"Don't think of what's past!" said she. "I am not going to think outside of now. Why should we! Who knows what tomorrow has in store?"― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891) by Thomas Hardy recounts the story of naïve and beautiful Tess Durbeyfield. After learning about their noble lineage, Tess's parents inspire her advances towards a nearby wealthy family called d'Urberville. Wicked Alec d'Urberville seduces Tess who secretly bears his child. Later working as a dairymaid, she meets Angel Clare, an idealistic gentleman who marries her but soon rejects her on their wedding night after learning of her past. But Tess's life takes a tumultuous turn when both the men in her life reappear.