Mortimer Goldsmith

Mortimer Goldsmith

Appearances

City of Stars, City of Secrets, City of Swords

Occupation

Owner of a antiques shop

Current Residence

Islington, London, England

Relatives

Unnamed wife (deceased)
Unnamed relatives

Talisman

sketch of Georgia

English/Talian City

Giglia

Mortimer Goldsmith is an elderly owner of an antiques shop in Islington. Georgia O'Grady and Matt Wood both got their talismans from his antiques shop, both items that Mr. Goldsmith remarks came from an old woman's house after she passed away.

Overview

In City of Stars, Mr. Goldsmith becomes one of Georgia's few friends after she purchases a small Etruscan flying horse model from his shop and she begins to confide in him regarding her unhappiness at home and her interest in the Etruscan horse model. When Falco di Chimici is brought to her world, she introduces him to Mr. Goldsmith, who immediately gets along well with the young boy. Mortimer is an acquaintance of David Mulholland, who vouches for for Mr. Goldsmith's character when Georgia O'Grady's stepbrother Russell Lewis attempts to make his father and Georgia's mother believe Mortimer is someone sinister and further Georgia's misery at home.

Mortimer is a widower; his wife died early in their marriage and they did not have any children. However, he has family outside of Islington and his nephews and their families often ask him to visit. He later becomes friends with Matt's great-aunt Eva Holbrook, and they correspond regularly by letter and by phone. Though Matt suggests that he and Eva have developed a romantic relationship, Mortimer and Eva appear to share an entirely platonic friendship.

In subsequent books, Georgia and Nick Duke go to his shop and have tea with him regularly. Because both Georgia and Matt obtained their talismans from Mortimer's shop, the Barnsbury Stravaganti suspect that the next Stravagante from their world will acquire a talisman at Mr. Goldsmith's shop. The conjecture turns out to be correct when Laura Reid finds her talisman at the shop. Subsequently, Alice Greaves sells her talisman to his shop. Recognizing the young woman depicted in the sketch to be Georgia, Mortimer falls asleep holding onto the talisman and accidentally stravagates to Giglia, into the studio of Giuditta Miele. Though he manages to return safely, he gathers Georgia and her friends, as well as Eva Holbrook, to learn what exactly happened regarding the drawing.

As a trusted friend of the Barnsbury Stravaganti, Mortimer is entrusted with their secret, made particularly confounding when Luciano Crinamorte appears in London. He later provides a safe place for the Stravaganti to sleep when they attend the wedding of Arianna Rossi and Luciano.