*chuckles*
[OT]
It's always funny to see the names Maeve and Mab.
"Maeve" is the pronounced form of the name. "Medb"/"Medhbh" is the written form. It's an old Irish name meaning "She, who intoxicates."/"Intoxicating" I was thinking of using it as my daughter's middle name, if I ever have one.
"Mab" is the written form of the name. "Maav" is the pronounced - very close to how James Marsters pronounces Maeve's name as Lloyd Slate in Summer Knight. The name means "Lovable", which I personally think Mab is.
[/OT]
I do think that Mab knows for a fact that Maeve is infected at this point; she's speaking entirely through Cait Sith, for the first time (as far as I recall;
Mab is speaking through Grimalkin. Harry meets Cait Sith in Cold Days for the first time.
It's always been a bit of a mystery why Mab tried to save Marcone in Small Favor, even before he was actually attacked to boot, and I think I might have an explanation that's both logical and doesn't give Mr. Occam too much headache.
Breaking Unseelie Accords' rules of engagement is basically throwing the bird to Mab. It's an insult to her personally and an insult to her office. As we have learned in Cold Days, she can swallow her pride as long as there are no witnesses, but if there are witnesses, she won't let such an insult stand.
I suppose that conversation Ivy had with Mab was somewhat awkward.
Mab: "There was a high risk of the Archive being taken over by outsiders."
Ivy: "Your counteractions were perfectly adequate, given the risk."
Mab: "I was certain that you would understand. I'm delighted that Dresden made it in time."
- The End -
Although, yes, we might consider Hobbs' attack as a play by Maeve. This part never get's properly explained. Ivy suspects that Harry was using the Hobbs. So since they don't have the emblem of the person who sent them branded on their foreheads, we can speculate. This actually might be a similar play as we've seen later in Turn Coat where the Outsiders/Black Council were using two agencies who sort-of got into each others' way. But in that case the Hobbs weren't sent to kill the Archive but to abduct her. This would make the plot a bit thicker.
There are no indications of actions prior to snowball fight at the Carpenter House, so it is very difficult to speculate. At least I'm not aware of any. "Heorot" features Gard + Dresden action [ interpret that however you will >.> ] making it more likely, that Gard will trust and ask Dresden for help in Small Favor. "It’s My Birthday Too" can't be connected to Small Favor from what I remember.
It's possible, that the prequel to this will play out in the short story Mr. Butcher has planned with Hendricks PoV.
Mab has been trying to woo Harry into taking the place of Lloyd Slate as Winter Knight
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She is a Grand Chessmaster at playing people against each other.
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John Marcone is a heavy hitter in the mortal world, with enough influence to affect some of Mab's plans. She would have kept tabs on him, his friends, and his enemies.
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Mab understands the love hate / hate relationship between Harry Dresden and John Marcone. She has been using these dynamics to get what she wants out of both of them.
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Well... here I'd be more thinking in terms:
Mab jumping in for the Leanansidhe while Lea is a Sidhe-cicle.
Leanansidhe training Margaret Katherine Amanda Carpenter [ so why is she Molly and not another Maggie? ] in Harry's stead.
Just as Mab is shaping Dresden; she had to prepare a stand-in protector of Chicago once she manages to talk Dresden into accepting the Winter Knight mantle, since his duties as Winter Knight would somewhat limit the time he is in Chicago. We know that while Marcone is a mobster he also has rules.
Here it is very difficult to find out what the actual conflict between Summer and Winter was. We just know, that it played out in Marcone's kidnapping to which Ivy's kidnapping got added later as Nicodemus' version of a DLC.
Here we should consider Titania working together with the Denarians. Motives as of yet unknown.