The Dark Heart premiered and, despite not being a massive box office hit, it really had all the elements to grow as a cult movie over time. The reviews were great and I went with Adam to the premieres in London and Paris. It was nice seeing him again and having someone with me who could show me how those things worked. I had, definitely, never had an album release that demanded an elaborate dress and a red carpet.

Musicians can be complicated artists to deal with. We have it all, from divas to laid-back folk, from sanguine storms to drama queens and kings but we could never surpass the glamour actors called upon themselves. Hollywood really is a whole other shiny world.

- I was thinking of taking a week or two next month – Adam said, as the flashes blinded us and the photographers shouted instructions.

- A little holiday?

- Yeah, I was thinking of going up Route 66.

I posed as Pat and Shruti had taught me, showcasing the wonderful work the author of, my now signature rings, had done with the dress. When Pat took me over to Marylebone, I knew right away that I wanted to work with her.

- That sounds exciting.

- Wanna come? If you’re free, that is.

We were ushered along the red carpet and waved back at the reporters.

- My schedule is a bit on the chaotic side of life for the next few months.

- Just a week, then. It’ll be nice – he smiled – Just let me know if you wanna do it.

Adam was always like that. He never pressured me for anything. He was the sort of person to just lay down options and walk away, as if I were a shy cat. I said I would think about it, but the idea of going down that iconic road, immortalised in song and legend, was very tempting. I had to know what all that was about.

And I needed to walk away for a little bit as well. Tensions were running high with the band and there had already been a fistfight between Simon and Freddie over the workload. Si had sided with me and Freddie had taken offence. It took Martin, Peter and Alfie to pull them apart. I now regretted that, in the heat of the moment, I said that whoever was unhappy was free to leave because it felt like I was saying their work was not as valuable as it truly was.

To be fair, the erosion within the band seemed to stem from Freddie’s erratic behaviour and it appeared to be getting worse. I only wondered where it all would end up, if he really could have the will to pull himself out of that whirlpool he seemed to be losing himself in and that Martin had said would be his call to make.

I had asked around and found out that rehab seemed to be the only available option for more serious cases but, in reality, I had no idea just how serious and long-lasting Freddie’s abuse had been. To be fair, I had only spotted the signs fairly recently but I had also been so lost wallowing in my own mire, that I might just have missed the red flags along the way. As of that moment, it was starting to look like the Red Square on October 25th…

- You know what? - I called Adam, as I pulled myself out of that pit of worries – I might just take you up your offer, Mr. Fairchild.

- Oh, Miss Blackburn – a radiant smile, camera-worthy – I’m glad you’ve reconsidered.

We agreed on meeting in LA, Adam’s hometown and, seeing as I could just take a week from my hectic life, we would only go as far as Texas. He had the route all figured out and met me and Bear at LAX. Bear would, in turn, fly back to Chicago for the week, his own hometown, and meet me in Lubbock, Texas, in seven days.

I was excited about it, really. This would be my first holiday without my family and it was refreshing that I was not feeling scared about being out in the open without security. Adam was my friend and I had always had this gut feeling that told me I could trust him.

He made a point of driving all the way to Santa Monica, so we could start right at the beginning of what once was the original Route 66, which was now somewhat broken, but still drivable, for the most part.

He was so giddy about it all, that he even had a Route 66 t-shirt on.

- We’ve got water, snacks for the road, a tank full of gas and I brought a wide variety of music, for you to choose from.

I smiled widely, as I grabbed my camera and took a picture of him with the Santa Monica Pier as background, while the very early morning sun shone on him – I brought sunscreen as well. Oh, and an extra jumper, as you asked.

- Yeah, the desert can become really cold, at night. Take our picture, come here – he said, waving his hand, for me to join him, the giant Ferris Wheel at the back. - To the beginning of a great road trip!

We joked all the way to his Firebird.

- First stop: Calico – Adam closed his door and started the car – It’s a ghost town, in the desert, very cool – he said, as he saw my inquisitive look. He reached under his seat and put a big case of CDs on my lap – You can pick the music, but… only after we listen to this one first.

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He pressed play on the newly built-in stereo and Chuck Berry’s Route 66 started playing.

- Oh, nice – I said, as I browsed the rest of his music and swayed along with Chuck’s sung itinerary.

- Don’t forget the map, co-pilot – he told me to take a look in the glovebox – You can read a map, can’t you?

I closed the case and put it by my feet, unfolding the chart – I’m afraid my education might have been lacking, in that sense… I can quote parts of The Canterbury Tales, though.

- You never know when it might come in handy – Adam laughed and trailed his finger along the route he had marked down, for me to follow – Just keep your eyes on the road signs and you’ll be fine.

- Aye, aye, Captain.

We drove through LA, to the hills that embraced it. It went from everything to absolutely nothing but the road and surrounding nature. And then, almost all of a sudden, even the low vegetation started to be more scarce.

- Are we in the desert already? - I asked, looking from the map to our surroundings. - That was quick.

