Chapter 11

My Times as Mum

About 6 months later Megan had a call from Elinor saying that they probably wouldn’t be able to visit as Ifor could soon be out of a job. The owners of the hotel he managed were in financial difficulties, not from the hotel but from other interests, and were looking to sell, probably to one of the chains who no doubt would put in their own team. Megan and I decided that she would go up by train to look over their accounts with Ifor with a possibility of us buying it, leaving Ifor to run it with a share in the business, much as we had done with our hotels in Cornwall.

She talked with Ifor about his suggestions to improve and expand the hotel and how it could be developed. Although the hotel was large enough to sustain a restaurant doing evening meals, Ifor felt that the local area was already quite well catered for at both the ‘cheap and cheerful’ and at the gourmet ends of the market, so they decided to leave that for the moment. She had told him about the murder mystery themed night at Linda’s pre-wedding parties and he confirmed that he didn’t know of anything like that in North Wales and it would be worth looking into, maybe with different themes, hauntings, dances, motor club conventions and many more.

Megan went over to see Elinor for a chat, but over a few glasses of wine her tongue became loose and the truth came out about me and my times as Maria and Gina. Elinor and Ifor were shocked by this, but not in a critical manner, more that they would never have guessed. Surprisingly for people born and raised in a very traditional area with strong chapel influence, they had very liberal views and said that they had really enjoyed my company and that I would be more than welcome to come back as either Gino or as Maria/Gina, whichever I preferred.

Megan reported back that the place seemed to have good prospects, and although I was a bit angry at her letting out my secrets, I was very pleased with the discussions she had had with Ifor. Having discussed it over the phone with Mum and having had full surveyors reports on the property, I made contact with the owners and put in a formal offer for the hotel, which was accepted, but before signing contracts, the owners wanted to meet with the group chairman, Jean Morgagni, Mum, to discuss long-term proposals. They were adamant that although I was now effectively running the business, I was not the major shareholder, and that they wanted to meet ‘the person with the casting-vote’. They were concerned that the hotel which had been in their family for 3 generations, and which they looked on as their family home, would be ripped apart and their memories destroyed.

Mum had now effectively settled in ‘O Pousada Senhorial’ and I was reluctant to drag her all the way back from Portugal for a meeting that would only last for a couple of hours, particularly as this was my project and I would have to see it through for many years to come. Talking it through with Megan and Gina, it was suggested that, as I had had all the discussion by phone and had never met face to face and already knew all the details, I go to meet them as Mum. After all, I had already proven myself to be quite passable as a woman. The idea did not come from any of us in particular, but just developed as we mulled over what to do, it always surprised me how life’s circumstances kept drawing me back to femininity.

It was all arranged, and dressed in a formal skirted business suit which Megan had found in an upmarket ‘pre-owned’ shop , wearing a natural mid-length auburn wig which Gina had enhanced with grey/silver streaks to help to age me, and with toned-down make up more appropriate for an older woman, I took the train from Truro up to Conwy. It was a full day’s journey, but it was almost as quick as driving but a lot more relaxing and it gave me time to plan our discussions.

Elinor was waiting for me at Conwy station, but did not recognise me as I approached her, which pleased me, and she was totally shocked when I went to give her a welcome hug. There was a sharp intake of breath and a look of amazement when she finally recognised me.

“ My God, that is amazing, you look totally different from when you were here as Gina, I would have been standing waiting for ages looking for you if you hadn’t come over to me.”

“Gina is a wonder with make-up and hair, you should see the ‘before and after’ changes that she has done for brides and for people wanting to make a good impression at job interviews. Let’s get my case into the car and we can get off, am I staying with you or in the hotel?”

“Ifor insisted that it would be more professional if he booked you into the hotel and it would help to distance yourself from him during your discussions, if you were staying with us it could look like
a bit of insider trading, if you know what I mean.”

We went out for a meal in Rowen for the evening and the chat was a mixture of business, social catch-up, and lots of enquiries about my ‘dressing’. Without getting too personal I assured them that Megan and I were happy with me wearing women’s clothes occasionally and that otherwise our married life was normal. I told them that despite saucy headlines in the popular newspapers, like many cross-dressers I was not gay, but just felt more relaxed and content when dressed.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere when we went back to the hotel for a nightcap drink, and was pleased with the overall atmosphere and re-assured that I had made the right decision to purchase it. The next morning I got up early to prepare myself for the day. Showered, powdered and made-up, I dressed in the same business suit I had travelled in , but having left it in the steamy bathroom after my shower the creases had dropped out and it was freshened up. Hair brushed and sprayed and with a spritz of Allure, I put on my dress 4” heeled court shoes, picked up my shoulder bag and briefcase and went down for breakfast before my meeting.

