The Teds were familiar with the Friday pension payments and Edward Roberts had inwardly boiled with frustration after he had taken a beating at the hands of the big rugby player. It did not do anything for his reputation as a ‘hard man’ and the leader of the group.
The stuck up residents of Ivys were also in part responsible for his humiliation and he knew that they were probably pensioners. Big Ted did not have the neat tailored look that wearing Edwardian dress normally created. He just looked like a pugilist trying to wear street clothes instead of thee usual jersey.
One of the bikers was loitering near the Central Post Office and saw the old car draw up and the older men get out. It was hard to see as it was getting dark but when the motorbike and sidecar drew up a few minutes later then he was certain.
He threw his leg over his bike saddle and roared away. Roberts listened to the biker’s report and then called. "Load the car. It’s payback time."
The discussion about whether to collect their weekly pension had proved a lively affair when Thursday dawned. It was Rossington who drove the motorbike wearing gloves and who could throw it round corners in good and bad road conditions, who settled the matter.
"No yobs are going to stop me going in to the city when I feel like it."
Willoughby held up his hands. "Alright I am not going to argue but let’s have a plan if they see us there and come after us. Go late again."
LeClerc was carrying a box carefully out to the sidecar.
"What have you got there Frenchy?"
LeClerc held something under Rossington’s nose, "Caltrops...know what they are?"
Rossington shook his head. "I thought not you ignorant bird man but your old ‘Ros Bifs’ would. They were something that your troops that fought Napolean had, and your cavalry tried to exploit the difficulties of our Chasseurs when you used these."
He showed Rossington how Bridges had bent nails and twisted them round each other so that when they dropped on the ground some nail points were always pointing up.
"Horses didn’t like them under their feet and think of what they will do to an air filled tire."
Rossington looked in the box again. "That’s not all you have got in there!"
There was a bucket with a top. LeClerc said, "Good job we save the used oil from the car’s last oil changes. There is a corner I will show you and if we are chased I want you to slow down a bit there and then head for the barn."
When they negotiated a sharp curve in the lane near the house he tapped Rossington on the shoulder and his driver nodded vigorously.
Rossington heard the roar and saw the back of the motorcycle as they came out of the Post Office.
"Come on Frenchy. We have not got much time!"They had not got very far on the road home when Rossington saw the distant lights in his rear view mirror.
"Hold on Frenchy. This is when we start to fly!"
The car had been waiting near the house so that it could go first and signal. They saw the bike flash its lights. As he pulled away and floored the accelerator in the old Austin Willoughby shouted, "By God Ross is moving."
When they knew that car had seen them Frenchy started throwing the caltrops behind the sidecar and seeing the bend coming up he hit Rossington on the shoulder and tipped the contents of the bucket on to the road surface as he slowed.
The car ran in to the open garage doors and squealed to a stop. Willoughby saw Rose moving and shouted, "Wait for the bike!"
The bike and sidecar roared in and the garage doors started to come down with anxious peering outside because they seemed to take forever to reach the floor. Rose disconnected the automatic lifter and slipped a rod across as insurance.
She had tried to calm Jennings and the chef down but they were waiting as the group came out of the inner door and made their way to the drawing room. Rose quickly set them to making tea and finding some biscuits as a means of occupying their attention.
Willoughby had caught his breath and said, "It’s getting really dark. Go and get into your scruffs and we will see what they try to do."
Roberts was sitting on the running board of the car, which had picked him and one of the other bike riders up. The other rider had experienced a very flat tire and Roberts had made a spectacular somersault when his bike had skidded in to the bank and thrown him over the handlebars. The oil on the road told its own story and he was swearing continuously.
"Just let me have a sit down for a minute and then we will show them what it means when they mess with us!"
The military men were positioned strategically around the edge of the roof and when the outside lights came on automatically they could not see much activity. It was LeClerc stationed over the front who hissed to the others, "They are looking at the front door."
Shortly afterwards he said quietly, "Uh Oh they have got a big piece of timber and I think they are going to ram it."
Three of the bikers took a run with the improvised rammer and just finished up on their seats as the door did not even shake.
