In 1784, the recently widowed Thomas Jefferson set sail for Paris. As the new nation's minister to France he was expected to deal with the politicians in the court of King Louis XVI, but he was not prepared for the likes of Maria Cosway. Enchantingly beautiful, sophisticated, and witty, this Italian-born woman captured the handsome Virginian's heart. Their romance-lasting more than three years-is recorded in these private billets-doux between the shy American minister and his precocious bonne femme. Presented here for the first time in an accessible and attractive edition are over forty letters that reveal the innermost Jefferson.