- Yep. You’re in San Bernardino Valley. There’s Victorville just ahead and then we’ll make one quick stop, before heading to Calico.

I located the circles he had drawn on the map, near Barstow.

- It’s gonna be one long day – he smiled, not taking his eye off the road – So I’m hoping you’ve slept on the plane.

- I dozed off, for a bit – I said – Enough to keep me going for days.

- I really don’t know how you do it.

- To be fair, neither do I. I guess one day I will be living in a haze of sleepiness. Zombiefied out of my brain.

- How’s work going? - it was surprising how Adam always knew where to go, in a conversation. It was like he was an expert in reading between my lines.

- It’s going – I shrugged – I’ve been signing albums, singing, playing with fireworks, you know how that works.

- Of course – his laugh was as bright as his native Californian sun – Typical day of an English teenager. But something’s worrying you, I can tell.

I just shrugged again, as it seemed to be my go-to response lately. I didn’t like to bring inner band subjects out in the open. - Nothing that can’t be solved.

- In a good way?

- I hope so. But you know what they say, hope for the best, but expect the worst, right?

- Such a ray of sunshine, you are. No wonder they call you the Princess of Gloom.

- That was a quick climb up the social ladder, wasn’t it? - I asked, amused by the whole naming game the press was playing with me – I went from nothing, to a Duchess and now I’m a Princess. There’s not much to go from there, is there? Only two more titles that I can think of.

Our first stop was really a quick one, just by the big sign on the road that read Route 66. Was it an absolute necessity, taking a photo by it? Of course not. Was it a fun step in a really fun road trip? Of course. And it is always nice to take the time to immortalise those memories.

Our next stop was the ghost mining town of Calico which really was a surreal experience. I mean, you do hear about those ghost Wild West towns, smack in the middle of the desert all the time, but one never really thinks about actually being there (with other tourists, granted, but still), feeling the already hot late March sun, walking on the loose dirt roads and admiring the resilience those people had to have had, to endure such a harsh living environment and all for a couple of gold or silver specks.

The wooden structures that never really had the chance to evolve, so fast was the rise and decline of such towns, against the rugged and almost barren landscape would really take one back, if it weren’t for the obvious signs of modernity in the people around you and the cars nearby.

- I feel like my hat may be out of place – I laughed, as we stopped in front of a building with a sign that read Saloon – You can’t really howdy, pardner with a hat like this. - I tried tipping my hat but the wide brim was too floppy.

Adam laughed and tipped his Dodgers baseball cap. The effect was really somewhat lost in the wrong headgear – We’ll have to find you a nice cowboy hat, then. I’m guessing, maybe, in black.

- A wild guess, indeed. Do they even come in black?

- I think they can come in every single colour. - he said, as he walked ahead, forming little clouds of dirt with every step he took.

- In pink, as well?

- Would you like a pink cowboy hat? - he winked – It might suit you. If I ever find one, it’s yours.

- Don’t you dare – I laughed – I have a reputation to maintain.

- Nobody says you have to wear it out in public. You can just walk around the house in it.

- Like that would ever happen – I took a few photos. Some people approached Adam, after having recognised him, leaving me to my own weak attempts to document the journey. The whole town really was well preserved. I needed to bring my siblings over, as well. I thought they would just love the whole vibe of the place. Maybe they would appreciate the cowboy hats as well.

There was a horse outside the gift shop and I took my time to pet it. It was odd that there were no horses on the Estate. The last one had been Orion, a Dutch Warmblood that had belonged to my great-uncle Teddy and its sign was still hanging by what had been its paddock. My grandmother had never had the inclination to own horses, as her peers did, even if she admired their beauty. I would not go out of my way to buy a horse and the whole idea really was not appealing, but if the chance to adopt one came by, who knew?

- Sorry about that – Adam stood beside me and also petted the white and brown horse’s mane – Wanna go in the gift shop before we hit the road again? We might find something nice.

I picked up a nice geode that I thought would look great in New House’s library. Now that I was about to get the house back, in a month or two, when the lease was to end, I wanted to put my own personal touch here and there. I also got a frame with rock samples, from the region. That one would go to the Greenwich flat.

The chance had come by, to buy a whole building, in Greenwich, and I took it, investing the money I had gotten from the film. It consisted of four flats, in a 19th-century building, which were all quite spacious and bright, all with that touch of old architectural details that I loved. I had set up a plan, along with Mason and my accountants, that after all necessary renovations, I would rent out three of the flats, to have a steady source of income, that would go to support any expenses I might have with New House, namely staff. The fourth one, the more spacious one, on the top floor, I wanted to decorate and set aside, keeping it vacant for God knows who, but one never knew when such a thing could come in handy.

We went back on the road again and stopped for lunch in a roadside diner, with burgers and milkshakes, anything one could expect from such a place. The floor was the classic chequered tiles, the counter and the tables were baby powder-blue and it even had a jukebox. For me, it was amazing how much of that whole 1950s and 60s mystique was so well-preserved. It was, almost, as if the whole idea of Route 66 alone was enough to keep it all going, even without the infrastructure.