... New Zealand Shepherd.
Wendy Blodwens best friend at school. Also Dave’s friend.

The Ram 25.

Dave was preparing breakfast early when the phone rang. He half knew who it was; only one person would call before six thirty, it had to be Blodwen.

“Hello Blod’.”

“Wow did you know it was me,” she asked.

“Nobody else would phone at this time unless it was an emergency. I’ve got no relatives to speak of; nobody knows Briony or Shirley are here so it had to be you. Only you know how early I get up every morning. It had to be you.”

“Yeah, it figures. What choo’ doin’ today?”

“Nothing much, feed the livestock and entertain the kids. Can’t do much else until the snow properly clears and at the moment it’s still bloody freezing hard.”

“I was thinking of going into town to see Wendy again, kick over the traces and stuff. I didn’t realise how much I’ve missed her. Has it really been nine years?”

“Well we drifted apart after you left Uni, and that was nine years ago. Did you ever go into Machynlleth once you went to col’?”

“Uhm, not much.”

“So that’s another three years. That’s nearer twelve. Think about it. Twelve years, she’s got married and had a brood of kids as well as taking over her dad’s shop in that time.

“I think I saw her once or twice when I was at uni. You know, to wave to when going to and fro to the market with my dad on the occasional Tuesday.”

“Just to wave?” Dave replied. “Not very sociable was it.”

Dave sensed Blodwen’s resentment even over the phone.

“I did have issues remember, I was just out and still nervous. I was afraid; Wendy or even you might have invited me to a dance or something.”

“What! You were afraid of me? When did I ever go to a dance, except those school hops?”

“That’s how it was for me. I was still pretty mixed up and frightened. Look, I would love to go and see her again. Make up for lost times, apologise for appearing to drop her; all that stuff. I mean, she was pretty okay about my coming out to her and when you did for that matter. She deserves a renewal of friendship more than I do. She deserves both our friendships.”

“Well if we go it’s after eleven. There’s the stock to feed and the family to get ready ... babies and logistics you understand.”

“No problem, I’ll bell you at ten thirty. Byeee.”

Dave stood holding the dead phone for a few moments. He’d never had Blod down for being a sentimental softie. He was sipping his coffee and reading livestock prices on the internet when Briony appeared. He looked up and smiled, even with her hair uncombed and no make-up she was still a very attractive woman. He asked her.

“Morning darling, did you sleep well. D’you want to go into Machynlleth again?”

“Is it safe to? Arfon’s still looking.”

“He’ll be getting the solicitor’s letter today I should think, telling him of the court requirement to leave you alone. He’ll be a fool if he ignores a court order.”

Briony frowned disdainfully.

“He is a fool Dave! He’s also dangerous, violent and single minded.”

“We can’t just sit hiding up here all the time. Besides the older two will be getting bored.”

Briony was still not convinced but another month of keeping house, cooking and just looking at snow, snow and more snow just did not bear thinking about. Even Dave and Sion got to go out and feed the animals. She relented as Dave handed her a mug of coffee.

“Yes okay then, we might as well do it; oh thanks.”

She nursed the hot coffee in her hands and settled by the Aga. The house was more than warm enough but sitting there savouring the Aga’s heat in the privacy of what would become her kitchen looking at who would become her husband gave the quiet moment a special value. He caught her studying him and glanced back shyly.

“What choo’ lookin’ at gurl?”

“You. What choo’ doin’?”

“Checking stock prices, Newtown market is selling at slightly higher, I’ll check it out next week instead of Machynlleth.”

“So you’ll have to go to Machynlleth today then, or sometime this week.” Briony observed.

Dave looked at her and furrowed his brow as he asked.

“Why?”

“I’ve got my suspicions. Wendy’s got some nice stuff in her shop, and today’s half closing. It’ll be an excellent opportunity for Blodwen to renew old friendships and for you to ... you know, expand the envelope. We’ve also got to pick up Blodwen’s trailer.”

Dave looked at her as his jaw dropped.

“My God! You’re clairvoyant. I was just about to broach the dress subject with you.”

“Oh I’m all for it. I think Tara should be there as well. She can learn a lot.”

“Well Shirley will definitely be there, she goes shopping with Rachel most weekends. Tara’s mother doesn’t need to know.”

“What about the boys?”

“I can leave Sion with Elspeth and her kids, James can go for a wander around the town, he’s got his mobile.”

“Sion might want to come with us; he’s used to seeing Daphne now.”

“Yes, but is Wendy ready for the full monty? An eight-year-old wandering around the lady’s fashion section while a tee-girl is changing.”

“Hmm, maybe you’re right. I’ll phone her.”

