“I do not wish to be cruel to Wendell; the thought gives rise to a strange and unpleasant sensation, as if the air is being squeezed from my body. But the reality is that one would have to be an utter idiot to marry one of the Folk. There are perhaps a handful of stories in which such a union ends well and a mountain of them in which it ends in madness or an untimely and unpleasant death.”

Emily refuses to acknowledge the depth of her feelings for Wendell because doing so would call attention to the risk involved, not only to her academic research which requires objectivity, but also to her life. Romantic relationships with the Folk are nearly always doomed, and the fact that Emily is a dryadologist makes the concept of accepting Wendell’s proposal even more foolish as it will compromise her career.

“Lilja and Margret continue to demonstrate a great deal of interest in Wendell’s marriage proposal, and they ask if I have come to a decision each time they write. […] I miss them both and very much wish I could see them again—I always found Lilja in particular an uncommonly easy person to converse with.”

In the series’ first installment, Emily learned how to make genuine relationships outside of academic transactions. Her continued correspondence with Lilja and Margret proves this character growth and the decidedly non-academic discussions these letters contain further illustrates the authenticity of the friendships. Emily’s friendships with the townsfolk in the previous novel create a foundation for the theme The Benefits of Accepting Help From Others in this installment.

“I’ve often noticed, sir, that for all we scholars shake our heads at the amorality of the Folk, on many occasions we demonstrate that we lack the high ground.”

The ruthlessness of academia is a running theme across the series. In the first installment, it seems like the ruthlessness comes from Emily’s particular character alone, but the ruthlessness of Dr. Rose and this passage suggests that the entire field is rife with ambitious scholars who might consider compromising morals for discovery.