I'm so glad you weren't offended Astrid! Comforted sleeping/settling is something that I'm really passionate about and it's very close to my heart so I'm more than happy to share my thoughts and experiences in the hope that it might help! I know only too well how difficult it is when you have a little one who fights sleep and who can get very distressed.

I can see from what you have said, why you have avoided your bedroom. Perhaps if you do a few things to it like you've said, it might become a nice, warm, relaxing place for that wind-down for her? Cats can be annoying (again speaking from experience LOL). I don't know if your cats are allowed outdoors, but is it possible to put them out for a little while whilst you attend to Maggie, since you don't have doors on all the rooms?

I think you can get 40w light bulbs - that's about the lowest you will find I think? You could get one of those and perhaps even one that is pearl or something so that it is nice and soft and not really bright?

Sorry.....I thought having dinner at that time may have been a regular part of your evening routine - I didn't realise it was a once off LOL.

If the rocking/patting in her cot doesn't help her but you want to try and persue that a bit more perhaps do as you said and pick her up and cuddle her and rock/pat her in your arms - that's what I'd be doing for now anyway!

Have you tried giving her a bit of a massage after her bath maybe? That might be something that relaxes her nicely ready for that last feed/book/bed ritual?

There are so many different things you can try but I think keeping things fairly simple as opposed to busy/complex is important too. That is, if you try to do too much as part of your evening ritual when they are little, they misunderstand what the cues mean? I think as they get older you can add a few things in here and there, but when they are little, if things are kept fairly simple, but consistent, then they eventually pick up those cues and appreciate that predicability IYKWIM? So, as an example, maybe you could try this (obviously times are just me plucking ones out of the air!):

5.30pm: Dinner (as a family where possible)
6.00pm: Quiet Play (TV off etc)
6.30pm: Bath/Shower (perhaps with Mum/Dad?)
7.00pm: Get dressed for bed in bedroom. Switch on Peace Baby (perhaps a massage also - just 5 - 10 minutes?).
7.15pm: Turn off main bedroom light and switch on lamp. Read a sleepy-time book (something fairly short and simple).
7.30pm: BF and then into cot (perhaps with a sleep message and/or comfort toy?)

I just realised you said she wakes quite often at around 8.45, so that would be around 45 minutes after she's gone to sleep, right? So what's happening there is most likely, that she is waking after 1 sleep cycle and is having trouble settling herself when she stirs a bit.