They finished their breakfasts just as the rest of the house was stirring. Dave left to check the animals while Briony commenced playing ‘mine host’ with what she had now come consider as ‘her guests’. By the time James and Sion had finished breakfast, Dave had the trailer loaded with mangles and ready to feed the sheep. The boys worked up a huge appetite as they delved away flinging the mangles out to the gathering sheep and they returned at half nine to consume what was virtually a second breakfast. Dave took the opportunity to phone and check with Wendy who was excited at the thought of meeting Daphne, then he disappeared up to the bedroom only for Daphne to appear at half ten. Briony grinned at the unidentifiable figure before her.

“My god girl, you pass even when in ordinary street clothes. I like the skinny jeans and boots.”

Dave smiled back as Shirley added her comments.

“I can’t wait to see Wendy’s face. I really like that fur jacket, we won't find you if it snows again.”

Daphne grinned appreciatively.

“D'you really like it. next time we're in Birmingham I can get you one. Well, I'm ready girl. I’ll have to grasp the bull by the horns, come on let’s meet Blod. I’ve chosen the Landrover County this time, then we can all fit in one vehicle. It’s got more seats.”

Everybody scrambled into the Landrover County and the dogs decided they wanted to com. They had grown attached to all the fuss and attention that Sion and Tara lavished upon them. Dave erected the dog grill across the back of the rear seats and the dogs obediently leapt into the rear section. Sion joined them but Shirley suggested that Tara sit with them.

“You don’t want dog hair all over you if you’re going to buy a new dress.”

Tara was torn between fussing and cuddling the dogs or buying a dress. She stood undecided as the rest sorted themselves into seating arrangements. Daphne watched in the driving mirror and grinned to herself, ‘Tara; only fifteen and the typical ‘child-woman’ who had not yet quite given up her childhood.’

“Are you coming darling?” Daphne asked. “You can put any new clothes in the front and play with the dogs coming back.”

This made Tara’s mind up for her and she clambered in to sit next to Briony who was nursing Ellairy under the shawl.

“Can I see Auntie Bri?” Tara wondered hopefully.

“Well there’s not much to see my lovely but if you want, here, have a look.”

“She raised the shawl to shield it from the sixteen year-year-old James and Tara bent in to look.”

“Does it hurt?” Tara asked.

“Sometimes love, now she’s cut her first teeth.”

Tara winced and withdrew her head.

“Ouch! That must hurt, why haven’t you stopped?”

“I am slowly. She’ll be weaned in a few weeks.

Tara settled back and they soon arrived at Blodwen’s.

“I might as well join you in this, it’s pointless taking my car as well.” Blodwen observed.

“That was my plan Blod’, let’s not waste fuel with two short-wheel-bases when we can all get in this.

“Good thinking Batman!” Blodwen nodded.

Daphne then suggested.

“Look, I’m a bit wary of somebody seeing my Landrover being driven by a strange woman. You drive and I’ll be a passenger. People will simply think you’ve borrowed my County Landrover cos’ it’s a thirteen-seater.”

“My gosh, this will be a typical women’s institute outing.” Blodwen remarked.

“Speak for yourselves,” James protested with a chuckle.

“Yeah, not quite Jam and Jerusalem though is it?” Shirley laughed.

With the mood of frivolity set, the journey passed quickly and after dropping Sion off at Elspeths, they arrived at Wendy’s shop at eleven forty. The town was already quiet as shops were winding down for half-day closing. Wendy was going over her books as the last shopper was leaving and she was preparing to lock up. Blodwen had an idea and she turned to Daphne as she parked up out of sight of Wendy’s shop.

“Tell you what darling, if you really want to give yourself a confidence boost, we’ll wait here and you go into the shop alone.
I’ll lay odds she won’t realise it’s you.”

“D’you reckon?” Daphne asked nervously. “Are you being honest; do I pass?”

Everybody, including James chorused YES! Daphne was compelled to accept their unanimous verdict. Blodwen scolded her affectionately.

“Bloody hell Daph’ think of it as Birmingham, you pass there.”

Daphne shrugged and strutted off across the road towards the wide entrance to the live-stock market. Shirley watched and smiled as she turned to the others.

“Just look at that walk! There’s no doubt about it sisters, Daphne’s a girl.”

“She walks more girly than I do,” Blodwen admitted rather reluctantly. “How the hell does she change so much from being Dave. I mean those bloody hips are swivelling like Marylyn!”

“It’s spooky,” Briony added, “I mean, I’ve seen Dave walking and he walks from the shoulder like all men. How the hell does she change so effectively? It must be the heels. Shall we wait here or follow her in?” Briony asked.

“Wait here,” replied the more experienced Shirley, “Wendy will make the connection the moment we walk through the door.”

“The even more experienced Blodwen observed.

“She might not. She’s expecting me and therefore half expecting you girls. She might be expecting Dave later, when the shop would normally be closed for half-day closing. If we go in now and she hasn’t yet read Dave, she might still not make the connection even after we’ve walked in.”

