Was nervous about beginning to fidget with handles? (6)
I believe the answer is:
feared
'was nervous' is the definition.
(being nervous can mean being afraid)
'beginning to fidget with handles?' is the wordplay.
'beginning to' says to take the initial letters.
'with handles?' becomes 'eared' (eared can describe a container with handles).
The initial letter of 'fidget' is 'f'.
'f'+'eared'='FEARED'
'about' is the link.
(Other definitions for feared that I've seen before include "Was terrified" , "Was afraid of" , "Was uneasy or apprehensive about" , "Was in awe of" , "Dreaded" .)