Silent Honor by Danielle Steel Page A

Reiko confirmed as she kissed him and thanked him for the flowers. “It always does us good to go up there. You should come with us next year.”
    “I would love it…. That is”—he glanced at his boss with a rueful grin—”if your husband doesn't leave me the entire course to reorganize again.” He hadn't really done that, they had sorted out most of the work before he left, but Peter had tied up most of the loose ends for him, and he'd done a good job. Takeo was very pleased with the work that Peter had accomplished in his absence.
    Peter brought him up on developments at the university while he'd been gone, and at dinner they once again discussed the situation in Russia. And eventually Peter turned and asked Hiroko if she'd had news of her parents. She was still startled by how easily they all expressed their opinions, especially Reiko. It seemed remarkable to her that a woman should speak her mind so freely. Looking down shyly, she told Peter that she had heard from her parents, and then, as though forcing herself, she looked up at him and smiled and thanked him for asking. She told him about a storm her parents had said they'd had, but other than that, everything was fine. And just talking about them suddenly made her homesick again for Kyoto.
    “When do you start school?” he asked quietly. He always felt as though she were a doe, about to dart away from him into the forest, and he had to move ever so slowly, and speak very softly. He almost wanted to put a hand out to her, to show her he wouldn't harm her.
    “In two weeks,” she answered bravely, forcing herself not to be afraid of him. She wanted to be polite, and to be American, and not hide from his eyes the way a Japanese girl would. In her heart of hearts, she wanted to be like Sally, or her Aunt Reiko. But it was far from easy.
    “Are you excited about it?” he asked, excited himself that he was actually having a conversation with her. It meant a lot to him to make her comfortable. He wasn't sure why, but it did. He wanted her to feel at ease with him, and to get to know her better.
    “I am afraid, perhaps, Peter-san,” she said, astounding him with her honesty. In spite of her timidity, she was very direct sometimes, but he hadn't yet learned that about her. “Maybe they will not like me, if I am so very different.” She looked up at him with wise eyes. She was enchanting with her beautiful manners and graceful ways. He couldn't imagine anyone not liking her, particularly not a group of eighteen-year-old girls, and he smiled at the suggestion.
    “I think they will like you very much,” he said, barely concealing his own admiration for her, as Takeo watched them. For an instant he wondered if Peter was unusually interested in her, and then decided he was just being foolish.
    “She's going to wear regular clothes when she goes to school,” Tami said, and Hiroko giggled. She knew that Tami was still worried that her cousin would go to college with her kimonos. “Right, Hiroko?”
    “Right, Tami-san. I will wear clothes just like Sally.” But she realized now that the Western clothes she had brought looked out-of-date and somewhat old-fashioned. Neither she nor her mother had known what to select when they went shopping in Kyoto. But seeing the clothes that Sally and Reiko wore, she realized how ugly her new clothes were.
    “I like your kimonos, Hiroko-san,” Peter said quietly. “They suit you.”
    But Hiroko was so embarrassed by his words that she looked down again and did not answer.
    After dinner, they played Monopoly again, and this time Hiroko joined in. She had played with them at the lake, and had gotten good at it. She understood the game, and when Sally or Ken cheated she always caught them, as she did that night, and there were wild squeals and laughter as Takeo and Peter dropped out and went to get a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Reiko was still there putting away the dishes. She smiled at them and poured them each a cup of