“So what shall we do?” Briony pressed.

It was James who brought some reason to the dilemma.

“If Wendy’s read her already it won’t matter. If she hasn’t read her she’s going to know pretty soon anyway. It’ll be fun seeing Wendy realise that the chick in skinny jeans, boots and fur jacket is actually Dave or rather Daphne.”

The girls turned as one to respond to the unexpectedly adult observation from a boy still only sixteen.

“That was remarkably astute young man.” Blodwen applauded him.

“And very mature for one so young. Well said James.” Shirley added.

James blushed at first then realised the girls hadn’t made a move.

“Well let’s not hang around here then. If Wendy hasn’t read her yet, I’m dying to see Wendy’s reaction when she realises.”

The others came to their senses and Blodwen pulled out of the parking bay to park right outside the shop. Through the window they spotted Wendy holding up a dress and discussing it with Daphne. Blodwen looked hard and concluded.

“D’you know, I don’t think she’s clocked Daphne yet. Come on girls time for some fun.”

They bundled out of the Landrover County and almost burst into the shop in their eagerness to be there when Wendy realised. Their noisy appearance distracted Wendy and she turned to Daphne.

“Excuse me for a moment please. I’ll be back in a minute madam, just look through these lines for a moment while I deal with my friends.”

Daphne smiled and murmured ‘yes’ politely while Wendy reluctantly left her to her own devices. She approached Blodwen somewhat impatiently.

“Hi Blod’ can you spare me a few minutes, that lady in the hat looks like a genuine buyer. I could make a sale here, can you bear with me?”

“Anything for you Wendy, we’ll just look around the shop. I’m not looking for anything but this young lady Tara is. She liked those dresses you showed her yesterday. Come on girls, forward.”

Before she had gone a step Wendy stopped her and whispered urgently.

“I thought Dave was coming as well.”

“Oh yes,” Blodwen replied, “he’ll be here any minute.”

“Well he’ll have to wait until the shop is closed. You know ... the other customers, that lady in the hat.”

Blodwen just managed to contain her snort of amusement and replied.

“Of course Wendy, I’m sure you don’t want to have a ‘man-in-a-frock’ lumbering through your door, leastways not while you’ve got customers. You go and see to that lady there first.”

Daphne heard most of the conversation and struggled to contain her amusement. As she struggled to stop bursting out laughing, she busied herself deep amongst the dresses until she caught Wendy’s eye to indicate she had found some styles she liked. Wendy, ever alert to a sale, excused herself from Blodwen and the girls to attend to Daphne’s choice. As she picked her way between the racks, Daphne was holding up several different dresses.

“Can I try these on please?”

“Certainly madam, the changing rooms are just there, by those other ladies.”

She helped Daphne with the assortment of frocks and showed her the biggest cubicle whilst advising she was immediately available to help with any fastenings. Daphne thanked her softly and pulled the curtain closed.

Wendy returned to the girls and they started helping Tara choose an exciting LBD, her first ever. Tara finally copied Daphne’s example and took several dresses in to change. Wendy took up station by the changing rooms entrance and listened as Daphne and Tara struck up a conversation about styles and suitability.

‘They seem overly familiar with each other,’ she thought. ‘I’d better just see that everything’s alright.’

She approached Shirley and asked discreetly.

“Your daughter’s quite happy on her own is she?”

Shirley smiled. “She’s my step daughter, but she’s like most young people today, you know, girls are much bolder these days.

“All the same, I think she might need a bit of advice, I heard her asking the other lady about hemlines. Perhaps you’d best come with me and just check. Young girls can sometimes be unwittingly outrageous and consequently vulnerable; you know.”

She gave Shirley a ‘significant look’ and virtually commanded her to accompany her into the changing rooms. They entered to find Daphne in the shortest dress she had selected and Tara wearing something even more daring as she was posing in front of the mirror with Daphne’s hat on. The first thing that struck Wendy was that the older lady had a beautiful pair of legs. Realising that everything was as it should be, Wendy asked them their preferences. Daphne turned to reply.

“I just want to check the last style. I like all of them; it’s just so-oo hard to decide.”

“Me too,” Tara added. “This one’s cool and the red one is lush!”

“Well you can’t have both!” Shirley announced flatly. Whereupon Daphne turned and said.

“Oooh I don’t know Shirl’ she’s been ever so helpful helping me get these dresses on. I think she deserves two dresses, don’t you?”

Wendy frowned.

“Do you two ladies know each other?”

“You bet they do.” Tara announced, keen to be the bearer of enlightenment.

Wendy looked at Shirley who nodded as Briony and Blodwen appeared at the entrance. They had been ear-wigging and did not want to miss the fun as Shirley replied.

“Why yes, she’s a good friend of my husbands’.

