I know 2 ladies of your demenour who ride and love this;
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/queen-kikapu-07-12491
It s all about contact points and being comfy. Having to change too many bits like stem & seat post only alter the original design of the bike and it may then not handle as it should. e.g. changing a long stem for a shorter one to obtain a shorter reach makes the steering faster and may make the bike a bit more twitchier and less stable for someone who is not an experienced rider.
As an aside I am waiting on a Specialised Myka being delivered to the lbs for my SO. My SO has not ridden a bike for some considerable time/yrs and only this year decided to have another go.
Now my SO has not been blessed with the best of health over the past few years. Since the begining of `09 she has managed to lose around 2st, gone from not being able to walk more than a few hundred yards to hiking 8mls on a trip and hiking up a 1k mtr mountain whilst on holiday.
She has also renewed her enthusiasm for biking but is finding her old bike(non mtb)a bit long for her so we went on a search for something new and came across the Myka. Started looking for a hybrid but not easy to find one with discs.The recipe had to include being small, short, some suspension, disc brakes and affordable to compensate a little for some of her ailments.
She is never going to be a red route rider but we are fortunate to live near Ae/Mabie/Dalbeattie and Kirroughtree so getting around a blue/green will be an acheivement.
Ae has been conquered on her old shopping style bike with slicks!!
most of the advice above is sound and the bit about testing is the most important but can understand your frustration re lack of availability.
http://www.kudubikes.co.uk/shop/308/index.htm
very good at being able to get Orange test bikes. Mate has just got his 5 from there. We got a test bike for nearly as long as we wanted, did a 25ml route in the Swaledale hills, magic!!
http://www.biketreks.net/
Have a lovely Orange 5 Diva in……ORANGE(in stock.) Again I have a friend who is very petite who has one and rides all over with it. Just back from a road trip to France with her son.