"Try again," was the unsympathetic order from Roberts. They did with exactly the same result.
Roberts went up to the door and thought of another try but instead he said, "Spread out and go round the walls and meet me back here."
Roberts listened to their comments. "So garage doors and a fire escape and this door here. Not much choice have we? Fetch the rifle and we will see what we can do about the lights. Then they will not be able to see us."
The rifle spat and the light stayed on. Bridges called quietly, "Don’t let your heads stick out in case they can see you but the lights should mean they can’t. I hope the coverings stop their bullets."
After another three shots with the lights staying on Roberts was beginning to build up a head of steam. This was increased sharply when one or two bikers who were standing close to the walls suddenly yelled in pain. Accurately dropped bricks had found their mark.
"Get back in the bushes," was the fuming order that Roberts gave. There was another stifled yell and one of the bikers was swinging in the air. His foot had been in the loop of a rope tied to the top of a whippy tree and in moving a thinner rope tied to a boulder the tree rope sprang upwards leaving him swinging in the air by his foot.
He struggled to release the loop and then fell to the ground on his head to the quiet amusement of the watchers on the roof. A few seconds later there was what seemed to be a loud explosion and a blinding flash.
"Magnesium powder," was the laconic explanation offered by Bridges. "Makes them wet their pants and lose their sight for a little while but it is really harmless."
"I’ve had enough of this," was the snarl from Roberts. "Let’s have a look at that fire escape."
They trooped around to the back and Roberts gave the rifle to one of the bikers. "Get off up there and clear them off the roof. Fire a shot now and then to keep their heads down."
The biker started to climb and Bridges and LeClerc were crouched by the edge of the roof. A shot whistled by and Bridges said, "Nasty little blighter isn’t he. Wait for the next one and have a peep over."
There was another shot and LeClerc leaned back after a quick look. "Almost up to the barbed wire. Let me have that box."
There was another shot and the biker called down, "Barbed wire."Knowing that his head was probably turned, LeClerc looked over and held the box.
As the biker looked upwards he tipped the contents of the box and the biker screamed as the pepper filled his nose and blinded his eyes.
LeClerc said urgently, "Hold my feet!"He reached down as far as he could and grabbed the very tip of the rifle, which the biker was still holding and tossed it over his shoulder on to the roof.
"Pull me up!" was his urgent request. Bridges called urgently, "I can’t get him up lads."
LeClerc’s feet were beginning to slip from his hands when Willoughby arrived. The two of them were able to pull him back up until he could roll over on his back to complete the rescue. LeClerc was muttering softly to
himself.
"You are O.K., now Frenchy and you have got their weapon."
LeClerc held up his hand. "That barrel was damned hot and I think I have scraped my ribs." He moved back to the edge over the fire escape and the biker had almost reached the ground,
"Give me one of those bricks!" There was a satisfying scream after he dropped it.
Willoughby said, "Hardly sporting old chap."
LeClerc snapped, "When people start shooting at me the rules go out of the window!"
Rossington said more in the way of a question, "Time to start the old screamer up?"
Willoughby held it while Bridges wound the crank and the warbling note of the siren filled the night. Roberts had no difficulty in getting his group back in to the car and he said reasonably, "Well if at first you don’t succeed...let's go to that pub in the city and see if we can give them some grief there."
They had exited the lane and were back on the road when the wireless car saw them. Somers came upstairs himself and seeing the girls were still there he motioned Compton outside. "That biker crew are on their way back from Ivys because some sharp mind there started up a siren so they knew we would not be far away. They are headed for the city and I think they will cause trouble. I am shorthanded Daniel or I would send someone with you."
Compton said, "We will just have to manage. The W.P.C’s can watch these girls but they are not to have any outside contact. If we want some prisoners brought in I don’t want them mixed up in any violence."
"Quite the gentleman Daniel but I think the same way. They wouldn’t thank you if they knew."
Compton walked down the stairs and out into the yard where the old car still seemed to be crackling from the abuse that it had taken and Martin followed.
"The car has gone out to make sure that they are alright at Ivy’s constable and Angus is shorthanded so we will go and see if they are headed for the pub. This is where you and I earn our money son."