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There were many things Anthony was good at in life, he was a good rugby player, he was good at his job even if he was just starting out, and if Kate was telling the truth he was bloody good at keeping her happy.
But the one thing Anthony was not good at was cooking. Or baking to be precise.
So as he stood in the middle of his practically destroyed kitchen and wondered what on earth had possessed him to say he would make the fucking cake for his parents 23rd wedding anniversary.
Daphne was organising it and he had offered to make the cake before Benedict had a chance to jump in the group chat to claim it.
Benedict had even texted him asking if he was sure, given that Anthony cannot cook. Beans on toast was his speciality.
Anthony had rather cockily answered “how hard could it be?”
The answer?
Very.
Benedict’s girlfriend Sophie was a baker, she was a pastry chef, she excelled at this stuff. She’d been making cakes since she was about 8… she was doing it professionally… what on god’s green earth had been thinking.
He looked around his kitchen, the cake batter was on the ceiling and he knew Kate was going to kill him.
Thankfully she’d taken Mary and Miles up to Somerset for the day to visit her aunt, so she wouldn’t be home until about an hour before the party.
Anthony knew it was time for a Hail Mary and hoped that it was Sophie’s day off.
He picked up his phone and frantically searched for her name and called her.
“Hey Ant!” She answered, her tone was light and happy as always.
“Soph! You wonderful Ray of sunshine! Please, please, please, tell me you are not at work today?” Anthony said his fingers crossed behind his back.
“No, I’m not, I took it off to prepare the canapés for the party. What’s up?” She asked
“Is Ben home?” He asked
“No, he had a few lectures this afternoon so he’s up at Uni”
Anthony sighed in relief
“I’ve completely fucked up trying to make this cake, rather stupidly thinking it wasn’t that hard… and I am in desperate need of help and given you’re quite the best baker in the area and such a wonderful and kind…”
“You can stop with the flattery. Ben has the car so if you come and get me I’ll help you” Sophie said with a chuckle. “I’ve got supplies here, I had planned to make an emergency one just in case”
“You are the absolute best! I’ll be there in 20 minutes” Anthony said as he hung up the phone dashed to the front door and drove over to Sophie and Benedict’s.
They had moved in together after college, Sophie had an apprenticeship with a patisserie and was in the process of completing that, and Benedict had gone to Uni to do something with film.
They had moved not that far away from Anthony’s flat which Kate moved into when she had joined Benedict at university, like Anthony she was doing Law as well.
Benedict and Kate were in their last year and Anthony had graduated last year and worked with his father.
Anthony’s fathers office was only a little way away from Sophie’s place of work, a little shop where she worked as a pâtissière as she finished off her apprenticeship, so he spent a lot of time with Sophie.
After her accident 4 years ago, he had been heavily involved in her recovery and her rehab and he had been the one to save her life, and then helped his father working the case against the driver who hit her, so there was no way they weren’t going to be close after going through that together. It sometimes wound Benedict up that his girlfriend was so close to his brother but Anthony knew that he wouldn’t have it any other way, especially as Benedict and Sophie were both so close to Kate.
When he pulled up outside Benedict’s ground floor flat Sophie came out and Anthony headed over to help her with her things. “You are an absolute lifesaver. Have you told Benedict I’ve asked for help yet?”
Sophie grinned “as much as I would love to see him torture you for not just letting me do it in the first place. I want to try something…” Anthony saw the wicked glint in her eye.
“Oh really? What are you thinking?” Anthony asked
“That we don’t tell anyone, and we see if anyone notices” Sophie said
“And if Ben doesn’t we roast him for it” Anthony grinned wickedly
“My thinking exactly”
“Miss Beckett. I love your thinking” he laughed as he helped Sophie into the car, she was still unsteady on her leg.
Once settled he took her back to his house and the moment Sophie saw his kitchen she looked at him in horror “what the hell happened in here?!” As she looked around the mess that was his kitchen.
“I had a fight with the mixer thing…” Anthony said sheepishly.
“That is obvious. This needs to be cleaned before we do anything!” Sophie said “this is just not hygienic”
Anthony sighed and set about cleaning.
It took them 10 minutes between them to get the benches clean and Sophie set to work whilst Anthony cleaned the remains of his poor attempt at a Victoria Sponge cake from the ceiling.
“I’ve made a basic batter; you just need to fold in the chocolate powder into it” Sophie said as she took a seat and rubbed her knee cap.
“You okay?” Anthony asked as he watched her
“Yeah it’s just, been a bit sore lately being in my feet, don’t tell Benedict though it’ll just stress him out and he’s got his exams coming up” Sophie said.
