B linens colonises the surface of the cheese but its effects work their way through the whole the whole cheese.
On the surface it makes the cheese slimy to touch and gives it a colour which varies from cream through various shades of pink and orange. It also has a distinctive odour, sometimes compared to unwashed feet.
Below the surface, substances produced in the rind act to soften the cheese and to produce some truly wonderful flavours.
If you do not have any linens, you could inoculate it with a piece of rind from a washed rind cheese. On the other hand, if you keep the cheese at a very high humidity and wash it with a weak brine to keep moulds at bay, the Linens may well turn up all on its own.