machination

noun

1. (countable, in-plural, uncountable)A clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes.

   “Machinations, hollowneſſe, treacherie, and all ruinous diſorders follow vs diſquietly to our Graues.”

   “He witnessed her palpitating bosom, the lifeless hues and disconsolate expression of her interesting countenance; yet, from the machinations of his evil passions, he would have proceeded further, until, entirely overcome, he had seen her drop motionless in her chair, in order that he might have the luxury of supporting her within his arms, and of recalling her to a sense of life and being.”

   “PATRICK: The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma.”

2. (countable, uncountable)The act of machinating or plotting.