“You need to see the doc Soph if it’s acting up, maybe you need a new one?” He asked
Sophie shrugged. “I’ll see the doctor soon. I promise” she said as Anthony glared at her.
“I will!”
“You better or I’ll set my mother, Kate and Eloise on you” Anthony said.
Sophie looked horrified. “You wouldn’t do that to me!”
“Soph, you need to look after yourself, you’re a sister to me so you bet your ass I’m gonna tell my mother and maybe your dad’s, if you’re not taking care of yourself” Anthony said.
Sophie groaned “fine. You can’t guilt me into it every time…”
“You have my blood in you, I bloody well can” he grinned.
Sophie sighed “fine. But can we make this cake you need to get me back before Benedict comes home and realises”
“Sure. What’s next chef…” Anthony said, as Sophie pulled herself carefully to her feet.
4 hours later Anthony had a lovely chocolate cake, neatly decorated with some sugar flowers neatly arranged in the top and he’d dropped Sophie at home and was walking up the steps to his mother and fathers home for their anniversary dinner.
Anthony had managed to keep the cake hidden, he had shown Kate who had been none the wiser, the decoration was neat but clearly home-made, but as it wasn’t Sophie’s usual neat standard, so it wasn’t obvious.
Anthony had put the flowers on and said they were shop bought, not Sophie made.
Dinner had been a noisy affair, but Edmund and Violet would have it no other way. It was their family and their family were loud and messy. There had been a small altercation between 4 year old Hyacinth and 6 year old Gregory who had been chucking peas at each other but when Edmund had pointed out there would be no cake afterwards, they sharp stopped.
Sophie was a bundle of nervous energy by the time the cake was wheeled out, she had baked hundreds of times for the Bridgerton’s over the last 5 years, Benedict had always been her taster, or Colin and she was curious to see if they’d tell the difference.
Everyone complimented Anthony on how it looked, Anthony managed to avoid questions about how he made it by changing the subject.
Edmund and Violet cut the cake together and dished it out.
Everyone was quiet as they ate, and Benedict was frowning at the cake as he ate it.
Sophie was desperately trying not to giggle.
“What’s the matter Ben?” Edmund asked
“Ant you clearly didn’t make this…” Benedict said arching a brow
“I take offense at that!” Anthony said, his voice as indignant as he could manage.
“I’ve eaten your cooking before, remember the half frozen burnt pizza… and this has I think nutmeg in it… and only one person puts nutmeg in her chocolate cakes and that’s Sophie!” Benedict said
There was a pause and Sophie couldn’t help herself but giggled giving the game away as she looked at her boyfriend with pride and adoration.
“Fine! I nearly destroyed my kitchen and Sophie came and saved my ass rather than have you gloat in my face” Anthony said.
Benedict just beamed at Sophie and then weirdly put his hand out.
4 of the Bridgerton siblings bar Anthony, Gregory and Hyacinth but including his fiancée AND his parents, put their hands in their pocket and handed Benedict at least £10 each
“What the hell!?” Anthony said grumpily.
Sophie sat looking bemused.
“These 4” Benedict said pointing to Eloise, Violet, Fran and Colin “said you’d burn it and have a shop bought one. And these three”, he said pointing to Daph, Fran and their father “said you’d have paid someone other than Sophie to help…”
“and Kate said you’d burn it and hope I’d come with a spare” Sophie beamed wickedly at Anthony as she sat in Benedict lap, took the money off him and started counting out the money happily.
Anthony spluttered looking at Sophie with mutinous eyes “you were in on it!?”
“It’s a tradition to win when betting against any of the Bridgerton’s is it not??” Sophie asked
“She has you there, son” Edmund said shaking his head “well played Sophie” he grinned appreciatively
Anthony looked scandalised but impressed, how had he not seen that coming…? Sophie had been very willing and quick to help him; he hadn’t had to plead like he usually would have…
Sophie said she had everything ready… so she was either going to help Benedict win if he asked her for help, or Kate win if he did not.
“Well played!” He said to her a little later on as they were getting ready to leave.
“Thank you, I’ll make the appointment at the doctors tomorrow. Can you come with me? I don’t want to worry Ben too much” She asked
Anthony gave her a hug “of course Soph”
“Not too annoyed are you?” Benedict asked as he came into the hallway to grab his shoes.
“Nah, it was well played” Anthony said
“Next time just let Sophie do it” Kate added as she came into the hall.
The four laughed as they left, It was a lesson well learned but he did learn he rather enjoyed spending time with Sophie baking so when Kate’s birthday rolled around a month later he asked Sophie to teach him how to make a cake and he managed to make this one for Kate all by himself and though it wasn’t a neat shape, it had been rather tasty.