‘working by candlelight would have provided Antoine a focused, well-lit environment for the delicate dissection of two seedlings’
I think the author needs to try using a candle for light.
Candlelight doesn't mean a single solitary candle. As an example, here's the famous scene Kubrik's Barry Lyndon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQE73GDo4So
Often a sign of AI writing.
To modern ears it seems dim, but to contemporary ears it would be very bright compared to normal nighttime!