She stayed when the brothers went off to war because she was betrothed to Samuel. When they came back without Samuel, she decided to stay because she dearly loved Tristan.
Then Tristan inexplicably leaves Susannah to travel the world seeking meaning in life, eventually writing her to inform her that their relationship was dead and to marry someone else. Since she was left high-and-dry and had a history with Alfred, who clearly loved her and was now a successful congressman, she thought it only made sense to marry him.
Her visiting Tristan at the jail wasn't exactly "throwing herself at him." She still loved him and vice versa, which they expressed with tenderness and care. She obviously wanted to express her condolences after Isabel's tragic death and confess her love. But it ended there; Tristan put the kibosh on it. No one knows how far Suzannah was willing to take it (since we can't read her mind), but I think she knew there was no possibility of a life with Tristan, even a secret affair. In other words, the exchange at the jail was sweet, but it couldn't and wouldn't go beyond that brief moment.
In light of all this, I would hardly pigeonhole Suzannah as a "poisonous broad." I've known "poisonous broads," but she isn't one.
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