Skip to content
Story Time: The Duchess at Prayer episode artwork

Oct 31, 2026 46 min

Story Time: The Duchess at Prayer

from Christmas Past Hosted by Brian Earl

Happy Halloween! 👻 And welcome to another season of Christmas Past. We're continuing our tradition of kicking things off with a ghost story from my friends at Biblioasis Books. Every season, they issue a set of three classic ghost stories for Christmas, designed and decorated by the acclaimed artists known only as Seth. Today's story is Edith Wharton's "The Duchess at Prayer," first published in Scribner's Magazine in 1900. Neglected by her absent husband, the beautiful Duchess Violante turns to prayer and, seemingly, the company of the Duke's cousin. Suspicious of his wife, the Duke returns unexpectedly one day and an argument breaks out which takes a dark turn—and leaves the memory of that day immportalized in the haunting face of a stone statue. I'm so excited to kick off another season with you and celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Christmas Past! 😮 May your days be merry and bright! MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE “Relaxing Music” — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech “Halloween Lofi” — Marek Zielinski, via Pixabay CONNECT WITH ME Links to social media and more https://christmaspastpodcast.com/links Email: [email protected] MY BOOKS Of Christmases Long, Long Ago: Surprising Traditions from Christmas Past (2025, Lyons Press and Recorded Books) It's Christmas as you've never seen it before, and it makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions (2022, Lyons Press and Recorded Books)

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Happy Halloween! 👻 And welcome to another season of Christmas Past. We're continuing our tradition of kicking things off with a ghost story from my friends at Biblioasis Books. Every season, they issue a set of three classic ghost stories for Christmas, designed and decorated by the acclaimed artists known only as Seth. Today's story is Edith Wharton's "The Duchess at Prayer," first published in Scribner's Magazine in 1900. Neglected by her absent husband, the beautiful Duchess Vi...

Ready to play

Story Time: The Duchess at Prayer

0:00 46:52

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Christmas Past?

This episode is 46 minutes long.

When was this Christmas Past episode published?

This episode was published on October 31, 2026.

Can I download this Christmas Past episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.