Also the idea that she lived — openly — in a special room connected to Jefferson’s rather than to that of one of his daughter’s is preposterous. A Washington Post story has her sleeping “just steps away”. Yaelle even has her “sleeping inches from him” — inches! — as if Jefferson could just roll over and have sex with her. :-) There’s no proof of any such thing.
And why don’t these stories tell us where the door to that room went? The archaeologists must know that. (Could it be that the door didn’t open into Jefferson’s bedroom?) “Next to” can mean on the other side of a brick wall.
Someone else on the thread said the inches away thing so I just borrowed it. Heck, even if her room was on the other side of the house, it is probable they hooked up. I just don’t see that as a bad thing except of course for the slavery situation.