“Good morning Mrs. Morgagni, I’m Charles Davies, I’m pleased to meet you at last after all my discussions with your son. Let me tell you that he is a shrewd businessman and drove a hard bargain.”

“Please call me Jean, although this is a business meeting it is nice to have the personal touches. I will keep your comments about Gino up my sleeve for a while, I don’t want him getting big-headed and ‘too big for his boots’ I replied with a smile and a bit of a blush.

We talked through the details of our deal and the proposals for the business. Charles was particularly pleased that we would be keeping on Ifor and all the staff to manage and run the place, and that Ifor would be a partner, so keeping a local link to the ownership. Eventually we shook hands and signed the sale contract documents and the business was concluded. Luckily I had been signing cheques and documents for years in my mum’s name and it would take an expert to even think that the signature was not genuine

“ Well you are now the proud owner of ‘Y Faenor Gwyn’ (The White Manor), I’ve really enjoyed meeting you Jean , and as we will still be living in the area I hope to see you again. To celebrate our deal can I invite you out for a meal tonight with my wife Mary and, if you like, let’s include Ifor and Elinor.”

I had only brought my business suit and some casual slacks and tops, and so, having called Elinor about tonights meal, we had to rush into Conwy to get a suitable dress. Luckily Elinor knew the best places to look and we both ended up with quite glamorous cocktail dresses, mine was a delightful sleeveless shawl-collar affair with a nipped waist in a gorgeous shade of crimson and Elinor’s was a beautiful satiny figure-hugger in a delightful cornflower blue. She was even more delighted that as this was effectively a business meeting with her acting on behalf of the company, that The Piran Group would pick up the bill.

Suitably freshened up, make up and hair restored, and wearing my new dress, Ifor and Elinor picked me up and we met Charles and Mary at the characterful Castle Hotel in Conwy. Charles was the life and soul of the party and the perfect gentleman and host. He kept saying he was delighted to be out with three of the loveliest ladies in the Conwy Valley area. As well as being a perfect gentleman, Charles was also a bit of a smooth charmer, and I am sure he was “a bit of a lad” back in the day.

Having said our goodbyes to Charles and Mary, we went back to what was now our hotel for a final celebratory drink.

“You know Maria (as they had now agreed to call me), you come across perfectly natural, and nobody, even in close company like tonight, would ever consider you to be anything other than a beautiful woman.” Elinor said, with an agreeing nod from Ifor, “ We will have no problem if you and Megan want to come back for another girls’ holiday, you can stay with us, or in the cottage, or a suite in the hotel whenever you want, and we’ll take you to another Twmpath or a choir concert to get a bit more Welsh culture. You were both very popular at the last Twmpath and the villagers keep asking when you are coming back.

Megan and I spent many happy holidays at the cottage, and in later years when they could appreciate that my dressing, although unusual, was not doing anyone any harm and did not mean that there were any problems between their mother and I, Kit and Kirsty came along too and got to enjoy the fresh mountain air. Soon there was an increase in the use of the Cornish language and regional pride and the children were learning the basics at school. Whilst totally different in many ways, Cornish and Welsh had common Celtic roots and the kids soon took to learning phrases and words when they went out with the locals.

We all became accepted into the local community and joined several of the local clubs and groups. There was no official Women’s Institute in the Conwy Valley, but there was a loose group that did much the same things, meetings, discussions, cookery sessions and such like, but much more informal, and Megan and I got involved whenever we were in the area. At one meeting it was suggested that it would be good if someone from the hotel group gave a talk and could we arrange it.

I didn’t want to introduce them to Gino as someone was bound to see too many similarities with Maria, so it was agreed that I would attend as Mum, as people in the area already knew about her from when we had purchased the hotel, and with the right make-up to give a bit of ageing, there was enough difference to not make a connection. Obviously I couldn’t be two people at once, so Maria went back to Cornwall ‘to deal with some business’ whilst ‘Mum’ arrived at the Cottage

The group met in a function room at ‘Y Faenor Gwyn’, and appearing as Mum in a summer frock and sandals, I told them all about how ‘I’ had started out with very little after my husband had died, raised the family as a single-mum, but by working hard, and with a bit of luck had build up a business covering four hotels and the pousada in the Douro valley. I told them how delighted I was when the opportunity came up to own Y Faenor Gwyn, and how well Ifor was now running the place. There was a lot of discussion about barriers for woman in business, but I replied that many of these were imaginary and if a woman had a positive approach and self-confidence there was no reason why she could not succeed. Standing so comfortably in front of a room full of women, who can price your clothes and accessories within five minutes, and pass judgement on hair, make -up and accessories instantly, gave me a lot of confidence that I was still able to successfully pass myself off as a woman.

The closing remarks in my talk really got me thinking about my Mum and how well she had done to bring us up and grow the business, and that there was no reason why being a woman should restrict what you can do with your life.

To be continued