Forlorn, being without one’s valet? (8)
I believe the answer is:
helpless
'forlorn' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'without one's valet?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'without' could be 'less' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'less' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'help' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'being' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for helpless that I've seen before include "Unable to do things for oneself" , "Powerless, defenceless" , "Unable to cope, without resources" , "Powerless or incapacitated" , "Unaided" .)