Forum:Who is Miss David in Cat's Cradle: Warhead?

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A friend of mine convinced me to start reading the novels. For the first five, I think I got most of the references. But in Cat's Cradle: Warhead, who is Miss David?

I asked my friend, and he told me that many of the references are pretty obscure, and just wait until I get to the Lawrence Miles books if this one is driving me crazy… but it is driving me crazy. I feel like we're supposed to recognize this character. The Doctor says "She used to have a different name, you know. She's an old friend of mine."

I'm guessing most people here don't remember the character I'm talking about, so here's what we know about her:

She's on Earth somewhere in the first decade of the 21st century (so it has to be Barbara, Dodo, Polly, Liz, Jo, Sarah Jane, Tegan, or Peri, right?). She's got a warehouse in Turkey full of complex and symbolic carpets. She has the kind of connections to recruit a group of Kurdish mercenaries for Ace on the Doctor's request, and she can easily translate between them and Ace, and she has obvious distaste for the mercenaries. Here's an example of her dialogue:

‘They would like some form of advance, or at least some sign that payment is guaranteed.’ Miss David looked like she would spit. ‘My advice to you is just tell them to go to hell.’

So, am I missing something, or is my friend right that this is meant to be obscure and I shouldn't worry about it?