Susanna and Elijah

As has been previously established, Susanna lived in a time when women had a very difficult - if not impossible - life without being attached to a husband. That was why she had her initial engagement to Jacob, then chose to marry Cyrus after Jacob left and things became heated with the villagers accusing her of witchcraft. Despite the shock of 21st-century Kat - and the viewers - it soon became apparent that Susanna simply took the best option that was open to her.

But was it really the best option?

As Susanna once confided in Kat, she didn't believe she would ever truly love any man. Various interpretations of that sentiment aside (e.g. whether Susanna was really gay or bi but didn't live in a time where she could openly live that - or perhaps didn't even understand her true feelings, or if she simply didn't believe that her fondness for any male in her life could override her disdain for having to live according to the man's wishes versus her own, etc.) it seemed a bit odd IMO that Susanna only tried the one time to go to the future, simply accepting that as not an option for her. She was with Kat when it happened! Why did Kat not tell her that she herself had not been able to travel at certain times? Because she and Elliot believed that no one could go to the future, only the past? In these three seasons, the one consistent thing they have learned is that literally everything they know about the pond has been debunked at some point. So why not encourage Susanna to try again?

But, ok. Let's say that it's an established fact that Susanna cannot possibly leave her Port Haven and go live in a future version. Why, then, was Cyrus her go-to for an arranged marriage? Just because he is wealthy and seemingly the one person in town that can force people to do things his way? Perhaps Susanna thought that would work in protecting her - I can only imagine how terrifying it would be, to be walking home from a friend's house minding your own business, only to have a mob start trying to tie you up and punish you as responsible for strange weather! But, as ultimately seen, the connection to Cyrus really did nothing to protect her, not if Susanna had to be kept hidden in the Goodwin attic. And, really, it might have riled the villagers even more, knowing that the "witch" was not going hungry, as she revealed to Kat that Cyrus had been using his underground tunnels to ensure food was still coming through.

So, my question is this - why did no one seem to consider Susanna marrying Elijah? This was a time period when many people married for various practical reasons (e.g. financial, to help raise small children, etc.) rather than romantic. No one in the community would likely have thought it odd, or cared if the marriage was in name only. Susanna was, by that point, essentially a member of their household/family, as she had been a childhood friend of Jacob, then his fiancée, then kept coming around to help take care of Elijah and help with various domestic and farm tasks. And from Elijah's end, we know he was quite devoted to his beloved wife Rebecca. But again, this would be a different sort of marriage, not romantic but protective of the young woman who was like a daughter. Although it was never mentioned, it would seem that Rebecca also knew Susanna very well during her life, and welcomed her in the Landry home. Surely she wouldn't have disapproved of her husband doing whatever necessary to keep her safe.

Perhaps it's just that - that Susanna was like a daughter. Or, simply that Susanna had been engaged to Elijah's adopted son. Either way, it seems the showrunners thought it would have been too weird to have Elijah marry her.

Given how things actually turned out with Cyrus, however, Susanna would probably have been better off. Even if William stayed local and continued running the farm, and Little Jacob after him, Elijah could have stipulated in his will that Susanna be allowed to remain on the property - or parceled off a section of land for her to build a house. (Actually, considering there is no "Augustine house" right next to the Landrys in early Port Haven, that may actually be what ended up happening, regardless.)

And, if nothing else, she would likely have taken great comfort from knowing that she was living in the Landry house - the same place that her beloved Kat was also living, albeit in a different time.

Thoughts?