Wendy turned to look at Daphne but the penny still had not dropped. Daphne wagged her head and sighed with amusement.

“You still don’t get it do you Wend’?”

“Get what.”

“Get me. Get that I’m Blodwen’s oldest friend, Briony’s white knight, your old school friend. It’s Dave girl, I’m Dave, also known as Daphne!”

Wendy’s jaw slowly sagged as the dawning struck her but she still couldn’t believe it.

“No. Never!”

Dave changed his carefully developed feminine modulation and only then did Wendy finally recognise Dave’s voice.

“Oh my God. You are Dave! Or I’m thinking; more correctly, Daphne in that mode.”

“The very same Wendy; and you’re right. I’m Daphne when I’m en-femme.”

Wendy let out a girlish squeal of excitement as the realisation suddenly sent a thrill though her body. She actually felt a delightful twinge in her loins as the sensation settled in her core.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! But you’re just so convincing. Is that the real you, you’re not even wearing a corset are you?”

“Nope,” Daphne grinned, “This is the real me, all of me.”

Wendy took this as an invitation to step forward and her eyes couldn’t resist just dropping down to confirm the cleavage. Daphne admonished her with a chuckle.

“Now, now, Wendy! Talk to the eyes not the tits.”

“Are they really yours?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my God Dave, how long have you been; you know; transgendered.”

“Silly question Wend; all my life.”

“You mean like gays?”

“Exactly like gays.”

“So when did you find out?”

“I was about eleven when I became certain I was partly a girl but I always wanted to play with girl’s and boy’s toys from a very early age about three or four. Of course there were no girl's toys in my childhood cos’ there were no other children. I didn’t really understand until just a couple of years before puberty, after my Grandmother died. I started cross-dressing and then stuff began to make sense.”

“Jeeze! You must have been lonely up in that big house.”

“Not really, with my mum and grandma dead, I was able to find old female clothes up in the attic. Daphne eventually had her own wardrobe up there. By the time I was sixteen, dad was already getting sick so he never went up into the attic. As you know he died when I was nineteen and Daphne never looked back.”

Wendy nodded sadly as she remembered the death that shocked Machynlleth and the subsequent speculations amongst the farmers in the market about the future of Plas Graig Las. Then she recalled the surprised yet pleased conclusions by those same farmers when they learned that ‘The Young-un’ was going to try and make a go of it ... and he had! She considered the history then ran it past the many conversations she had had with LGBT people in the rag trade. Her conclusion was that Dave or Daphne had had a better childhood than most. She added.

“So none of the heartache that other LGBT people go through, you know ... telling parents and all that.”

“No. The only thing was that I was working so hard keeping the farm going; Daphne never had much time to play. I was twenty three or so before Daphne finally flew.”

“And that’s when I found out,” Blodwen interrupted. “She bumped into me in a club in Birmingham and I never recognised my life-long childhood friend. She’s good isn’t she?”

“She’s bloody fantastic!” Wendy replied, still hardly believing what she was seeing.

“Well let’s not spend all day gossiping,” Daphne concluded, “I want to try on the last dress, the red one.”

Wendy suddenly remembered the situation and cast about uncertainly for a moment. Tara calmed her fears.

“Don’t worry Mrs Williams, I’ve seen Daphne dressing before and she’s only changing her dress, not her underwear or tights.”

“Are you sure? Okay then, just let me lock up the shop.”

This done, Wendy returned to fuss and fiddle with the rear zip as Daphne posed in front of the mirror. Finally Daphne grinned and nodded.

“I’ll take the red, the black and the blue but not the green or yellow.”

Wendy could hardly believe her luck as Daphne continued.

“What about you Tara?”

There was moment’s hesitation as Tara worried about appearing greedy but she caught Daphne’s generous smile in the mirror and squealed her delight.

“Can I have the black and the purple?”

“What about the white one as well?" Daphne added. "I thought that looked really pretty on you. You’re petite enough.”

Tara swallowed with stunned delight and the squeal turned to a joyful shriek.

“Aunty Daph, you’re brill! I’ll love you forever.”

She danced an excited jig and disappeared into the cubicle to redress in her skinny jeans to emerge similarly dressed to Daphne. Both wore skinny jeans and boots but Tara was wearing her three-quarter length waisted, white coat while Daphne was wearing her short white fur jacket and black hat. Briony couldn’t resist saying.

“You almost look like book-ends.”

Eventually the purchases were completed and Wendy was surprised to notice that Daphne had her own credit card. They agreed to go for afternoon tea so as Wendy shut up shop for half day closing, Blodwen and James attached her trailer from the compound. Blodwen drove back into the town centre to Dave’s regular restaurant. As they were parking the car and trailer in the rear car-park of ‘The White Lion’, Briony spotted Arfon but worse still, Arfon spotted Briony.

The style Daphne was wearing when she went into machynlleth.