I was just thinking on it. What's Maeve's job? Mab didn't want to answer the question. Theories?

 

Well, it's the Queen most able to affect the mortal world, so I'd guess at her being Winter's recruiting agent. She's the one who goes hunting for new Emissaries or replacement Knights, should they be required, or to ensnare regular mortals with deals and thus gain more power for Winter.

 

Hmm... Perhaps. It's pretty clear Maeve wasn't doing her job properly. Also: According to Sarissa, most of the important people left the party when Maeve did. She could do some work with the rest of the nobility.

In Summer Knight, she was leading the Winter Forces into the battle. Maybe that?

 

She just keeps the balance like the rest of the court. She's the "Queen to Be", which pretty much means she's the queen in training. Also, any of the queens can control the knight mantle. Mab mad a comment that 'she should stop letting Maeve pick'. The Ladies have been at the job for less time than the Queens, so they get jaded, think they can change things that can't be changed, etc.

 

Mother Winter made a similar comment except with Mab as the focus, indicating that the Mothers could take control of certain aspects of the courts if they wanted to.

 

I read that as more regret over what Mab had become/decisions she had made than an ability to usurp control.

Well, Mother Winter could usurp control anyway, simply by virtue of being the strongest motherfucker in the room, but that doesn't mean it's within her purview/mandate.

 

Ok so this is going to tie back in with stuff from Proven Guilty.

In PG we know that Lea was being treated for her madness and that Maeve was definitely infected. A major point at the end was that Winter had all of its forces deployed against Summers borders which kept Summer from reacting to the Red Court. IIRC Maeve attributes this to Mab being insane, obviously that isn't the case. I think that at least a portion of the Winter Ladys duties are to maintain order and command the troops of Winter that are not at the Gate (ie. she is closest to the mortal world, relative to Mab and Mother Winter), while Mab takes care of the Gates and Mother Winter ... does whatever it is the Mothers do. It explains a decent chunk of the inexplicable behavior in Winter in that book. Mab was counteracting Nemesis using her preferred troubleshooter (even if he didn't realize it).