Trafika Europe 1 - Northern Idyll

However, letters were not Anna Sofia’s strong suit, she needed someone else to read her lines aloud, at which point she would memorize them. And that other person was no less than Commandant Emilius von Løbner. He was patient and kind and read well, and he never forgot to light a fire in the Bilegger stove so that the room was cozy. Sometimes these readings lasted past midnight, and during the breaks Løbner offered the budding actress sweet wine and fair words. And she let herself be enticed by his ripe charms, becoming giggly, inviting, and compliant. “Just call me Emilius,” he said, placing a sweetmeat on her moist, pink tongue. He received permission to bathe her with an expensive soap, telling her that this was how the illustrious enjoyed themselves in the King’s city. He placed a dish of warm water on the table and rubbed soap into the wet washcloth; she consented to let him wash her face and neck and along her hairline. Nor did she protest when he untied her blouse, washed under her arms, and carefully dried the sweat off her heavy breasts. She enjoyed this intriguing midnight game, allowed him suckle her breasts, and made no objection when he undid her skirt. He said “hopsasa,” and she lifted her rump while he spread a towel on the chair to keep the plush dry, and the towel was so large that he also folded it over her thatch, so that she would not feel too exposed. While he washed her toes, one after the other, he caressed and patted her thighs, which he called love’s white columns. And Anna Sofie purred with well-being, just like the Bilegger stove.

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